Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a 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.
The coat of arms upon which the 63rd Ordnance Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia is based was originally approved for the Battalion on 21 September 1942. It was cancelled on 16 November 1976, roughly ten years after the Battalion had been redesignated as a Maintenance unit (63rd Maintenance Battalion). On 14 October 1997, the insignia was reinstated for the 63rd Ordnance Battalion and amended to add a crest and change to motto. It was subsequently amended to correct the authorizations and to update the symbolism on 28 July 2009.
Crimson and gold, the colors used for the shield, are traditional colors of the Ordnanc Corps. The Battalion’s numerical designation can be seen in the six bezants and three cannons. Black is used to denote strength and solidarity, reinforcing the Latin motto of SEMPER IBI, or “Always There.”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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On 19 January 2017, the 63rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD) was inactivated in a ceremony held at the Magrath Sports Complex at Fort Drum, New York, marking the end of just under seventy-five years of service. It was originally constituted on 20 February 1942 as the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, a designation it would hold (with some minor variations in nomenclature and struture) for the entirety of its service life save for a six-year stint as a Maintenance Battalion (1966-1972).
During World War II, the Battalion fought in three campaigns in Italy (Sicily, Rome-Arno, and North Apennines) before inactivation in September 1945. It was not deployed to a combat zone during the Korean War, but it made up for any lost time by taking part in an astonishing sixteen (out of a total of seventeen) Vietnam War campaigns, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
Since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion has been deployed to the front lines on several occasions, with its courage being recognized with a Valorous Unit Award (2004) and two Meritorious Unit Commendations. On its last deployment before inactivation, the battalion eliminated 16,000 explosive hazards and removed more than 900,000 pounds of hazardous net explosive weight from the battlefield.