The golden sword that serves as the focal point of the 354
th Civil Affairs Brigade Combat Service ID Badge, or CSIB, is taken from the branch insignia of the United States Army’s Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. Behind the sword is a rendering the rotunda of the United States Capitol, a reflection of the unit’s proximity to the District of Columbia and the seat of Federal government. The V-shape emanating from the base of the sword’s handle represents a beam of light and therefore enlightenment, while purple and white are colors traditionally associated with Civil Affairs units.
Activated at Riverdale, Maryland in 1966 as a Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), Civil Affairs Area of the U.S. Army Reserve, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as a HHC, 354
th Civil Affairs Brigade in June 1975. It has been activated for Federal service on several occasions since then, beginning in 1990 with a deployment in support of the First Gulf War; it received official credit for participation in both the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait and the Cease-Fire Campaigns of the Southwest Asia conflict.
In March 2003, it was again ordered into Federal Service to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was one of several Army units to discover significant amounts of cash ($112 million) that had been withdraw from the Central Bank of Jordan by Baathists and other Iraqi government officials during the run-up to war. The 354
th also deployed to Africa in 2009 to support natives seeking reliable sources of water and food.
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