Approved on 11 June 1971, the 111th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia pays tribute to the service of predecessor units in the Battalion’s lineage. In the center is an escarbuncle, a heraldic charge with eight radiating spokes, four of which make a standard cross and the other four forming a saltire. Here, only seven spokesare visible; this is an allusion to seven European campaign streamers awarded while the unit was still a Field Artillery organization with 36th Infantry Division in World War II. Two arrowheads (“pheons” in heraldry) are a reference to the Arrowhead device awarded for participating in an assault landing; the golden arrow pointing down simulates the letter “V” for Vosges and is a reference to the French Croix de Guerre with Palm awarded for action near there. A red tower is a traditional Corps of Engineers symbol. "Dedicated And Diligent" is the Battalion motto.
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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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A subordinate unit of the 176th Engineer Brigade, the 111th Engineer Battalion is based out of Abilene, Texas (see below). It was originally organized 4 June 1917 in the Texas National Guard as Company I, 7th Infantry at Abilene, TX; after being drafted into Federal service it was consolidated with another unit and became the 142nd Infantry. Assigned to the 36th Division, the unit took part in the Meuse-Argonne campaign before being shipped home and demobilized in 1919.
During World War II, the unit was designated as HQ Battery, 1st Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment. Components that made up the Battalion fought in both Europe (seven campaigns) and in the Pacific Theaters (seven campaigns). In 1946, the unit was inducted again into Federal service, and over the next two-plus decades it underwent several reorganizations and consolidations until January 1968 when it became the HHC, 111th Engineer Battalion, an element of the 49th Armored Division through a consolidation with the 342nd Engineer Company, which added two Presidential Unit Citations to the Battalion’s heritage and lineage. Its most recent deployment was in 2011 when it was sent to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
As of Summer 2023 , the 111th Engineer Battalion is a subordinate unit of the 176th Engineer Brigade, Texas Army National Guard and is headquartered at the Dyess Air Force Base Armed Forces Reserve Center in Abilene, Texas.