503D MILITARY POLICE BATTALION
Distinctive Unit Insignia


Description/Blazon
A Gold metal and enamel device 1 5/32 inches (2.94 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned:  Per bend Or and Vert, a pair of scales between two guisarmes issuant from base aspectant, hooked tips in pale, all countercharged of the field.  Attached below the shield a Green scroll inscribed "PROTECT ASSIST ENFORCE" in Gold letters.

Symbolism
Green and yellow are the colors associated with the Military Police Corps.  The guisarme, an ancient Norman weapon, alludes to the area of the Normandy Beachhead for which the Battalion was awarded its first World War II campaign honors.  It also indicates the protective duties of the organization.  The scales refer to the Scales of Justice.

Background
The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 22 December 1952.  It was amended to revise the description on 2 June 1989.




Coat of Arms


Description/Blazon
Per bend Or and Vert, a pair of scales between two guisarmes issuant from base aspectant, hooked tips in pale, all counterchanged of the field. From a wreath Or and Vert, between two laurel branches a pair of fir cones of the first slipped and leaved of the second and tied Gules and supporting a fountain charged with a fleur-de-lis, yellow. PROTECT, ASSIST, ENFORCE.

Symbolism
The colors green and yellow are for Military Police.  The guisarme, an ancient Norman weapon, alludes to the area of the Normandy Beachhead for which the Battalion was awarded its first World War II campaign honor.  It also indicates the protective duties of the organization.  The scales are the Scales of Justice. The wreath of laurel signifies the Meritorious Unit Citation awarded to the Battalion for service in the European Theater.  The fir cones represent the Ardennes Campaign.  The heraldic fountain (white and blue wavy disc) stands for the Rhineland; the fleur-de-lis for service in Normandy and Northern France.

Background
The coat of arms was originally approved for the 503d Military Police Battalion on 22 December 1952.  It was amended to add a crest on 9 June 1966.  The coat of arms was cancelled on 23 July 1970.  It was reinstated for the 503d Military Police Battalion on 11 December 1996.





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