 Seal of The Institute of Heraldry | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1 September 1960 (1960-09-01), at 5010 Duke Street, Cameron Station,Virginia |
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| Jurisdiction | Federal Government |
| Headquarters | 9325 Gunston Road, Fort Belvoir,Virginia 38°42′9″N77°8′51″W / 38.70250°N 77.14750°W /38.70250; -77.14750 |
| Motto | "Aegis Fortissima Honos" (Latin) "Honor is the strongest shield" |
| Employees | 14 |
| Parent Agency | Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army |
| Website | tioh |
The Institute of Heraldry, officiallyThe Institute of Heraldry, Department of the Army,[1] is anactivity of theAdministrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army solely responsible for furnishing heraldic services to thePresident of the United States and allfederal government agencies.Title 18 of the United States Code, Chapter 33, Section 704 andTitle 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 507 permit the institute to issue directives on how military insignia are displayed, the criteria for issuance, and how insignia will be worn on military uniforms.
The activities of The Institute of Heraldry encompass research, design, development, standardization, quality control, and other services relating to official symbolic items—seals, decorations, medals, insignia, badges, flags, and other items awarded to or authorized for official wear or display by federal government personnel and agencies. Limited research and information services concerning official symbolic items are also provided to the general public. The Institute of Heraldry is located at 9325 Gunston Road,Fort Belvoir,Virginia, a military installation in theU.S. Army Military District of Washington. The institute employs 22Department of the Army civilians.
Heraldic and other military symbols have been used by theU.S. Armed Forces and federal government agencies since the beginning of theAmerican Revolution. However, there was no coordinated military heraldry program until 1919, when an office within theWar Department General Staff was established to approve and coordinatecoats of arms and insignia of army organizations. In 1924, formal staff responsibility for specific military designs was delegated to theQuartermaster General of the Army. As the needs for symbolism by the military services and the federal government expanded, the scope of the services furnished by the Quartermaster General evolved into the Heraldic Program Office. The expansion of the army duringWorld War II, and the subsequent increased interest in symbolism, contributed to the growth of the Heraldic Program Office. It was further expanded byPub. L. 85–263, approved September 1957, 71 Stat. 89, which delineated the authority of theSecretary of the Army to furnish heraldic services to military departments and other branches of the federal government.[2]
Department of the ArmyGeneral Order No. 29, dated 10 August 1960, placed The Institute of Heraldry under the control of the Quartermaster General of the Army, effective 1 September 1960.[1] TheAdjutant General assumed responsibility of the institute in 1962, when the Office of the Quartermaster General ceased to exist because the Army reorganized. In 1987, another realignment subordinated the institute to the U.S. Total Army Personnel Command (present-dayU.S. Army Human Resources Command). In April 1994, The institute moved fromCameron Station toFort Belvoir,Virginia. In October 2004, another realignment assigned responsibility for the institute to theOffice of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, Headquarters, Department of the Army.[2]
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