An Army Reserve unit, the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion is a subordinate unit of the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade, 352nd Civil Affairs Command (XVIII Airborne Corps when the Brigade is called in to active military service).
The 412th Civil Affairs Battalion was originally constituted in the Organized Reserve Corps on 17 February 1949 as the 412th Military Government Company and activated on 2 March 1949 at Columbia, South Carolina. It would undergo several reorganizations and redesignations prior to its inactivation as the 412th Civil Affairs Group on 31 January 1968.
On 16 September 1992, it was given its current designation of HQ and HQ Detachment, 412th Civil Affairs Battalion, but another ten years would go by before its 33-year-plus period of inactivation came to an end with its activation on 16 September 2002 at Whitehall, Ohio that included the constitution and activation of its organic elements.
In 2006, elements of the unit were attached to 414th Civil Battalion deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and their superior service was recognized in May 2008 when both were awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation (27 April 2006 – 17 April 2007).
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the 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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."The purple scroll and a chevron with a white torch on the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia incorporates the colors of the Civil Affairs branch; the gold used for the motto script (“Forging Peace”), olive branches, and upper portion of the shield denote honor and achievement.
A torch in the chevron is adapted from the Civil Affairs insignia of branch and is an emblem of leadership and enlightenment. The flame from the torch combined with the anvil is a visual reference to the motto; physical implements thus forged have guaranteed reliability and strength. Two olive branches, longtime symbol of peace, again reflect both the unit’s primary mission and the unit motto.
The 412th Distinctive Unit Insignia was authorized on 9 October 2001.
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412th Civil Affairs Battalion Beret Flash and Oval