U.S. ARMY 27TH TRANSPORTATION BATTALION UNIT CREST (DUI)

The 27th Transportation Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, frequently referred to as a unit crest or a DUI for short, was first approved on 24 December 1942 while the unit was designated as the 27th Quartermaster Regiment (Truck). It would be redesignated for other iterations of the unit as the Army redesignated it over the decades, including the 27th Transportation Truck Battalion (February 1950), 27th Transportation Battalion (April 1963), and 27th Transportation Center (September 1995). Buff is used for the background color for the unit crest of the 27th Transportation Battalion to indicate its descent from a unit in the Quartermaster Corps (Transportation colors are brick red and golden yellow). A smoothly running spur and worm gear epitomize the functions of the Battalion, matching the unit motto "Geared To Fit."

 

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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
As seen above, the 27th Transportation Battalion underwent more than a few redesignations over the span of its nearly 71-year existence. It was originally constituted on 1 May 1936 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD), 1st Battalion, 27th Quartermaster Regiment. In October 1943 it was redesignated as HHD, 27th Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile, and under this designation would take part in the Sicily, Rome-Arno, and Po Valley campaigns; it was inactivated in November 1945. While inactive, it underwent a couple of redesignations which led to it having a new title—HHD, 27th Transportation Truck Battalion—when it was activated in January 1949 Germany.

The unit would see two more redesignations over the next decade; by the time it deployed to begin serving in the first of 16 Vietnam War campaigns, it was designated as HHD, 27th Transportation Battalion. Units of the Battalion would be involved in the first significant truck convoy ambush by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, leading to the development of enhanced convoy tactics and technology. The Battalion’s Vietnam service was honored with four Meritorious Unit Commendations and Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

It was inactivated from 1972 to 1986, when it was activated in Germany; in 1995, it was redesignated as the 27th Transportation Center and its headquarters moved to Wiesbaden. In February 2000, it was reorganized and redesignated as the 27th Transportation Battalion (Movement Control), the designation it held when it was inactivated in July 2007.