The 139th Ordnance Battalion was a United States Army Reserve unit originally based in Santa Ana, California and assigned to the 311th Support Brigade, which later became the 311th Corps Support Command, in 1968. In the late 1980s, the 139th Ordnance Battalion was a multicomponent unit (Army, National Guard, Army Reserve) based in Irvine, California and comprised of two Ordnance Companies (50th and 515th) and two Military Police Companies (348th and 933rd). There is no information readily available from standard sources such as the U.S. Army Center of Military History regarding the Battalion’s lineage or how it came to be inactive. Similarly, information on the heraldry of the 139th Ordnance Battalion is not listed at The Institute of Heraldry, so only general statements can be made about the symbolism of its Distinctive Unit Insignia.
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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.
The motto, “In Support Of Firepower,” is a plain statement of the organization’s primary mission; this concept is reinforced with the black and white chevron: chevrons are always symbols of support in heraldry, and the black and white coloring is likely a reference to the night-and-day, 24/7 nature of the Ordnance mission. A chess rook refers to planning and the supply and control of field army stocks carried by units, obviously ordnance in this case—but in case there was any doubt, the “shell and flame” of the Ordnance Corps is there to remind you.Full 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.