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.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Previously designated as the 75th Field Hospital, the 75th Combat Support Hospital is an Army Reserve unit that is assigned to the 5th Medical Brigade, 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support). Based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the unit’s history includes battle honors for the Ryukyus campaign in World War II. One of its more recent assignments came in January 2018 as the unit began a year-long mission when authority of the United States Military Hospital-Kuwait was transferred to it from to 86th Combat Support Hospital.
The 75th Combat Support Hospital Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was approved on 18 March 1971 while the unit was still designated as a Field Hospital. In its center is a silver disc with wavy blue lines representing a fountain, symbolic of healing and ongoing renewal. A large chevron framing the maroon cross stands for accomplishment, while the cross is a universal emblem of medical aid and assistance.
A pointed foot on the cross invokes the process of setting up, dismantling, and relocating medical facilities in the field. The chevron also simulates the letter “A” in reference to the home state of Alabama, and the oak leaves recall Tuscaloosa, “City of Oaks” and the unit’s location; they also are a reference to the use of oak leaves by the Romans as an award to someone who saved a Soldier’s life.