“Liberte Et Droit,” motto of the 554th Quartermaster Battalion which translates into English as “Liberty And Right,” was previously the motto of the 554th Field Artillery Battalion, an Iowa-based unit assigned to the 34th Infantry Division. The motto was transferred to the 554th Quartermaster Battalion in 1997 at the time the Battalion was organized using both Officers and NCOs from a wide array of branches including Ordnance, Infantry Engineer, Armor, Military Police, and Transportation. The Battalion’s primary focus was on Petroleum and consequently its personnel received specialized training taken from the Petroleum Officer Course and then specially crafted to form a basic foundation of knowledge regarding petroleum and water operations.
The diversity of the original Battalion is symbolized in the 554th Quartermaster Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, more familiarly known to Soldiers as a “unit crest” or a DUI. In its center is a crossed sword and storekeeper’s key, symbolizing the administration of supplies necessary to ensure combat preparedness of the troops the unit supports; their interrelationship is reflected in the use of counterchanged colors.
At the top is a wheel, indicative of the motorized transport function of Quartermaster units and an allusion to the Transportation troops who helped from the Battalion; it is placed upon a pile (point-down triangle), a symbol of support in heraldry. Gold used throughout the insignia is emblematic of high achievement and excellence.
Extensive 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.
An Iowa Army National Guard unit, the 554th Quartermaster Battalion was chosen for deployment during the opening months of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but apparently the unit was inactivated at some point following its return to the United States. It is no longer listed as an organization in the Iowa Army National Guard.