The Special Troop Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division was constituted on 24 June 1921 as HQ, Special Troops, 82nd Division and organized in January 1922. Disbanded in January 1942, it was reconstituted on 22 February 1945 in the Organized Reserves as HQ, Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division and activated on 1 March 1945 in France. Thanks to the combat history of units that joined its lineage through annexation (see below), the Battalion was credited with participation in four World War II campaigns and was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation. “COURAGE COMMITMENT” is the unit motto and elevates these qualities to moral imperatives.
The Battalion was consolidated with and retained the designation of the 82nd Replacement Company and made an element of the 82nd Airborne Division in December 1947. Withdrawn from the Organized Reserves and allotted to the Regular Army in November 1948, the would see nearly thirty years elapse before it was reorganized and redesignated as the 82nd Adjutant General Company in June 1975. The company was inactivated from 30 September 1987 to 16 June 2006 when it was redesignated and activated as the Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. Under the new designation and role, the Battalion’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations, one for service between January 2007 and April 2008 and another for April 2009 and June 2010.
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The Special Troop Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division Distinctive Unit Insignia—often called a “unit crest” or just DUI for short—was approved on 1 August 2006. The parachute in the upper portion is an emblem of the Airborne mission of the Battalion and the Division it supports. Lightning flashes imply both the speed and shock of the Division’s military capabilities. A dagger reinforces the concept of the Division’s power and strength. And the fleur-de-lis is a symbol of the Unit’s activation and service in France during World War II.
Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."