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I have spent the past several days 'googling' in search of certain patches.

I thought that this might be an interesting thread. So post your interesting patches (deployment, gunnery, unit commemorative type)

I have collected a couple and searching for others.

1989 3rd AD (4/32 Ar) Canadian Army Trophy patch

5th Infantry Div, Ft Polk, LA
(circa 1990)
Tank Gunnery Qualified patch

The already "un-official" but widely worn "Dirty Delta" patch for the Aerorifle Troop, 2/17th Cav (Vietnam) on left...with my even more "un-official" privately-made (VN tailor) patch on right:


But for a real story, the 17th Cav itself had no patch...just small enameled unit crests. A Sqdn. CO, however, enjoys certain prerogitives. Ours (who's bio is below) commissioned the one on the right...but never collected it. It's the only one of it's type known to exist (also made by the same VN tailor).
Shown here with 35 years of wear on my jacket (like the ace of spades). But just last Christmas, I had an exact replica made for the family of the late Col. Rider (courtesy of John Conway at the VHPAMuseum website). It is one of three we had made.


"Winged Spur of 17th Cav. patch was an "unauthorized" item (unit crests were authorized) commisioned by 2/17th Cav. C.O., the late LTC Archie Rider. Following his precipitous departure from Vietnam, this patch was on display at a Camp Eagle "d---" shop where the maker declined to sell it while waiting for LTC Rider to claim it. When informed he was no longer in-country, it's status immediately changed to "For Sale" & it was thus acquired. It resides on my jacket along side the unusual Dirty Delta "spade" patch from D Trp. 2/17th to this day"

"Col. Archie A. Rider (LTC, as CO of 2/17th Cav, Mar-Oct. '71) waits for us at Fiddlers' Green, having passed away in 1998. The colorful and aggressive CO retired in 1985 with 30 years service. After his 4th tour in RVN, he spent most of the ‘70’s at the Pentagon, then as Prof. of Military History at Jacksonville State University in Alabama from June ‘80 - October ‘84 when he reported as Special Assistant to the Commanding General of the Third ROTC Region. An Army review board found that LTC Rider (as well as his XO, Maj. Dick Albrecht) was unjustly relieved of command in late Oct. ’71 following a lengthy & acrimonious relationship with a general officer in Divisional command to whom LTC Rider eventually found himself reporting. Various issues, some preceding this direct reporting relationship, included but were not limited to, the following: (1.) LTC Rider’s principled refusal to withdraw from a forward position in mid-operation which he had been granted authority to occupy, when such action would have placed at unacceptable risk the lives of ~200 men. (2.) His respectfully declining of a request (then, an order), to recover bodies from a downed aircraft in Laos where he (but not the officer responsible for the aircraft’s presence there) had the authority to operate, but when such action would have directly conflicted with directions from higher authority NOT to mount operations for the recovery of bodies or aircraft across the border. (3.) His refusal to replace his XO (Maj. Albrecht) for unjustifiable reasons . LTC Rider and Maj. Albrecht were shipped out virtually overnight, an action that so angered his troops that Maj. Langley Chavis (acting CO & successor XO) was advised to visit & pre-empt D Troop (the aero-rifle ground troop) who were “saddling up� for an unspecified action with consequences that no one could foresee. LTC Rider spent the next 6 years appealing to Army Review (Corrections) Boards. Testimony from numerous associates and participants in some of the actions leading up to his relief, including Maj. Albrecht, Maj. Langley Chavis & ARVN Maj. Doan (CO of the Hoc Bao), among others, convinced the Board and LTC Rider was granted 6 years back pay and grade and the disciplinary action expunged from the record. Maj. Albrecht was also vindicated. The general officer involved retired very shortly thereafter. Though vindicated, the episode probably deprived Col. Rider of attendance at the War College & very likely, a star. He never had a chance to claim the 2/17th Cav patch he commissioned at Camp Eagle, featured on this page. Many thanks to the sources for this update, which include telephone &/or email interviews with Maj. Langley Chavis (ret.)-1999, Maj. Dick Albrecht (ret.)-2003 and most particularly, Regina Rider Estes (devoted daughter, who had the foresight to retain transcripts and a recorded oral history) 2002-03, without whom this brief bio would not have been possible.) - Doug Kibbey, D Trp. & HHT, 2/17th Cav. ’71.
L-R: Maj. Dick Albrecht, Cpt. Nge (XO of the Hoc Bao, later KIA), Maj. Doan (CO of the Hoc Bao, whose men were dependent on the radio relay operations LTC Rider refused to abandon), and LTC Archie Rider." (picture not shown here) -Doug Kibbey

www.vhpamuseum.org/17t...quad.shtml

As worn (one example):

Wow....

