Patches in action: Photos of SSI being worn by the troops.

[seanmc1114]

LTC Harold Moore and Captain Matt Dillon wearing the 11th Air Assault Division SSI on the pockets of their field jackets along with the Air Assault Badge. I assume the SSI worn on their left sleeves would be for the 2nd Infantry Division.

[patches]

A 5th Service Command GI most atypical for a Ground Forces GI to wear his Service Cap in the Air Corps Crusher style.

[patches]

OHIO

 

Carl B. Holland, S Sgt, Co A 330th Infantry 83rd Inf Division

[patches]

Captain John C. Ivanoff SC 12TH Army Group, home again in September 1945, he must of served in the HQ Company of the 12th Army Group

[patches]

3rd Inf Div combat patch and 9th Inf Div Org patch on artillerymen of the B Batt 26th FA Bn 9th Inf Div, October 1955 West Germany

[Ranger-1972]

On 5/31/2022 at 8:55 PM, seanmc1114 said:

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion 26th Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division. Note they are wearing the generic Army flash. Any idea why this unit traditionally assigned to the 1st Infantry Division since World War I has recently been assigned to the 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division?

 

Can't tell you "why," but the 1-26 Inf Bn has been part of the 101 Abn Div (Air Assault) since 2015.

 

Activation ceremony was on 14 April 15.  Official designation to Strike Brigade was 16 April 2015.  Went from a Mech Bn (with the 1st ID) to a light battalion (with the 101st).  BTW, the 1-26 Inf spent five years in Vietnam as what would today be called air assault soldiers, starting in 1965.

 

During OEF / OIF, division headquarters didn't command the brigades / battalions they traditionally had commanded -- they served as headquarters elements in one or the other theaters.  Battalions from different divisions were mixed & matched within brigade combat teams.

 

 

[patches]

Sabu back from the Pacific and now in a unit of the 4th Air Force in California summer of 45, with fellow Hollywood star Carmen Miranda at I think the Coconut Grove.

[patches]

A Lee Kent TD. 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion.

[seanmc1114]

Some photos from the reactivation ceremony for the 11th Airborne Division which took place in Alaska on June 6, 2022.

 

I assume this means the ARCTIC tab is no longer an individual skill badge like the RANGER, SPECIAL FORCES and SAPPER tabs, but is instead now part of the organizational SSI of the division.

 

The 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division and 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 25th Infantry Division were reflagged as the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 11th Airborne Division.

[seanmc1114]

Here's another photo of the full color 11th AIrborne Division SSI being worn during the reflagging of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 25th Infantry Division on June 6, 2022. The soldiers are members of the 1st Battalion 501st Infantry. However, note this particular soldier is wearing the 11th SSI with the AIRBORNE tab above the ARCTIC tab. You can see a soldier in backgrounbd on the left still wearing his subdued 25th Infantry Division SSI with AIRBORNE tab.

 

Here is a pdf of the regulations prescribing the temporary wear of the ARCTIC tab as part of the organizational insignia of the 11th Airborne Division. This leads me to believe that the Army recognizes that at some point it will have to sort out whether the tab will continue to be an individual skill badge or part of the organization insignia of the division.

 

 

TIOH Authorization Memo_Arctic Tab(26Apr2022).pdf

[patches]

30th Artillery Brigade on one LTC Theodore H. Schmidt in 1968, 30th Artillery Brigade was an anti aircraft brigade which was officially title Artillry as there was no Air Defense Artillery Branch when it was first activated, it was stationed on Okinawa then,

[SFC]

[patches]

The Cav on one Clyde Bonnelycke-the-only-man-to-receive-Silver-Stars-as-a-Marine-and-in-the-Army-in-Vietnam.

 

https://devinenews.com/a-tribute-to-local-veterans/

[seanmc1114]

Full color one piece theater made 173rd Airborne Brigade SSI worn in Vietnam.

[patches]

A GI of the 127th Military Police Company aboard the Transport USNS Upshur on the way to South Vietnam in December 1966, wearing the 18th Military Police Brigade patch, most curious right, the unit was a Fort Bragg North Carolina before it left, so we can only gather that it was a given the company would be assigned to the brigade and patches were issued out and ordered sewn on while at Bragg still.

[SFC]

[Rakkasan187]

On 5/21/2022 at 7:03 AM, seanmc1114 said:

Seventh Army SSI with PERSHING tab worn by a member of HHB, 56th Artillery Brigade in 1970 during the brief period when that combo of insignia was worn by the brigade.

I also see the "Pershing Pickle" or Pershing Professional Badge on the right pocket below the name plate... Very nice to see this badge being worn..

 

Leigh 

[patches]

December 1945. At the Stage Door Canteen New York New York, we presume both the T&O and the Screaming Eagles arrived back home at the same time,

[patches]

Actress Myrna Loy dancing with an unidentified 25th Division Tech Sgt just back from the Pacific in the late fall of 1945 at some bar in Hollywood.

