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. More 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 863rd Engineer Battalion was originally constituted in the Army of the United States as the 1st Battalion, 922nd Engineer Regiment, Aviation on 15 July 1942 and activated 1 August 1942 as the 1st Battalion, 922nd Engineer Aviation Regiment. It was redesignated as the 863rd Engineer Aviation Battalion on 1 February 1943 before taking part in three campaigns in the Pacific Theater of World War II— New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon—and earning a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
Inactivated in 1946, the Battalion was allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps in February 1949 (which became the Army Reserve in 1952) and was inactivated again in January 1955. It would be redesignated as the 863rd Engineer Battalion I August 1959 and activated two months later with its Headquarters at Aurora, Illinois, which would be its home base until September 16 1998 when its HQ was moved to Darien, Illinois. Ten years later to the day, its organic elements were inactivated on 16 September 2008, but its Support Company simultaneously was constituted and activated.
The Battalion was ordered into active military service from 20 August 2010 at Dairen, Illinois until 23 September 2011, when it was released and reverted to reserve status. During that active service it was deployed to Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, where its outstanding service resulted in its HQ and HQ Company and its Support Company were tapped for a Valorous Unit Award their exceptional heroism and courage in the face of an armed enemy force, keeping true to its motto to "Tackle Anything."
As of Autumn 2023, the 863rd Engineer Battalion is allotted to the Army Reserve. When not called to active military service, it is assigned to the 416th Theater Engineer Command and is headquartered in Darien, Illinois.