On the day the United States entered the War, the Army consisted of 127,151 Soldiers supplemented by 181,620 National Guardsmen.

To build a proper Army, Congress approved a $3 billion budget and passed the Selective Service Act of 1917.

The First Separate Battalion Engineers, Indiana National Guard was mustered at Camp Peggs, Terre Haute and Indianapolis on March 15, 1917 and inducted into federal service on June 20, 1917.

While most of the 38th ID was stripped down to serve as replacements for units already in combat, the 113th Engineers assisted in constructing bases and infrastructure for the American Expeditionary Forces, of which nearly 10,000 soldiers were still arriving every day.

The 113th also served with other National Guard units in Wisconsin during the 1940 Armistice Day Blizzard, assisting in rescue efforts for survivors trapped in 27 inches of snow, as well as rebuilding the telegraph/telephone poles and buildings that had been damaged in the 50–80 mph winds.

As France fell to Nazi Germany, and tensions continued to grow with Imperial Japan, the 38th Infantry Division was once again ordered into federal service.

Eleven months later, Imperial Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States entered World War II.

From July to November 1944, they conducted final combat rehearsals, made realistic by the presence of Japanese soldiers bypassed during the Western New Guinea campaign.

For two months the 113th Engineers assisted in the defense of Leyte, including defending Buri, Bayug, and San Pablo airstrips from Japanese paratroopers.

For the next two days, they assisted in securing and building defensive structures at the San Marcelino airstrip and the port facilities at Olongapo, as well as the Grande Island in Subic Bay after a separate amphibious landing.

It was a nearly impenetrable fortress built by the United States in 1909, with 6 meter (20-ft) thick reinforced concrete walls and four 14-inch turret guns.

After heavy aerial and naval bombardment with little result, a detachment from the 113th Engineers and F Company, 151st Infantry Regiment were assigned to neutralize Fort Drum.

The 113th Engineers spent the rest of the war assisting in hunting down bypassed Japanese soldiers, as well as improving defensive capabilities of American and Philippine positions.

This concluded with Japan's unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to the 113th Engineers' unbroken stretch of 198 consecutive days in combat.

Subordinate units of the 38th were organized and reconstituted, swelled by the large numbers of World War II veterans.

The 113th continued to serve the home front, being called up for State Active Duty during the Perfect Circle Strike of 1955, as well as the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak.

They operated in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq for the entirety of their 12-month deployment, engaging with enemy forces in combat several times.

A silver metal and enamel device 1 5/32 inches (2.94 cm) in height, consisting of a shield, crest and motto.

The silver triple-towered castle, taken from the arms of Saint-Dizier in France, denotes the battalion's World War I service.