303rd Military Intelligence Battalion Unit Crest (Primi Noscere)

The 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (aka “unit crest” or DUI) was originally approved for the 303rd Army Security Agency Battalion on 11 March 1963 and was amended on 16 July 1963 to correct its description. On 16 April 1979, the insignia was redesignated for the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion and was subsequently amended on 28 September 2016 to update the description.

Blue piles (triangles) symbolize the mountains of Central Europe and of Korea to reflect the service there of the 540th Signal Service Company (originally designated as the 3253rd Signal Service Company), which became part of the Battalion’s lineage when it was consolidated with 303rd Communication Reconnaissance Battalion in July 1951. At the top of the insignia is an edelweiss, a small flower treasured by European mountaineers that here refers to the unit’s service in Central Europe and Austria.

A pair of flaming beacons at the bottom are references to an ancient but effective communications system developed in Korea that was based up beacon fires kindled on mountain peaks and recalls the unit’s two Korean War military decorations (a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation). PRIMI NOSCERE, the Battalion motto, is Latin for “First To Know.”

Other battle honors and military decorations earned by units in the Battalion’s lineage prior to its designation as the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion include five World War II campaigns, eight Korean War campaigns, and a dozen campaigns in Vietnam. For its service in Vietnam, the organization was tapped for five Meritorious Unit Commendations, a Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and an ROV Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class award.

Since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion has been selected for two more Meritorious Unit Commendations. The first, awarded in October 2007, was for the Battalion’s service between January and December 2004 providing actionable, operation intelligence for Multinational Corps and Multinational Force-Iraq , while the second was announced in April 2014 for service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

As of May 2021, the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion is assigned to the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade and is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.