Previously approved for the 176th Maintenance Battalion on 3 January 1978, the 176th Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved for wear on 1 September 2006. Since that time, the Battalion has been redesignated as the 176th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and has adopted the 176th Support Battalion insignia and is displaying it on the organization’s government-sponsored Facebook page.
Crimson, yellow (gold), and black are the colors exclusively used on the shield portion this insignia; these reflect the unit’s past functional history as a tank-destroyer unit and as a Maintenance unit. A wildcat’s head in the center represents the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by tank destroyers, and the fleur-de-lis stands for European service in World War II, specifically five campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. A pair of stylized wrenches are an allusion to the unit’s previous mission of Maintenance. A blue, circular scroll and three white stars are inspired by the design of the Tennessee state flag. “The Best Serves The Rest,” the Battalion motto, highlights the Battalion’s total commitment to its sustainment and support mission.
A unit in the Tennessee Army National Guard, the 176th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion is headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is assigned to the 230th Sustainment Brigade along with the 30th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
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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.
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.