The 773rd Military Police Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, better known to Soldiers as a unit crest or a DUI, was first approved for the 165th Transportation Battalion on 21 January 1982. It was redesignated, with revisions to the description and symbolism, for the 773rd Maintenance Battalion on 19 May 1993. It was given its current designation on 1 September 2003.
An obscured blue disc forms the foundation of the insignia, suggesting wheeled transportation; combined with the saltire with simulates a crossroads, and the two are an allusion to the transportation mission of the unit at the time the insignia was approved. Four points of the saltire, along with the fleur-de-lis, denote the organization’s four battle honors from World War II. The combined tiger’s head and fleur-de-lis symbolize the French heritage and the military tradition of Louisiana, the unit’s home state. Scarlet and green in the saltires are an allusion to the French Croix de Guerre with Palm that the unit was awarded for action in the Moselle and Saar River Valleys during World War II. Another military award credited to the unit, a Presidential Unit Citation for Argentan-Falaise action also during World War II, is recalled by the blue of the disc.
According to The Institute of Heraldry, the unit motto, “Les Charrois,” is French for “Trains Or Transports,” but the word “Charrois” literally translate as “Carts.”
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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The 773rd Military Police Battalion is a unit in the Louisiana Army National Guard. Its lineage can be traced to the Louisiana National Guard’s 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion that served in World War II before being redesignated as a Tank Battalion at the start of the Cold War era. The Battalion has been deployed overseas on several occasions and has also served as an active component of the state’s domestic response operations, most notably in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The Battalion is a subordinate unit of the 139th Regional Support Group and is headquartered at Camp Beauregard in Pineville, Louisiana. It was most recently in the news in early 2023 after the Battalion was selected for overseas deployment with a mission of supporting Operation European Assure, Deter, Reinforce. During the first-ever overseas deployment of its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, the Battalion will assist other American units as well as Allied forces to provide security and support along NATO’s eastern front.