The Distinctive Unit Insignia worn today by personnel serving in the 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion was originally approved for the 898th Engineer Battalion on 21 December 1994. It incorporates the branch colors of the Corps of Engineers with a scarlet shield and a white castle. Besides being the secondary branch color of Engineers, white is also the original Infantry color, and its inclusion here symbolizes the alternative mission of Engineers to organize as Infantry if necessary.
Images of castles have long been used in the heraldry and insignia of Engineer units because they suggest both construction and defense. Surmounted on the castle are an axe and a musket: the axe represents Sappers and their ability to bring down enemy fortifications and installations, while the musket represents the support for Infantry operations. The latter is spelled out specifically in the statement of the Battalion’s Federal mission that says on order it will “conduct combat operations as part of the 81st Brigade Combat Team or a designated contingency force headquarters.” “First Into Battle” is the Battalion motto.
A unit in the Washington Army National Guard, the 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion is a component of the 81s Brigade Combat Team, which in 2015 became the Army’s first Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the 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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."