Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam.The 103rd Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 103rd Engineer Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard on 12 December 1931. It was redesignated for the 103rd Engineer Battalion, Pennsylvania Army National Guard on 3 September 1942 and was recently amended to update the description and add a symbolism on 1 June 2016. Its design incorporates symbolism and color patterns that reflect the organization’s origins, which stretch back to the first half of the 18th century and the official recognition of the Military Association of the City of Philadelphia on 7 December 1747. In the shield portion of the insignia, a white background is used to denote the old color of Infantry (and the color used in the Revolutionary War).
Two chevronels are colored blue to signify that the unit’s service during subsequent wars (Civil War and World War I) was as an Infantry organization. A red lion rampant is a sign of service in the War Of 1812, while a red border for the shield is a symbol that the unit is now in the Corps of Engineers. Ten mullets (stars) represent ten Revolutionary War battles, and six fleur-de-lis are for a half-dozen World War I campaigns. Below the base of the shield is the unit motto, PARATUS, which translates as “Ready.”
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Since the start of the Revolutionary War and the 12 major campaigns in which it took part, the “Dandy First” 103rd Engineer Battalion and its forebear units have fought in the War of 1812, the Civil War (fourteen campaigns), World War I (six), World War II (five), and the War on Terrorism (campaigns yet to be determined). A unit in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, it is headquartered at Philadelphia.