Rocky the Bulldog, the mascot for the 3rd Infantry Division, attends his patching ceremony on Fort Stewart, Ga., May 9, 2025. (Anthony Herrera/U.S. Army)
Soldiers serving in the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division have been known for decades as Dogface Soldiers, but in the storied unit’s century-long history no soldier has been more dog-faced than its newest — Pvt. Rocky.
Rocky, a nearly 2-year-old American bulldog, joined the division’s ranks this month at Fort Stewart, Ga., apparently becoming the 3rd ID’s first live mascot and bringing to life the division’s Rocky the bulldog symbol it has used since the 1960s. In a ceremony, alongside dozens of other incoming Dogface Soldiers, Rocky received his official 3rd Infantry Division patch — known as a Marne patch, for the division’s moniker the “Rock of the Marne” — at Fort Stewart on May 9.
“Rocky is more than just a symbol, [and] more than just a mascot,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, the division’s commander. “He’s a symbol of the legacy we all carry forward.”
Although the 3rd ID traces its history to 1917 and earned its “Rock of the Marne” title for its stand along France’s Marne River against a much larger German force in 1918, its bulldog mascot first appeared in 1965. Rocky was a creation of Walt Disney.
That year, Maj. Gen. Albert Connor, the division commander, sought permission from Walt Disney to use his cartoon bulldog character as the division’s symbol, writing to the Disney organization that the unit had “for many years” been searching for an official symbol of the Dogface Soldier. Disney granted the 3rd ID the rights to use the cartoon, and Rocky — the smiling, rifle-toting bulldog in Army fatigues — was born.
Rocky the Bulldog, the mascot for the 3rd Infantry Division, attends his patching ceremony on Fort Stewart, Ga., May 9, 2025. (Anthony Herrera/U.S. Army)
Though Rocky has traditionally been a sergeant, the live Rocky enters the division as a private, Norrie said.
“Someday we hope he might achieve the rank of sergeant,” the general said.
The live Rocky was a gift of the American Kennel Club, whose officials were surprised to learn the division had no living Rocky the Bulldog mascot while organizing an event on Fort Stewart for soldiers who handle military working dogs, said Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, the division’s spokeswoman. The organization found a breeder who donated the bulldog to the division.
Like other new soldiers to the division, Rocky in-processed at Fort Stewart, receiving medical checks and signing in with a stamp of his paw. One of the division’s soldiers, after meeting the pup, volunteered to make Rocky his own uniform in the Operational Camouflage Pattern soldiers wear in their day-to-day lives, Tomko said.
Rocky will now be tasked with supporting morale throughout the division, visiting with soldiers and participating in division level events and ceremonies for the foreseeable future, Tomko said.
“Rocky is already a rock star here,” she said. “He is loved by everyone who meets him, loves pets and scratches from all the soldiers and can often be found playing with his favorite ball outside the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters.”
Next up for the division’s pup — the Army Fitness Test, where he can start earning points toward that eventual promotion to sergeant, and a celebration for his second birthday on July 4.
The commander of the 3rd ID sought permission from Walt Disney in 1965 to use his cartoon bulldog character as the division’s symbol, writing to the Disney organization that the unit had been “for many years” been searching for an official symbol of the Dogface Soldier. Disney granted the 3rd ID the rights to use the cartoon, and Rocky — the smiling, rifle-toting bulldog in Army fatigues — was born. (U.S. Army)
