Technically known as a Distinctive Unit Insignia or DUI for short, the unit crest of the 48th Chemical Brigade was approved for wear on 16 September 2007, more than six years after the Brigade was given its current designation and roughly sixty-five years after the formation of its forebear, the 81st Chemical Battalion, in 1942. In 1944, the unit was redesignated the 81st Chemical Battalion, Motorized, and the next year it became the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion. The Battalion took part in five campaigns in the European theater during World War II, earning an Arrowhead for taking part in the landings at Normandy to go with a Presidential Unit Citation (also embroidered “NORMANDY”).
A benzene ring (hexagon) forms the basis of the 48th Chemical Brigade unit crest; the shape is also used on its unit patch as well as on the Chemical Corps branch insignia. The green dragon holding a sword is a reference to the chemical operations that make up the Brigade’s mission, as well as its responsibility to combat biological and chemical warfare. Five stars in the border are a reference to the five Chemical battalions that fall under the command and control of the Brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, all tasked with the ultimate command that serves as the unit motto: "Protect The Nation."
The 48th Chemical Brigade is based at Fort Fort Cavazos, Texas, where it trains and prepares combat-capable Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel.
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48th Chemical Brigade Patch (SSI)
48th Chemical Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)