Constituted 1 December 2006 in the Colorado Army National Guard as the 117th Space Battalion and organized ten months later at Colorado Springs, the 117th Space Battalion is the only such unit in the National Guard. The design of the 117th Space Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia—also known as a unit crest or a DUI—is based entirely on the organization’s coat of arms, which was approved on 4 September 2008.
In the upper portion of the insignia is an image of a outer space as seen from Earth, with three snow-capped mountain peaks in the foreground. The numerous stars and the black void represent the unit’s space-based operational environment and its ultimate mission. Visible in the rendering of the Northern sky are Polaris and the Big Dipper, both of which symbolize guidance, optimism, and of course exploration. Below them are stylized mountains adapted from the Colorado National Guard Distinctive Unit Insignia.
A red "C" enwrapping a gold bezant (roundel, or disc) represents the state of Colorado, home base of the Battalion. Two rays shining from the bezant into space emphasize the unit’s services of satellite-image processing, satellite communications, and intelligence support for U.S. Warfighting forces (the unit has also assisted state and local agencies). “Guardians Of Space” is the unit motto, a more dignified take on the Battalion’s informal nickname: “Space Cowboys.”
Of the Army’s total of 28 space support teams, twelve are assigned to the 117th Space Battalion.
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Distinctive Unit Insignias 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.