SHIELD
Per bend sinister Azure (Dark Blue) and Gules, between a lightning bolt bend sinisterwise throughout Or, in dexter a lantern Proper, in chief a bar couped Or edged Vert and three pallets of the second, in sinister four bars Argent.
CREST
Issuant from a wreath Or and Azure (Dark Blue), a demi-sun in splendor Proper, overall an eagle with wings displayed horizontally Proper, grasping in its dexter talon an olive branch Vert and in its sinister talon a bundle of arrows Argent (Silver Gray).
SUPPORTERS
Behind the shield, four swords in saltire, two and two, a Chief Petty Officer cutlass and a Navy officer sword to sinister and a non-commissioned officer sword and Marine Corps mameluke to dexter, points upward Proper.
MOTTO
A scroll Azure (Dark Blue) doubled and inscribed MAKE A DIFFERENCE Or.
SHIELD
The keystone shaped shield alludes to the symbol and nickname of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the state John Murtha served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 36 years. The colors scarlet and Navy blue, traditional colors of the Marine Corps and Navy, embody the primary mission of LPD 26, to bring together a Navy and Marine Corps team ready to defend U.S. national interests across the globe. The silver lantern signifies the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award bestowed upon Congressman Murtha and resembles the lantern of the USS CONSTITUTION, the U.S. Navys oldest commissioned ship. The ribbon bar denotes Murthas service during the Vietnam War and his distinction as the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress. The lightning flash symbolizes him as a champion for causes of those in need, to include wounded warriors, those stricken by disease and victims of natural disasters.
CREST
The demi-sun radiates fifty-eight rays, symbolizing Murthas fifty-eight years of service to the Nation as a Marine and in Congress. The eagle is a symbol of both the U.S. House of Representatives and his Marine Corps rank of Colonel. The arrows speak to the warrior spirit