Photo By Michelle McCaskill | Lead Special Trial Counsel, Brig. Gen. Christopher Kennebeck, switches out the...... read more read more
FORT BELVOIR, Va. – History was made when soldiers with the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel officially received their new shoulder sleeve insignia during a patching ceremony April 9 at the Fort Belvoir headquarters and streamed live to an audience around the world.
Narrating the ceremony was OSTC’s Executive Officer, Maj. Adam Choate, who noted that the SSI has an honored place in the Army's history and heritage.
The use of devices to identify the wearer's unit began during the Civil War. Back then worn on the headgear, corps and division badges were originally instituted as a means of controlling stragglers and apprehending deserters. Soldiers soon took pride in being identified with their units and the practice was used again during the War with Spain.
The SSI first made its appearance on the uniform in World War I. When worn on the left shoulder of the uniform, it indicates the soldier's current unit of assignment. Many current units of the regular Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve wear descendants of their original World War I-era SSI as a legacy of their unit's century of service.
When first activated in 2023, OSTC was authorized to wear the U.S. Army Star Logo Patch, which is worn by personnel assigned to the Army Staff, along with U.S. Army Accessions Command, Recruiting Command, Initial Entry Training, and One Station Unit Training.
On April 15, 2024, OSTC was authorized to wear a distinctive SSI that reflects its independent authority and unique nature of its mission. The final designs were completed by the Institute of Heraldry on Nov. 21, 2024, with significant input from Lt. Col. John Olson and Capt. Matthew Wallace, who are both assigned to OSTC.
Lead Special Trial Counsel Brig. Gen. Christopher Kennebeck noted the significance of this milestone and thanked Olson and Wallace for their contributions to the design.
Olson started thinking about what the patch would look like when he first joined OSTC as chief of the Third Circuit. Early on he started doodling different designs.
“Symbology is important to me,” he said. “I have a unit bag with patches of every unit I’ve ever been a part of.”
As Olson was talking with headquarters leadership about different design ideas, he learned that Wallace, who works for him at the Third Circuit, was doing the same thing.
“During our first OSTC All Hands meeting in the summer of 2023, the leadership put out a call for potential SSI design submissions, and as someone who enjoys the creative process, I immediately put together some ideas,” said Wallace.
“I researched the elements of all current JAG Corps SSIs to see what we could incorporate, but also what could differentiate us in our own insignia.”
While Olson’s designs featured Lady Justice, Wallace’s included a shield and wreath. After a lot of back and forth with OSTC leadership and coordination with the Institute of Heraldry, the final approved design is a compilation of both.
It features a stylized silhouette of Lady Justice, who embodies the virtues of justice as the foundation of the unit’s mission.
The dark blue background refers to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps primary branch color, while gold symbolizes excellence.
In Lady Justice’s left hand are the scales of justice, which represents the application of judgement and the weighing of facts and evidence inherent to the judicial process. In her right hand is a sword, signifying power and authority.
The demi-laurel wreath surrounding Lady Justice exemplifies the intellect and expertise of unit personnel, and the star denotes the unit’s direct reporting to the Secretary of the Army.
Wallace is grateful to be a part of developing OSTC’s identity and history.
“Soldiers, including myself, will no doubt come and go from OSTC, but we will all be collectively bound by the similar patch we wore,” he said. “I am honored to be part of that legacy and that’s why this project was so important to me. I wanted to leave a lasting mark on the Army, and I am proud that this is just one of my contributions to this team.”
Olson also reflected on what the experience means to him.
“Being able to participate in the creation of this symbol is deeply rewarding,” he said. “I’m just happy to have played a part in the design and will know for the rest of my life that I contributed to what now adorns the shoulder of every officer, NCO and warrant officer who is ever part of the Office of Special Trial Counsel.”
Kennebeck concluded the ceremony by thanking the participants and acknowledging everyone who played a role in building such a strong, professional team.
“I’m very proud to lead this Office of Special Trial Counsel team and look forward to seeing you in the field with this patch on your sleeve.”
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2025 15:34 |
| Story ID: | 495151 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, OSTC celebrates new shoulder sleeve insignia during patching ceremony, by Michelle McCaskill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Legal
