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Uncommon and Obscure Combat Patches Being Worn.


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Female soldier of the 34th Infantry Division wearing a 1st Marine Division combat patch. Note that the text indicates she is a combat medic with an infantry regiment though I can't make out whether she has a Combat Medic Badge.

 

Since she is serving with the 34th in Afghanistan, she will be eligible to wear that SSI as a combat patch as well, but I would think the 1st Mariner Division would make a cooler story. Of course with the velcro patches they wear now, switching between the two would be no big deal.

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Another example of a combat patch for Vietnam in the form of a period example, in this case a In Country made Cav patch. Unknown Capt Aviator in 1980, as he's a Captain at this time, must of been either a late war serving Cav Trooper, like 71-72, or he was a W/O, who after the war went over to commissioned service.

 

The organizational unit patch is hard to see, it seems to be a small-ish disc, so perhaps either the 24th Inf Div at Stewart, or the 7th Inf Div at Ord.

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Here's an interesting one. Not only is this theater made 1st Logistical Command SSI combat patch being worn facing forward on this jungle jacket, but it's colors are also reversed from the standard subdued version.

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Here's an interesting one. Not only is this theater made 1st Logistical Command SSI combat patch being worn facing forward on this jungle jacket, but it's colors are also reversed from the standard subdued version.

 

 

Is it truly reversed or did he just move the patch till the arrow was facing forward? I like the reversed colors.

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Alaska Defense Command SSI being worn by a member of the 1st Infantry Division in 2016 for service in the GWOT

 

Does anyone know what unit(s) from the Alaska Command would have served in a combat theater? Looks like some soldiers in the background are 'at ease' and others at parade rest or attention.

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Does anyone know what unit(s) from the Alaska Command would have served in a combat theater? Looks like some soldiers in the background are 'at ease' and others at parade rest or attention.

Since the Big Red One unit here is Signal Corps, and the GI with the Teddy Bear patch is among them, then perhaps certain separate Signal units under USARAK where sent.

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Since the Big Red One unit here is Signal Corps, and the GI with the Teddy Bear patch is among them, then perhaps certain separate Signal units under USARAK where sent.

 

I was thinking it was his prior assignment before going to the 1st Infantry Div.

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Alaska Defense Command SSI being worn by a member of the 1st Infantry Division in 2016 for service in the GWOT

Thats actually USARAK (US Army Alaska)

 

 

Does anyone know what unit(s) from the Alaska Command would have served in a combat theater? Looks like some soldiers in the background are 'at ease' and others at parade rest or attention.

There was a unit of Chinooks that went by the call sign "Sugar Bears" ( B 1/52nd Aviation I think) that wore USARAK during our deployment to Iraq '08-'09. I think they were a last minute attachment to us (1/25 SBCT) but I do recall them wearing that patch. You can also find DCUs with USARAK patches, but they seem to be hard to find.

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VolunteerArmoury

Thats actually USARAK (US Army Alaska)

 

There was a unit of Chinooks that went by the call sign "Sugar Bears" ( B 1/52nd Aviation I think) that wore USARAK during our deployment to Iraq '08-'09. I think they were a last minute attachment to us (1/25 SBCT) but I do recall them wearing that patch. You can also find DCUs with USARAK patches, but they seem to be hard to find.

There were Military Police units wearing it as well over there as well. I saw some in DCUs & later in ACUs. Don't know if any USARAK units went to Stan or not.

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Alaska Defense Command SSI being worn by a member of the 1st Infantry Division in 2016 for service in the GWOT

 

Does anyone know what unit(s) from the Alaska Command would have served in a combat theater? Looks like some soldiers in the background are 'at ease' and others at parade rest or attention.

 

 

Since the Big Red One unit here is Signal Corps, and the GI with the Teddy Bear patch is among them, then perhaps certain separate Signal units under USARAK where sent.

 

I was thinking it was his prior assignment before going to the 1st Infantry Div.

