Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is 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.
Cobalt blue and golden yellow (gold), branch colors of the Chemical Corps, are featured almost exclusively in the 44th Chemical Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia. Two quatrefoils, a gold one charged with a blue one, is an allusion to the unit’s numerical designation. A dragon is a symbol not only of the powerful forces the unit controls, but is also an emblem of sturdy, steadfast defense, and it embodies the unit motto of “Pride Integrity Courage.” Additionally, dragons have historically been employed to signify Chemical units almost since they were first formed.
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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This insignia was first approved on 20 October 1989 for the 44th Chemical Battalion, organized on 1 July 1989 in the Illinois Army National Guard with two subordinate companies (Smoke and Decontamination). Its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment was selected to serve as a unit in the Contingency Force Pool, meaning it could be asked (and was also given the necessary resources) to deploy quickly on a worldwide basis. Additionally, the Battalion’s personnel founded the Order of the Dragon, a honorary organization that recognized individual contributions to the success of the command and which was later adopted by the Army’s Chemical Corps.
The 44th Chemical Battalion was inactivated on 1 September 1997, but was constituted again in the Illinois Army National Guard eight years later to the day. Since then, its 135th and 445th Chemical Companies were deployed to Afghanistan, with the 444th being deployed again in 2012 to Kuwait. The Battalion is headquartered at Macomb, Illinois.