The 203rd Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, or unit crest, might well be the most distinctive insignia ever approved for wear in the United States Army National Guard, if not all three Army components (ARNG, Active, USAR). Eschewing the traditional design of a shield charged with images recalling past glories, the 203rd Engineer Battalion DUI consists of a placid hound with a scroll containing the Battalion motto, “Don’t Kick Our Dog.” It was a phrase that caught on after the unit’s soldiers began to a sing a ditty called “They Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dawg Aroun’” while patrolling the U.S.-Mexican border in 1916. Left over from the 1912 Presidential race, the ditty had music that was great for marching, and the words brought a smile to the soldiers’ faces:
Ev’ry time I come to town,
The boys keep kickin’ my dawg around,′
Makes no dif’rence if he is a houn,′
They gotta quit kickin’ my dawg aroun.′
From that point on the, the unit was referred to as the “Houn’ Dawg Battalion,” and on 12 January 1925 the image of a weary hound became the unique image associated with the unit, designated the 203rd Coast Artillery Regiment at the time. It would be redesignated for the 203rd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion in October 1950, then again for the 203rd Armor Regiment on 26 October 1961. It wasn’t until 14 January 1969 that it was finally redesignated for the unit’s current designation as the 203rd Engineer Battalion.
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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A unit in the Missouri Army National Guard, the 203rd Engineer Battalion is assigned to the 35th Engineer Brigade. In the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the HQ and HQ Company, 203rd Engineer Battalion earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation while assigned to the 1st Armored Division’s Engineer Brigade for service from May to December 2003. It would deploy to Iraq on several other occasions including in 2007 and 2009.
As of Autumn 203, the 203rd Engineer Battalion is headquartered in Joplin, Missouri.