The 276th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, commonly called a “unit crest” or DUI, was originally approved for the 1st Infantry Regiment on 7 June 1929. In March 1941 it was redesignated for the 176th Infantry Regiment and again on 29 January 1968 for the 276th Engineer Battalion.
A blue shield with gray saltire (“X” shape) reflects the organization’s origins as an Infantry unit, as well as its service in the Confederate States Army in more than a dozen campaigns during the Civil War; it was during this period that the unit was designated as the 1st Virginia Infantry, source of its current official special designation of “First Virginia.” A fleur-de-lis above the saltire denotes World War I service in France, while the red cross is a reference to the settlement of Virginia by the English. The arrow on the cross is an allusion to those English settlers fighting as colonial militia in the French and Indian Wars, as well as to the Revolutionary War service by the unit’s predecessor. The famous words of Patrick Henry are paraphrased here as “Liberty Or Death.”
Currently a unit in the Virginia Army National Guard, the 276th Engineer Battalion has roots that go back almost to the founding of the nation, when the Richmond City Regiment was organized from elements in the Virginia Militia in May 1791. One of under three dozen National Guard units credited with ancestral units participating in the War of 1812, the 276th Engineer Battalion’s lineage also includes credit for participation in the Mexican War and the Civil War (see above) and two World War I campaigns.
The unit has not earned any campaign participation credits since being converted from Infantry to Engineers in March 1963 and receiving its current 276th Engineer Battalion designation, but it has been deployed in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Following its first tour in Iraq in 2004, it was selected for a Meritorious Unit Commendation, an achievement it outstripped during its second tour when it was named recipient of a Valorous Unit Award for its actions against an armed enemy of the U.S. in Nineveh Province.
Its last MUC was awarded for the Battalion’s service between 22 February and 15 November 2009, when the unit accomplished its route-clearance assignment supporting Combined Joint Task Forces 101 and 82. Further, this success had a ripple effect because it also resulted in freedom of maneuver to at eight Brigade Combat Teams, several Battalions, Coalition Task Forces, the Afghan National Army, and, most importantly, the Afghan people.