Photo By Pfc. Michael Syner | Lt. Col. David E. Jones, a native of Ofallen, Ill. and the commander of the Special...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Mike Brantley
10th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The Soldiers of the 10th Sustainment Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, received their unit wartime shoulder sleeve insignia on their right shoulder sleeve in a ceremony held here Dec. 24, 2008.
Col. Mark E. Drake, the commander of the 10th Sust. Bde., placed the brigade's shoulder sleeve insignia onto the right arm of Command Sgt. Maj. Allen G. Fritzsching, the Command Sergeant Major of the 10th Sust. Bde., and Houston native, and onto the right arm of the deputy commander and brigade staff, for combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 09–11.
Soldiers in the formation turned to each other and placed the unit's patch on the right shoulder sleeves of each other.
The shoulder sleeve insignia was originally approved for the 10th Support Brigade on Nov. 23, 2004 and was re-designated for the 10th Sustainment Brigade on April 25, 2006. This ceremony is historic for the brigade because it will be the first time the 10th Sustainment Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia is awarded for wartime service.
"Today you have earned your Wartime Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or combat patch," said Drake, a St. Paul, Minn., native. "As many of you know, our shoulder sleeve insignia is new and we have only worn it for six months."
Drake said that while many of the Soldiers standing before him already have combat patches from one or multiple tours with previous units, today's event is truly significant "because you will be the first Soldiers to wear the 10th Sustainment Brigade combat patch in our Army."
He said this patch will bond each Soldier with the Soldiers in this formation today for the rest of their lives. "Be proud of this patch ... because YOU ARE the 10th Sustainment Brigade ... it is you that makes this brigade what it is today," he said.
"I feel like I am a part of history being the first Soldiers to wear this combat patch," said Warrant Officer Henry Massey, Support Operations, 10th SBTB and Memphis, Tenn., native.
Sgt. Vlaun Samuels, a Springfield, Mass. native and 10th SBTB Soldier, echoed Massey's words with, "It is a good feeling of accomplishment because this is my first combat patch."
The 10th Sustainment Brigade's shoulder sleeve insignia is made up of a dark blue, rectangular-shaped shield edged in gold, arched at the top and bottom consisting of a white stylized mountain with five peaks bearing a buff-colored polestar, and two crossed red bayonets pointing upwards.
The colors buff and red are the colors traditionally used by a support entity. Our national colors of red, white and blue are also the colors used by the 10th Mountain Division, which the Brigade supports. The snowy mountain refers to the military mountaineering of the Fort Drum area. The polestar with its four major directional points represents the worldwide scope of the Brigade's logistic support missions of maintenance, supply, medical and transportation operations. The bayonets are from their previous shoulder sleeve insignia when they were the 10th Mountain Division Support Command and refer to the Roman numeral "X" for the number 10.
The history of combat patches goes back to May 1918 when members of the 81st Division wore the first United States Army shoulder sleeve insignia. The wildcat was chosen as the division symbol and was used to mark division equipment.
In September of 1918 while the division was disembarking in France, a member of the Inspector General's Department questioned the fact that division personnel were wearing an insignia with the likeness of a wildcat on their left sleeve. The commander of the division, Gen. C. J. Bailey, made a case for the insignia contributing to his unit's esprit de corps. This was accepted by General Pershing who directed that other divisions also could wear a shoulder sleeve insignia, subject to approval of headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force. This set the precedence for the wearing of shoulder patches.
The right shoulder sleeve patch, referred to as the Combat Patch, was indoctrinated after WWII, and was authorized for wear on the right shoulder sleeve by personnel who were assigned, attached or under the operational control of a divisional or higher unit that actively participated in, or supported ground combat operations against hostile forces in which they were exposed to the threat of enemy action or fire, either directly or indirectly. The military operation must have lasted for a period of 30-days, or longer or less than 30-days if individuals or units come under one day of direct or indirect fire.
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2009 03:48 |
| Story ID: | 28581 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 984 |
| Downloads: | 485 |
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