Garden State Soldiers don brigade combat patch

Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris | Capt. Matt Bayless and 1st Lt. Steven Brill of the Joint Area Support Group-Central in Baghdad, from left, affix their combat patches during a ceremony in the U.S. Embassy Annex chapel, Oct. 10, 2008. Bayless, Brill and the nearly 160 Soldiers from the New Jersey Army National Guard's 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team who make up the JASG-C earned the patch by spending 30 consecutive days in a combat zone.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.10.2008

Story by Master Sgt. David Moore 

44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

By 1st Sgt. David Moore
50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers of the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team serving in Baghdad placed the symbol of loyalty to the mission known as the combat patch on their right shoulder sleeves.

During the Oct. 15, 2008, military formation held at a chapel near the American Embassy in Baghdad, the Headquarters Company Soldiers who serve as a lead element for the Joint Area Support Group- Central placed an additional brigade patch on their Army Combat Uniforms.

"It is a clear sign of your loyalty to defend freedom and your duty to fulfill your military obligation. It is a symbol of respect for Soldiers who have served in a hostile environment and it proves your commitment to face courage and danger," said Col. Steven Ferrari, brigade and JASG-C commander.

The 50th patch, approved in January for wear on military uniforms, is a seven-sided embroidered patch vertically divided and contains three stars that represent New Jersey as being the third state to sign the United States Constitution.

When worn on the Class A uniform, the tri-colors of the patch represent the brigades' armor and infantry lineage, as well as its alignment with the 42nd Infantry "Rainbow" Division. The patch's shape suggests the letter 'V' for victory.

Ferrari, of Berlin Township, N.J., said the organization already has a common bond of wearing the left shoulder patch, but Soldiers standing in the formation are among 3,000 Soldiers now eligible to wear the brigade patch on the right sleeve.

"The right shoulder patch is a reminder, all of you are operating in a hostile environment and cannot become complacent during present military operations," he said.

"It is a reminder to watch out for yourself and watch out for each other. The mission is not over until we all come home," Ferrari added.

Spc. Jamie Lowe, Sewell, N.J., said she was proud that the unit is conducting operations in Iraq.

"The patch will always be a reminder of our mission," she said.

In addition to the brigade patch, JASG-C Soldiers also have the option of wearing the Multi-National Force-Iraq as their Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service patch on the right sleeve of the uniform for the remainder of a Soldier's career. The JASG-C is a subordinate unit of MNF-I.

The MNFI-patch has a black shield with a gold border surrounding two crossed silver scimitars (swords). Behind the shield is a wreath of palm branches joined at the bottom with three loops of brown twine. In the center is a gold winged bull of Mesopotamia below a gold, seven-pointed star.

"I am extremely pound of all the Soldiers. The combat patch will always be our bond," Brigade Command Sergeant Major David Kenna, Newfield, N.J., said.

• Date Taken: 10.10.2008
• Date Posted: 10.11.2008 09:32
• Story ID: 24831
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