[easterneagle87]

1 hour ago, patches said:

Actress Myrna Loy dancing with an unidentified 25th Division Tech Sgt just back from the Pacific in the late fall of 1945 at some bar in Hollywood.

 

This is actually from the movie; "The Best Years of Our Lives". This is the actor, Fredric March. A great post war film.  

[patches]

21 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

 

This is actually from the movie; "The Best Years of Our Lives". This is the actor, Fredric March. A great post war film.  

HeeeeHeee Yeah I know, wanted to see who would catch on 

[Linedoggie]

On 6/8/2022 at 9:12 AM, seanmc1114 said:

Here's another photo of the full color 11th AIrborne Division SSI being worn during the reflagging of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 25th Infantry Division on June 6, 2022. The soldiers are members of the 1st Battalion 501st Infantry. However, note this particular soldier is wearing the 11th SSI with the AIRBORNE tab above the ARCTIC tab. You can see a soldier in backgrounbd on the left still wearing his subdued 25th Infantry Division SSI with AIRBORNE tab.

 

Here is a pdf of the regulations prescribing the temporary wear of the ARCTIC tab as part of the organizational insignia of the 11th Airborne Division. This leads me to believe that the Army recognizes that at some point it will have to sort out whether the tab will continue to be an individual skill badge or part of the organization insignia of the division.

 

 

TIOH Authorization Memo_Arctic Tab(26Apr2022).pdf 468.09 kB · 3 download

I gotta ask since when was it a HQDA recognized individual skill badge?

[seanmc1114]

1 hour ago, Linedoggie said:

I gotta ask since when was it a HQDA recognized individual skill badge?

As far as I know, neither the ARCTIC nor JUNGLE tab has been authorized by HQDA as an individual skill badge. However, for the last several years they have both been authorized by U.S. Army Pacific as individual badges that can be worn while assigned to that theater. The ARCTIC tab ia awarded for completed of the Cold Weather Orientation Course or the Cold Weather Leaders Course in Alaska and the JUNGLE tab is awarded for completion of the Jungle Operations Training Course in Hawaii.

 

https://www.army.mil/article/235690/eighth_army_soldiers_authorized_wear_of_arctic_jungle_tabs  

 

However, since the planned activation of the 11th Airborne Division in Hawaii, which occurred this month, the ARCTIC tab was redesignated to be worn as part of the organizational shoulder sleeve insignia of the 11th Airborne Division and presumably no longer requiring completion of either of the courses.

 

https://www.rmda.army.mil/readingroom/'/ReadingRoom/FileDownload.dl?docId=9fe3b852-4e3a-4844-9a56-0f97df967561'

[Rhscott]

18 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

As far as I know, neither the ARCTIC nor JUNGLE tab has been authorized by HQDA as an individual skill badge. However, for the last several years they have both been authorized by U.S. Army Pacific as individual badges that can be worn while assigned to that theater. The ARCTIC tab ia awarded for completed of the Cold Weather Orientation Course or the Cold Weather Leaders Course in Alaska and the JUNGLE tab is awarded for completion of the Jungle Operations Training Course in Hawaii.

 

https://www.army.mil/article/235690/eighth_army_soldiers_authorized_wear_of_arctic_jungle_tabs  

 

However, since the planned activation of the 11th Airborne Division in Hawaii, which occurred this month, the ARCTIC tab was redesignated to be worn as part of the organizational shoulder sleeve insignia of the 11th Airborne Division and presumably no longer requiring completion of either of the courses.

 

https://www.rmda.army.mil/readingroom/'/ReadingRoom/FileDownload.dl?docId=9fe3b852-4e3a-4844-9a56-0f97df967561'

So, in other words everyone gets a trophy which devalues the earning of a tab, all for the sake of low morale in the Arctic units.

[seanmc1114]

57 minutes ago, Rhscott said:

So, in other words everyone gets a trophy which devalues the earning of a tab, all for the sake of low morale in the Arctic units.

I hate to agree with you, but it appears that is the case. The odd thing is that the Army is still able to distinguish between the individual act of becoming jump qualified by awarding the Parachutist Badge vs. serving in an airborne designated unit, regardless of jump status, by including the AIRBORNE tab as part of a unit's approved SSI. Same thing with Rangers. The RANGER tab is still awarded and worn to signify the individual accomplishment of graduating from the Ranger Course (Yes, I know there are a few other retoractive ways it could have been earned) while the Ranger scrolls are worn to signify assignment to a Ranger unit.  The same is true with the distinction between the status of the SPECIAL FORCES tab representing an individual accomplishment vs. the wear of the 1st Special Forces SSI with AIRBORNE tab to represent a unit assignment. 

 

Using the same logic as the Army is applying with making the ARCTIC tab an integral part of the 11th Airborne Division SSI, shouldn't the JUNGLE tab be made an integral part of the 25th Infantry Division SSI?

 

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but other than the current approved 11th Airborne Division SSI, I am not aware of any SSI in the history of the Army that has been approved to be worn with two separate tabs simultaneously representing the organization.