The 27th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, also known as a unit crest or DUI, was approved on 19 March 1951. In the center is a rock taken from the coat of arms of St. Mihiel, site of some of the Battalion’s first combat during the St. Mihiel offensive during World War I as the 2nd Battalion, 37th Engineer Regiment. It is surrounded by oak leaves, representative of the Meuse-Argonne region where the 37th Engineer Regiment fought in World War I. The border of the insignia points to the unit’s heritage and descent from the 209th Engineer Combat Battalion which served in World War II. “OMNES RES BENE FACERE,” the Battalion motto, is Latin for “To Do All Things Well.”
Distinctive Unit Insignias are worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e),
"Beret" and
"Garrison Cap," respectively.
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Originally constituted as 2nd Battalion, 37th Engineer Regiment, today’s 27th Engineer Battalion would go to war under that designation in 1918 and earn credit for participation in two World War I campaigns. In March 1943, it was redesignated as the 209th Engineer Combat Battalion and would serve in Indochina, earning credit for the India-Burma and Central Burma campaigns and receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for their contributions in taking the Japanese airfield at Myitkyina.
In 1966, the Battalion deployed to Vietnam, where it service over the course of thirteen campaigns was recognized five Meritorious Unit Commendations and a Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class. It served in two of the three campaigns in the First Gulf War, earning another Meritorious Unit Commendation along with an Army Superior Unit Award for 1990. And since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion’s unflagging service has led to its receipt of three additional Meritorious Unit Commendations. It is currently headquartered at Fort Bragg.