Now worn by personnel serving in the 652nd Regional Support Group, this Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for HQ and HQ Company, 652nd Support Group, a U.S. Army Reserve unit constituted on 31 December 1998 and activated at Helena, Montana on 16 April 1999. Following its redesignation as HQ and HQ Detachment, 652nd Support Group, the unit was ordered into active military service for the War on Terrorism, and has since been called into active military duty on at least two other occasions.
In the fall of 2012, the Group was deployed to Afghanistan and was subsequently awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation in October 2013 for a nine-month service tour that ended less than two months before it was tapped for the decoration, which noted that the Group had “substantially enhanced the success of Combined Joint Task Force-3 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.”
Six years later, the Group was deployed in September 2019 to Poland for a nine-month assignment overseeing base improvement contracts designed to support the rotations of American forces training there, as well to handle everyday life services for the Soldiers at eleven base camps—assigning rooms, allocating space for units, managing laundry and dining facilities, and facilitating work orders.
As of Autumn 2023, the 652nd Regional Support Group remains allotted to the U.S. Army Reserve. It is a subordinate unit of the 364th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and is headquartered in Helena, Montana.
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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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however. The 652nd Support Group Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 29 November 1999. A chevron at the base of the device is a symbol of strength and the mission of support; the Soldier recalls the individual personnel the Group supports, reinforced by the motto "Supporting Soldiers." And the gold used for the disc upon which the Soldier is surmounted, as well as for text and the trim of the chevron and annulet, stands for excellence and high achievement; scarlet denotes courage and sacrifice.
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.