Also called a unit crest, the Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) of the 423rd Medical Battalion was approved on 10 November 1993.
Maroon and white, colors associated with the Army Medical Corps, are featured prominently in the interior of the insignia. The counterchanged cross—i.e., alternating colors—is a symbol of medical assistance and compassion. A green serpent is a longtime heraldic symbol for the art of medicine and medical treatment.
The four white points dancetty (they look like a row of triangles) denote the number of European campaigns in which the Battalion’s ancestral unit fought in as the 423rd Medical Collecting Company during World War II. They also suggest the appearance teeth, alluding to another aspect of the Battalion’s medical mission.
At the top of the cross is a compass rose, a symbol indicating the unit’s ready response, as well as its worldwide service and medical collecting missions during World War II. The red of the rose is for sacrifice and courage while, the green used for the scroll signifies health and regeneration.
According to The Institute Of Heraldry, the inscription “CARE COMMITMENT” is only part of the organization’s motto of “Care And Commitment.” The Institute’s cryptic note on the motto also “UNIT REQ DELETION,” which indicates the Battalion is no longer active.
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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 (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.
For Enlisted personnel, the insignia is centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
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.