Although this insignia was approved as the 108th Sustainment Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia on 13 November 2006, it has been worn by a host of Illinois National Guard units from which the Brigade is descended. The earliest of these was the 108th Quartermaster Regiment, which wore the patch from 19 May 1939 until its wear was rescinded on 10 January 1943; it was reinstated and redesignated for the 108th Supply and Transport Battalion on 26 November 1968. It was also worn by the 108th Maintenance Battalion (1997) before it was redesignated for the 33rd Area Support Group, which was inactivated on 4 February 2006.
The red and buff used heavily for the insignia are colors traditionally used by Sustainment units, while the red, white, and blue in the center are of course national colors. Five sides of the pentagon stand for the five branches of the Armed Forces of the United States at the time of the insignia's approval: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. A wheel inside the pentagon suggests the logistical component of the Brigade’s mission; its six spokes represent subordinate units of the Brigade and in tandem with the wheel form the “Wheel of Logistics” needed to sustain the force. Thirteen stars are for the original thirteen colonies, while the “Y” recalls the meeting point of the Chicago and North Branch Rivers in the Chicago, home of the Brigade.
Related Items
108th Sustainment Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)
108th Sustainment Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)