Used today as the insignia of the Irwin Army Community Hospital, the Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called a unit crest or DUI) for the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity (MEDDAC), Fort Riley was originally approved for the Irwin Army Hospital on 16 June 1970. It was given its current designation on 25 September 1973.
An encircling band consisting of an upper half in blue and the lower half in red and white stripes is taken from the first ribbon of the Medal of Honor as an allusion to Irwin General Hospital, a major subordinate element of the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity. The Hospital is named for General Bernard John Dowling Irwin, an Officer known as the “Fighting Doctor” and whose courage and gallantry in action against the Apaches in February 1861 became the first deed for which the Medal of Honor was awarded.
During that action, General Irwin led a unit ordered to a rescue a detail of about 70 men who had been surrounded by an Apache War party, and through bold and clever tactics was able to convince the Apaches that his force was much larger than it was in reality. The event is commemorated here by the sword placed atop a pair of crossed arrows. Enwrapping the sword is a serpent to simulate the Staff of Aesculapius and thus the Medical Department Activity.
A sunflower serving as a crest is a symbol recalling the sun, source of light and healing, and also references the “Sunflower State” of Kansas, home to Fort Riley. In the center is a depiction of the first Tent Field Hospital, which was designed by General Irwin at the Battle of Shiloh and has served as the basis for field hospitals ever since. The serpent’s green is the color of health, growth, and life, while maroon and white are the colors of the Army Medical Department.
The sunflower refers to the sun source of light and healing. In addition, as the state flower of Kansas, it alludes to the Activity's location at Fort Riley. The tent stands for the first Tent Field Hospital which was designed by General Irwin at the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee during the Civil War. The design of that Hospital has since served as a model for modern armies. The colors maroon and white are used for organizations of the Army Medical Department. Green, which was formerly combined with yellow for the guidons of Army Medical units, is a symbol of life, growth, and health.