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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
The 164th Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally created for the 164th Infantry Regiment and was approved on 11 January 1933. It was subsequently redesignated for the 142nd Engineer Battalion on 8 May 1956, but in December 1974 the insignia was rescinded. It would not be authorized for wear again until 6 November 1997, when it was approved for the 164th Regiment with both its description and the insignia symbolism revised. “Je Suis Pret,” the unit motto, is French for “I’m Ready”—an extremely apt adage for an organization whose mission is to prepare Soldiers and Offices for advancement in the career field in which they serve.
A blue shield is used for the insiginia to commemorate its service as an Infantry unit, with a castle taken from the Spanish Campaign medal denoting its predecessors’ participation in the War with Spain. Similarly, service in the Philippine Insurrection is indicated by the three mullets (stars) taken from the Philippine Islands flag. The sun at the base is borrowed from the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the 41st Division, the Regiment’s parent organization during World War I.
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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With a history dating back to the mid-1880s, the 164th Regiment’s lineage includes combat in the Philippines during the War with Spain and the Philippine Insurrection as the 1st North Dakota Infantry. It would be redesignated as the 164th Infantry during World War I and II, earning battle honors in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and a Presidential Unit Citation and Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
Inactivated in 1956, it would be reactivated and redesignated as the 164th Regiment and tasked with the operation of the 164th Regional Training Institute, North Dakota (RTI-ND). The 164th RTI offers training in three career fields (Engineer, Quartermaster, Food Service), professional education programs for Noncommissioned Officers, and an Officer Candidate School.