103rd Armor Regiment, Pennsylvania Army National Guard
103RD ARMOR REGIMENT, PENNSYLVANIA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
 (Coat of Arms) |
 (Distinctive Unit Insignia) |
Official blazon
Shield: Gules, a crocodile statant in pale, head to chief holding between its jaws a fish fesswise Or.
Crest: That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard: On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules, a lion rampant guardant Proper holding in dexter paw a naked scimitar Argent hilted Or and in sinister an escutcheon Argent on a fess Sable three plates.
Motto: EXPEDITE (With Dispatch).
Distinctive Unit Insignia. Description: A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 7/32 inches (3.10 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a crocodile statant in pale, head to chief holding between its jaws a fish fesswise Or. Attached below the shield a Red scroll inscribed “EXPEDITE” in Gold letters.
Origin/meaning
The armored shell of the voracious man-eater, cracking the scales of the fish is an allegorical allusion to the destructive power of the organization and its skill in snaring the wary enemy. The motto, Expedite (With Dispatch), emphasizes the speed of the operation, while the idea of power and destruction is shown in the shield.
The Coat of Arms was originally approved for the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Light (Towed) on 11 September 1942. It was redesignated for the 628th Tank Battalion and amended to add the Pennsylvania National Guard crest on 14 July 1947. It was redesignated for the 628th Tank Battalion (Medium), Pennsylvania National Guard on 1 March 1954. The insignia was redesignated for the 103d Armor Regiment, Pennsylvania Army National Guard on 14 August 1961. The Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Light (Towed) on 11 September 1942. It was redesignated for the 628th Tank Battalion on 1 March 1954. The insignia was redesignated for the 103d Armor Regiment, Pennsylvania Army National Guard on 14 August 1961.
Literature: Images from Wikimedia Commons. Information from The Institute of Heraldry, US Army.