The 246th Transportation Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, better known as a unit crest of DUI, was approved for wear on 17 April 2008. A scroll in brick red and a golden yellow dancette at the base of the shield simulating the hills of southern Michigan incorporate the branch colors of the Transportation Corps, while the gold wheel recalls the basic mission of movement.
A closed, gauntleted fist inside a disc serving as the wheel hub was adapted from the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) of the 46th Infantry Division to commemorate the historical importance of that Division to the Battalion’s units, and also denotes the unit’s readiness and eagerness to tackle any task regardless of the difficulty. The dancette—the jagged dividing line between the blue and yellow—is a stylized version of the hills found in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and the southern part of the state, which is the home region of the unit. “Wolf Hounds” is the unit motto.
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. Full 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 246th Transportation Battalion was organized as Company A, Signal Corps in the Michigan National Guard in 1905 and underwent several minor reorganizations and redesignations before being called into World War I service as Company D, 126th Infantry, an element of the 32nd Division. The Company served with distinction, taking part in four campaigns and earning a coveted Presidential Unit Citation for its efforts in the Oise-Aisne campaign.
Following World War I, the unit was redesignated as Company H, 126th Infantry, an element of the 32nd Division and was inducted into Federal service in 1940 (the 32nd became the 32nd Infantry Division in early 1942). During World War II, Company was deployed to the Pacific Theater and fought in four campaigns where it was awarded an Arrowhead device for taking part in an assault landing in the New Guinea campaign and was also selected for a Presidential Unit Citation (embroidered PAPUA) and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
The unit underwent nearly a dozen redesignations following World War II, serving primarily in an Infantry role and in fact not receiving its current designation as the 246th Transportation Battalion until November 2007. As of Summer 2023, the Battalion it is a unit in the Michigan Army National Guard assigned to the 272nd Regional Support Group. It is headquartered at Jackson, Michigan.