Insignia Description
A silver color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches (3.02cm) in height overall, consisting of a shield and crest blazoned: Shield: Tenné, on a bend Argent three pallets and a billet Sable. Crest: On a wreath Argent and Tenné the head of Mercury Proper couped at the neck. Attached below the shield a black motto scroll inscribed "DEBIT VERBUM TRANSIRE" in silver letters. The translation of the motto is: The message Must Go Through.

Symbolism
Orange and white are colors traditionally associated with the Signal Corps. The three pellets and billet resemble the letter "V" in the Morse code and symbolize signal communication functions, and is a pun on the "V" for the victory sign, popular at the time the 56th Signal Battalion was organized. The head of Mercury, the messenger of the gods in Roman mythology, suggests the unit's mission to relay information.

History
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved on 10 Oct 1941. It was amended on 25 Oct 1991 to revise the description and symbolism.

Source: The US Army Institute of Heraldry