The 503rd Support Battalion, also called the 503rd Forward Support Battalion, was originally constituted and activated on 1 January 1942 as Supply Battalion, 3rd Armored Division at Camp Polk, Louisiana. Inactivated in Germany on 10 November 1945, it was relieved from the 3rd Armored Division and disbanded nearly two years later on 7 November 1947.
On 25 June 1948, the unit was reconstituted in the Regular Army as 3rd Quartermaster Battalion and assigned to the 3rd Armored Division on 25 June 1948 and activated one month later (25 July 1949). Nearly a half dozen years elapsed before it was redesignated as the 3rd Armored Quartermaster Battalion on 15 March 1955, with its title shortened to 3rd Quartermaster Battalion in October 1957. A reorganization and redesignation in July 1963 led to its new role as the 503rd Supply and Transport Battalion as the 3rd Armored Division was deployed to Germany to defend the Fulda Gap.
By the time the 3rd Armored Division was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of VII Corps, the Battalion had been redesignated as 503rd Forward Support Battalion and assigned to Division Support Command (DISCOM). The Battalion was inactivated at the same time as its parent unit the 3rd Armored Division in 1992, having proven true to its motto of “Loyal Service” through the course of five decades.
Guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.
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The 503rd Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, commonly known as a DUI or a “unit crest,” was originally approved for the 3rd Quartermaster Battalion. It was redesignated for the 503rd Supply and Transport Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, and lastly for the 503rd Forward Support Battalion. Buff and blue are the traditional colors of the Quartermaster Corps and represent the unit's former service in that branch. the acorn commemorates the oranization's citation by the Belgian Army for its resistance during the first phase of the Ardennes Offensive and for campaigns honors in Europe during World War II, while interlaced annulets depict chain mail.
Buff and blue are the traditional colors of the Quartermaster Corps and represent the unit's former service in that branch. the acorn commemorates the oranization's citation by the Belgian Army for its resistance during the first phase of the Ardennes Offensive and for campaigns honors in Europe during World War II, while interlaced annulets depict chain mail.