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 (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.
Enlisted personnel wear the insignia centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
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.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
“Voice Of The Arctic,” the unit motto that appears on the 59th Signal Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, reflects the Battalion’s location in Alaska, where it is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. In the center of the insignia’s shield is an orange pile, charged with a pole star and a fleur-de-lis, simulating a lightning bolt to evoke the speed of modern communications while simultaneously implying the communications point of origin somewhere in the North. The polestar is of course symbolic of the North Star and also reinforces the organization’s location in the arctic. The fleur-de-lis celebrates the first of the Battalion’s battle honors in France during World War II.
Constituted as the 59th Signal Battalion in the Army of the United States on 11 May 1942 and activated 28 October 1942 at Camp Crowder, Missouri, the 59th Signal Battalion participated in five campaigns in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater during World War II before its inactivation on 24 November 1945. Activated at Fort Richardson, Alaska on 16 October 1992 and simultaneously allotted to the Regular Army, the Battalion continues to conduct strategic Signal operations from the same location, enabling mission command for U.S. Army Alaska, DoD, and Joint organizations within the state while serving as the Continuity of Operations for the Regional Cyber Center—Pacific.
The Battalion has subordinate units with personnel located at three Army installations in the state: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Fort Wainwright, and Fort Greely.