Defense Language Institute, US
DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, US
 (Shoulder Sleeve Insignia) |
 (Distinctive Unit Insignia) |
| English | Shoulder Sleeve Insignia. Description: On a shield divided bendwise white and scarlet separated by a blue bar with a black griffin's head at top and a silver gray depiction of the Rosetta Stone at bottom all within a 1/8 inch (.32cm) yellow border 2 1/2 inches (6.35cm) in width and 3 inches (7.62cm) in height overall.
Distinctive Unit Insignia. Description: A gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per bend Azure and Gules on a bend Or between a fragment of the Rosetta Stone (depicting the name "Ptolemy" in Egyptian hieroglyphics, in Hieratic or script, and in Greek) and a Spanish trooper's hat both of the last, an olive branch Proper. Below the shield, a Gold scroll inscribed "DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE" in black letters. |
Origin/meaning
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia: Red, white and blue are our National Colors. The Rosetta Stone symbolizes the Defense Language Foreign Language Center's mission and is combined with the griffin's head to underscore the vital role of language and intelligence in total military preparedness.
Distinctive Unit Insignia: The hat, worn by the first soldiers of the Presidio of Monterey, where the Army Language School was founded, alludes to the military aspect of the school. The Rosetta Stone, key to our knowledge of the language of ancient times, symbolizes the study of language as the key of understanding. It is inscribed with the word "Ptolemy" in Egyptian hieroglyphics, in Hieratic or script, and in Greek. The olive branch stands for the peace attained through understanding.
The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia was approved on 30 April 1999. The Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the Army Language School, Presidio of Monterey, California on 24 October 1956. It was reassigned on 1 July 1963 for wear by only the Army elements of Defense Language Institute. On 30 April 1999 the insignia was redesignated for wear by only the Army elements of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
Literature: Images from The Institute of Heraldry, US Army and Wikimedia Commons
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