The 142nd Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, commonly known as a “unit crest” or DUI, was originally approved on 11 July 1957 for the 957th Field Artillery Battalion, North Dakota National Guard, but was rescinded on 28 February 1975. It was reinstated and redesignated for the 142nd Engineer Battalion, North Dakota Army National Guard, on 15 December 1987.
A rising demi-sun at the base of the shield portion of the insignia commemorates the Battalions descent from elements of the 164th Infantry Regiment (now designated as the 164th Regiment) that were used to organize the Battalion in 1985. (The 164th adopted it to honor the 41st Division, its major command organization while it was assigned to the 82nd Infantry Brigade in World War I.)
The scarlet background behind the sun is the color of Engineers, and when combined with yellow it invokes the Field Artillery branch generally and the 957th Field Artillery Battalion—specifically. Elements that formed the 142nd Engineer Battalion that served in both the European and Pacific Theaters during World War II are represented by the field of erminois (ermine on a gold rather than a silver field, often used in European coats of arms) and the wavy lines representing water. The unit motto, “This I’ll Defend,” was also the motto of the 957th Field Artillery Battalion.
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 (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. 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 142nd Engineer Battalion, later designated as the 142nd Engineer Combat Battalion, was a unit in the North Dakota Army National Guard that was headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. It was called into Federal service during the opening phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom, with more than 500 Soldiers from the Battalion arriving in Iraq in April 2003. It provided construction support to U.S. line forces by building fortifications, fashioning airfields and roads, and erecting buildings.
It is unclear when the 142nd Engineer Battalion was inactivated, deactivated, redesignated, or disbanded.