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.
Enlisted personnel wear the insignia 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.
More 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.
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The 915th Contracting Support Battalion, also referred to as the 915th Contingency Contracting Battalion, is a unit in the United States Army Reserve. As of Winter 2024, it is assigned to the Amy Reserve Sustainment Command, 377th Theater Sustainment Command and is headquartered at Baltimore, Maryland.
The 915th Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved on 16 May 2009, but it is currently worn by personnel in the 915th Contracting Support Battalion and is used on the Battalion’s official Web site despite the fact that The Institute of Heraldry’s Web page for the 915th Support Battalion DUI does not show it being redesignated for the 915th CCB.
In the center of the insignia is a horseshoe nail surmounted on a black pale (vertical bar), inspired by the unit motto “For Want Of A Nail,” the first line of an old proverb or tale that details how even a tiny miscue in the supply chain can lead to a disastrous outcome. Additionally, a pale in and of itself is a heraldic symbol of support, and the gold tone used for the nail and throughout the insignia emblematic of honor and high achievement. Scarlet, secondary branch color for Army Support, denotes zeal and valor, while the crossed pen and sword allude to the dual functions of contracting capabilities and military preparedness.
At the bottom of the shield portion of the insignia, the purple background color upon which the Greek letters Alpha and Omega are inscribed is for the Battalion’s association with Joint missions, with the letters referring to the contracting process in its entirety, from start to finish, for the entire gamut of supplies and services essential to mission success.