Boosting morale with a Velcro patch

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Campbell | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan McCune, a weapons squad leader with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team presents unofficial patches, commonly referred to as morale patches, to Spc. Sam Moore and Spc. Jake Moore after they completed a “stress shoot” during an exercise at Fort Indiantown Gap, March 11, 2023. During this exercise, machine gun teams run approximately a quarter mile with their assigned weapon system, do 10 full ammunition box squats, low crawl to a firing point, set up their weapons and fire at a certain number of targets. Sam and Jake are brothers serving together in Charlie Company. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Campbell)  

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

03.31.2023

Story by Maj. Travis Mueller 

Joint Force Headquarters - Pennsylvania National Guard

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – To prepare for the harshness of combat, Soldiers often train in exercises and simulations, so they are ready to react to that harshness when the time comes. Ultimately the goal is to prepare Soldiers to survive and win in combat.

However, convincing Soldiers that they should take those simulations seriously, asking them to apply the same physical strain to themselves in those exercises as they would in a real-world combat situation, can be a challenge to Army leaders. Especially so to a young noncommissioned officer who is in charge of a squad of even younger Soldiers.

That was Staff Sgt. Jonathan McCune’s task, on a windy, 30-degree day here March 11, 2023. McCune, a weapons squad leader with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, is preparing his squad for a potential deployment.

On March 11, his squad participated in a “stress shoot.” During that exercise, machine gun teams ran approximately a quarter mile with their assigned weapon systems, did 10 squats while holding ammunition boxes, low crawled to a firing point, set up their weapons and fired at a certain number of targets within a specified time frame.

This exercise is designed to simulate combat by challenging the Soldiers’ physical fitness, boosting their heart rate and respiratory rate, before firing their weapons. This differs from normal firing exercises where Soldiers typically are not rushed and can take their time setting up their firing position.

After doing this on a cold day, McCune wanted to show his appreciation for these Soldiers and their hard work by presenting them unofficial patches, commonly referred to as morale patches.

“It was just something cool that the WSL did for his guys. It was totally a morale thing. But you can see from their smiles that was a good day for them despite the cold, the wind, the crappy weather,” said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Campbell, another NCO with 1-112th IN. “They got some good training in and had a good time.”

Creating and presenting morale patches is an unofficial tradition among Soldiers that goes back to World War 1. Some of those morale patches went on to become official unit insignia. In current times, some leaders present them to Soldiers as gifts, trophies or tokens of appreciation, especially if their unit is below the level where a commander’s challenge coin would typically be presented. All in all, it is a simple gesture for leaders to show their Soldiers that their efforts are seen.

“He made them go through the stress shoot before giving it to them,” said Campbell. “They did learn some things they need to work on and smooth out, so I thought it was a huge success.”

McCune presented patches to Spc. Sam Moore, Spc. Jake Moore, Spc. Charles Ognen and Pfc. Christopher Redmond.

• Date Taken: 03.31.2023
• Date Posted: 03.31.2023 11:48
• Story ID: 441672
• Location: FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US