USDB adds plaque to Wall of Honor at the National Museum of the U.S. Army

A unit tribute plaque for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas' U.S. Disciplinary Barracks was added to the Wall of Honor at the National Museum of the United States Army during a dedication ceremony May 21, 2026, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The ceremony took place 152 years after Congress passed a law to establish a military prison at Fort Leavenworth. The USDB is one of the oldest organizations in the U. S. Army Military Police Corps. The inclusion of the USDB plaque was the culminating event of the USDB's sesquicentennial celebration, which took place in 2024 at Fort Leavenworth.

The USDB tribute plaque was installed along the Path of Remembrance walkway leading to the museum entrance. The unit tribute program is a donor recognition program managed by the Army Historical Foundation, the National Army Museum's non-profit organization.

At the ceremony last week, I welcomed the group that consisted of current Army corrections professionals, USDB staff, former USDB commandants, retired USDB alumni, family members and American Correctional Association leaders. I thanked all who donated their time and resources to preserving the storied history of the USDB with this unit tribute plaque.

USDB Commandant Col. Douglas Curtis' remarks were read during the ceremony.

"From the stone walls of the original 'Castle' at Fort Leavenworth to the modern facility that operates on the fort today, generations of soldiers and civilians have served there with professionalism, compassion and unwavering dedication to duty. They carried out one of the Army's most difficult and least understood missions: enforcing military justice while preserving human dignity and providing the opportunity for retribution, rehabilitation and re-entry," Curtis' said in his provided remarks. "Equally important is the institution's commitment to rehabilitation and successful reentry. The USDB's education, vocational, behavioral health and reintegration programs are second to none within military corrections, designed to provide offenders the greatest possible opportunity to return to society as productive citizens. In doing so, the USDB not only fulfills an obligation of justice and stewardship, but also reduces long-term strategic risk to the armed forces and the communities to which these former service members return."

Brig. Gen. Sarah Albrycht, commanding general of Army Corrections Command and the provost marshal general of the Army, said the USDB was born from a need to reform and professionalize the way the military handles corrections and discipline.

Years ago, Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Barr, widely known as the "Father of the USDB," saw the dire conditions in which military prisoners were held and advocated for a single, humane and rehabilitative institution. His vision laid the groundwork for the "Military Center for Corrections Excellence" that we know today. The unit's motto perfectly encapsulates its purpose: "Our Mission - Your Future." It is not just a place of confinement, but a place of real transformation.

Retired Maj. Gen. Mark Inch, former USDB commandant, ACC commanding general and provost marshal general, spoke about the role the USDB plays not only in the military, but in society.

The National Museum of the United States Army is for everyone in the nation to come see, celebrate and remember the symbols of what the Army has done for the nation. The USDB plaque does this for corrections professionals. The soldiers, men and women who have passed and those who continue to serve at the USDB are now represented there among other great Army units. The history of military corrections is so deeply engrained with the American Correctional Association, dating back to 1870s and setting the standards and professionalism among corrections professionals. Service members who made the worst mistakes are all confined in one social environment where they conform under the leadership of the USDB officers and NCOs, who provide discipline, training, rehabilitation and education to set them up for success in society upon their release.

Additionally, the officers and NCOs who are trained at the USDB are needed by the Army to go forward when necessary to ensure strategic success. It has been shown what a difference having USDB correctional professionals meant at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Afghanistan; and Iraq.

In 1971, the USDB adopted the motto, "Our Mission - Your Future." This motto symbolizes the can-do attitude, the spirit of team work and the philosophy of the USDB. The entire custodial staff provides individualized treatment to inmates to prepare them for a self-reliant, trustworthy and respectable future.

We reflect on the past only to build for the future. We emphasize behavior, education, vocational skills and a chance to choose. We emphasize the positive, not the negative. We focus on participation, not punishment; restoration, not retribution; on privileges, not privation; and on partnership and progress, not isolation and humiliation. Discipline is necessary to maintain order, for without order, nothing can be learned, and without knowledge, there is no hope for a new and brighter day. We accept the principle that a man has a right for a new start in life.

On Jan. 18, 1971, Col. F.E. Payne, USDB commandant, concurred with the recommended design of a distinctive insignia for the USDB. This design incorporated the motto, "Our Mission - Your Future," which was recommended by Maj. Charles A. Hines, Military Police Corps, a student at the Command and General Staff College in 1970-1971. On Feb. 12, 1971, Maj. Gen. Lloyd B. Ramsey, the provost marshal general, approved the design. Upon design completion by the Institute of Heraldry, it was fielded on March 1, 1972.

The USDB Distinctive Unit Insignia is a gold color metal and enamel device that consists of a gold sun on a blue enamel area with nine gold rays radiating upward and surmounted vertically overall by a gold sword between the green enamel post oak leaves, vertical with stems conjoined in bottom below pommel, all between two white enamel columns at the sides and the two end enamel scrolls above and below the columns, the upper scroll surmounting the rays and the sword inscribed, "Our Mission," and the lower scroll inscribed "Your Future," all in gold letters.

The sun on the USDB Distinctive Unit Insignia symbolizes authority, healing, knowledge and a new beginning representing the overall mission of the organization. The sword denotes all military personnel. The oak leaves and columns refer to military and civilian stability in rehabilitation. The columns and inscribed scroll simulate a doorway and allude to the custodial guidance of the unit.

The National Museum of the United States Army is owned and operated by the U.S. Army and is open daily with free admission. For more information visit www.theNMUSA.org. For more information about the Unit Tribute Program, visit www.armyhistory.org.