A subordinate unit of the Florida Army National Guard's 50th Regional Support Group, the 254th Transportation Battalion is headquartered in Palm Beach and consists of five Transportation Companies. While always ready to fulfill its Federal mission of national defense when called into active military service, the past several years have the Battalion extremely busy in its home state, in part due to Florida’s location and the constant threat or damaging storms during hurricane season.
In 2017, the Battalion was activated ahead of Hurricane Irma, and in 2019 it helped minimize the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian. That same year, the Battalion carried out several logistical Support missions, in the process logging nearly 150,000 miles while hauling cargo containers and other cargo, and in the summer it headed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to provide logistical support for more than 1,200 incoming Cadets of the class of 2023. In 2020, the Battalion helped lessen the spread of COVID-19 by conducting screening of newly arrived passengers at Palm Beach International Airport.
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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.
The 254th Transportation Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) was approved for wear on 1 October 2008. In the shield portion of this insignia is a cross rendered in black to represent paved roads and thus the Transportation mission. It is placed over a red saltire (“X” shape) that is commemorates the Battalion’s origins within the State of Florida (the Florida state features a highly prominent red saltire). In the upper left of the shield are two squares: these stand for the Battalion’s ever-ready support to respond to emergencies within the state. Opposite the squares is a scorpion that, according to The Institute of Heraldry, “symbolizes the unit’s lethal ability to deploy to any theater of action and successfully fulfill mission requirements.” “Swift And Secure” is the Battalion motto.
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.