A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches (3.02 cm) in height, consisting of a shield and crest. Shield: Gules, three piles issuant from base Or, a bend counterchanged. Crest: On a wreath of the colors (Or and Gules) an oozlefinch (from the shoulder sleeve insignia worn by the Railway Artillery Reserve in France) Vert, armed, capped and collared on the legs Or. Attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed "NOUS SOUTIENDRONS" in Red letters.
The shield is red and gold (yellow), the colors used for Field Artillery. The bend, suggested by the coat of arms of Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne refers to service in France, World War I, the cone shaped divisions of the shield alluding to fields of fire. The green oozlefinch is taken from the shoulder sleeve insignia worn by the Railway Artillery Reserve in France of which the organization was a part.
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 42d Coast Artillery on 29 January 1937. It was redesignated for the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 42d Artillery Group on 22 November 1967. It was redesignated and amended to revise the symbolism for the 42d Field Artillery Group on 11 April 1972. The insignia was redesignated for the 42d Field Artillery Brigade effective 16 September 1980.