See this? It’s an ACU blouse, one of a hundred thousand worn by soldiers of the United States Army. Its only claim to uniqueness is that it has been issued to me.
What makes it special? There’s an insignia on the right sleeve, right below the National Colors. It denotes service to that brigade in a theater of combat. It’ a combat patch.
To give you a little background on why this is significant, you must understand the the Marine Corps doesn’t wear distinctive insignia on their uniforms, and certainly not insignia showing service in combat, with the reasoning that the Corps is a single cohesive unit, and does not need such things. In fact, the practice ended with WW2. So there is only a few ribbons present on the Alpha coat that gives any indication whether the wearer has served in a combat environment, which is fine for the Marines…
Walking around on an Army post, it gets a bit problematical, as every body’s eyes flicker to the upper right sleeve as part of the initial establishment of bone fides. The wearer has, or has not, seen the elephant, with varying degrees of clarity.
The Country has been at war since 2001, and a vast majority of soldiers now sport combat patches. In our outfit, before we deployed, there were the fellows who serve during the first deployment, and sport the patch of the 1st Cav. Others have insignia of Special Forces, and others wear a scattering of other units. These men were a source of admiration, as they had “been there, done that” already…
The important thing is not the particular patch, in this case…
…But the right to wear it…
I’ve earned that right.
In light of the sheer numbers of soldiers who wear these patches, such a statement may be received with ambivalence by some. It is relative and pertinent to the individual, however, and only becomes significant when you really think about it.
A National Guardsman… With a combat patch.
(That make three continuous generations of my family that have served this Nation during time of war… Different gun clubs, same determination.)
I just wanted to share this with you because it’s important to me, and some of you have been along for the whole journey, and have given me support and encouragement during my effort. Look upon that patch on the right sleeve of that blouse, and take pride in knowing that you helped put it there.
Thank you.
December 31st, 2008 - 11:23
Thanks for explaining all that, B. I’d been meaning to ask you because I didn’t completely understand it from the email–didn’t think about how Marines don’t have the equivalent of a CAB and that even though you were a combat vet you’d been walking around in the NG looking like you were untried when you weren’t.
I’m very proud of you. *hugs*
January 26th, 2009 - 09:17
Cool. Thanks for your service and for sharing! And so pleased that you now have an Angel of your own.
Take care,
Lisa