17th Signal

by United States Army Center for Military History with Images from the US Army Institute of Heraldry

17th Signal Battalion Heraldic Items

Coat of Arms

• Blazon

Shield: Argent, issuant from base between two telegraph poles, Tenné, a radio tower Sable emitting in chief five flashes of the second. Crest: None.

Motto: FONS COMMUNICATIONES (Fountain of Communications).

• Symbolism

Shield: Orange and white are the colors used for Signal Corps. The telegraph poles and radio tower symbolize the battalion's functions. The five flashes are used to represent the organization's World War II battle honors.

Crest: None.

Background: The coat of arms was originally approved for the 17th Signal Operation Battalion on 26 February 1953. It was redesignated for the 17th Signal Battalion on 16 January 1959.

Distinctive Unit Insignia

• • Shield and Motto: A Silver color metal and enamel device 1.125 inches (2.86 cm) in height consisting of a shield similar to the shield of the Coat of Arms. Attached below the shield an Orange scroll inscribed "FONS COMMUNICATIONES" in Silver letters.

Symbolism

Orange and white are the colors used for Signal Corps. The telegraph poles and radio tower symbolize the battalion's functions. The five flashes are used to represent the organization's World War II battle honors. The motto translates to "Fountain of Communications."

Background

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 17th Signal Operation Battalion on 26 February 1953. It was redesignated for the 17th Signal Battalion on 16 January 1959.

17th Signal Battalion Lineage

• • Constituted 1 November 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 17th Signal Operations Battalion

• • Activated 30 November 1942 at Camp Crowder, Missouri

• • Inactivated 18 February 1946 at Camp Bowie, Texas

• • Redesignated 5 July 1950 as the 17th Signal Operation Battalion and activated in Germany

• • Allotted 15 December 1950 to the Regular Army

• • Reorganized and redesignated 20 October 1953 as the 17th Signal Battalion

• • Inactivated 25 September 1965 in Germany

• • Activated 16 March 1981 in Germany

17th Signal Battalion Honors

Campaign Participation Credit

• World War II:

1. Normandy;
2. Northern France;
3. Rhineland;
4. Ardennes-Alsace;
5. Central Europe;

Company C additionally entitled to

• Desert Storm:

1. Southwest Asia:
2. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
3. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
4. Cease-Fire;

Decorations

• None

17th Signal Battalion Bibliography

1. Goda, Bryan S., and Robert Prudhomme. Communications on a Mobile Battlefield in the 100 Hours War. Army Communicator No. 16 (Spring, 1991); 42-47. Company C cited.
2. Headquarters, 17th Signal Battalion. Unit History. Karlsruhe, Germany: Otto Erich, c. 1951.
3. Headquarters, 17th Signal Operations Battalion. Unit History. N.p., 1950.
4. Hogan, David W., Jr. A Command Post at War: First Army Headquarters in Europe, 1943-1945. Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army, 2000.
5. Technical Historical Report, N.p., 1947.
6. Thompson, George Reynor, and Dixie R. Harris. The Signal Corps: The Outcome (Mid-1943 through 1945), United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC; Office of Military History, United State Army, 1966.