Thats actually USARAK (US Army Alaska)

 

There was a unit of Chinooks that went by the call sign "Sugar Bears" ( B 1/52nd Aviation I think) that wore USARAK during our deployment to Iraq '08-'09. I think they were a last minute attachment to us (1/25 SBCT) but I do recall them wearing that patch. You can also find DCUs with USARAK patches, but they seem to be hard to find.

There were Military Police units wearing it as well over there as well. I saw some in DCUs & later in ACUs. Don't know if any USARAK units went to Stan or not.

Just as a general follow up to my own post as well as the many replies, first thanks for those who pointed out the SSI in question is U.S. Army Alaska and no longer Alaska Defense Command. To the bigger picture though, I believe that at sometime during the GWOT the uniform regulations have changed to allow the wearing as a combat patch of the SSI of a headquarters not actually present in a combat zone by subordinate units of that HQ that were deployed to the combat zone. I first noticed this was when I saw a soldier in a restaurant outside Fort Benning several years ago wearing the Military District of Washington SSI with Honor Guard tab as his combat patch. That made no sense to me but a little research led me to learn that a unit of the Old Guard had deployed to Djibouti and I believe another unit may have since deployed to Afghanistan. Rather than wear the SSI of the higher headquarters to which they were assigned in-country, they are entitled to wear the SSI of their current assignment at the time of the deployment. I have read here on the forum, but have not actually seen photographic evidence, that other similar examples include units of the Infantry School and Artillery School that have deployed into a combat zone and whose members are entitled to wear those SSI as their combat patches.

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General John Abizaid as commander of Central Command in 2006 wearing an old style desert tan 1st Ranger Battalion scroll he earned in Grenada where he made a combat jump. Note how the color of the patch contrasts with his uniform.

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A very early example of a Combat patch being worn, a S/Sgt (Who I believe is to be one Robert Patton) of an unidentified current unit in Germany or Austria around Late May or June 1945.

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Looks like the SSI for the 65th Infantry Division. Great pic!

Yes it is, didn't say it, as who wouldn't recognize the Battle Ax Division patch :lol:.

 

Wonder what patch he's wearing as an organizational one? Guess we'll never know.

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Your typical Big Black One Combat patch, along with the subdued 101 patch on these DSs, at Ft Jackson South Carolina in 1977 or 78. Nothing really uncommon, does show that the Full Color Big Red One and Screaming Eagles Combat Patches on Fatiques was truly a thing of the past. Plus,The one on the far left is Dan Laguna.

 

 

https://www.army.mil/article/67921/living_hard_the_story_of_chief_warrant_officer_4_daniel_dan_laguna

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Another The ROCK 503rd PIR Combat patch sighting, this unknown GI in Japan with his War Bride we see is on the cover of a book on the subject.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

There is nothing uncommon about the 82nd Airborne Division SSI as a combat patch. However, here we see a group of 82nd Airborne Division veterans from WWII still on active duty with the division in 1971. They are receiving awards from the Dutch government for their part in the liberation of the Netherlands in 1944. I doubt there were many WWII 82nd Division veterans who served long enough to wear a subdued 82nd combat patch.

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Does anyone know what unit(s) from the Alaska Command would have served in a combat theater? Looks like some soldiers in the background are 'at ease' and others at parade rest or attention.

 

There was at least one Engineer unit stationed up there that wore "Binky the Bear" and deployed to the war zone with it -as well as the other units previously mentioned. 6th EN Bn wore the patch at one time with an Airborne tab....this is not a combat patch photo but proof of this being worn.

 

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This picture is from my December issue of the AMERICAN LEGION magazine. It shows Cpt(then a PO) Jack Evans wearing the Naval Aviation Cadet patch, blue circle with white star and red center.

 

Posted Image

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

 

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This picture is from my December issue of the AMERICAN LEGION magazine. It shows Cpt(then a PO) Jack Evans wearing the Naval Aviation Cadet patch, blue circle with white star and red center.

 

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Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

Captain Evans is a Pearl Harbor survivor that served on the TENNESSEE

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