Thanks Doug...

Don

Don,
I have a whole bunch of patches from the Vietnam era but unfortunately they ain't Army. Looking at Doug's unique patches reminded me of them. Mine are all Air Force my Dad found in Okinawa. He gave them to me. Crews used to pass through Kadena on the way in and out of Vietnam. Very colorful and very different. F4, F100, F105, F101, A1E, B52, B57, and a bunch more from what I remember. A few say 100 missions SEA or something like that. They are sitting up in my parents attic. I've really considered giving them to the Wright Patterson museum.

Armor Content= None

Yes, I am an Air Force Brat, and a lot of Bob Smarts posts from Langley bring back memories. 27th, 71st and 94th TFW and the 48th FIS were there.

Joe D

Joe

That okay (being AF Brat). I'm an Army Brat, but Dad was ADA so spent alot of time in USAF community. Ramstein AFB, Stewart AFB, Loring AFB, Wiesbaden AFB,... He had to play with NORAD 'back in the day' also.

Two air medals in Vietnam (did FAO stuff).

So I guess you can say I'm not too far off...

Don

Hey,
Sometimes I wonder what if ??? Nah, I love my tanks. No regrets other than I wish I could still be tanking now.

Joe D

- Dontos

Wow....

Thanks Doug...

Don

....and that, as they say, is the highly sanitized version "editted for content" and suitable for airing in "prime time". The whole story is a lot weirder that what I hope you can imagine....

...and now, some 11th ACR variants. The first one is the "official" type, followed by three of Vietnamese tailor-production...the one at top right one of my originals, the lower two gifts from John at VHPA (but authentic). These have the often seen "enhanced stallion" (one VERY enhanced).

[img][/img][img][/img]
These aren't the glorious patches of real world combat, but rather my OPFOR infantry uniform that was the uniform of the 11th ACR up until they deployed Jan 2005. This uniform is now retired from use. I kept two of these and donated one to the 11th ACR museum, that is already on display as the last of the "true" OPFOR unifroms. I came to Irwin in August 2002 when the OPFOR star patch was worn on the shoulder only. There was soon a new OPFOR beret crest and the "Star" patch was moved to the right shoulder, if you were here during its wear, kind of like a combat patch. The red, silver and Gold stars with wreathes are called "Hamby's" named after LTC that was killed at the NTC in a jeep accident. Red is 3rd class, silver is 2nd, and gold is 1st class. Lots of people usually got these. The blue patch, is the OPFOR equivilant to an EIB. If you were an EIB holder in the "real" army, you could wear this on the OPFOR uniform. It was designed by the 2/11th CSM around 2003 time frame. The red patch is the OPFOR Mortar Certification Badge. There was a written test, Mortar exam, and a 5 mile ruck march required to earn this badge. Only 1/11 Mortar men wore it.

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This U.S.Army Air Ambulance Detachment Fort Irwin is a highly sought after patch because of its exact likeness to a certain beer that is sold in large volume. They even have this painted on the side of their HQ's. A buddy that was a crew chief in this unit gave me this before he left for Germany a few months ago.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

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These aren't the glorious patches of real world combat, but rather my OPFOR infantry uniform that was the uniform of the 11th ACR up until they deployed Jan 2005. This uniform is now retired from use. I kept two of these and donated one to the 11th ACR museum, that is already on display as the last of the "true" OPFOR unifroms. I came to Irwin in August 2002 when the OPFOR star patch was worn on the shoulder only. There was soon a new OPFOR beret crest and the "Star" patch was moved to the right shoulder, if you were here during its wear, kind of like a combat patch. The red, silver and Gold stars with wreathes are called "Hamby's" named after LTC that was killed at the NTC in a jeep accident. Red is 3rd class, silver is 2nd, and gold is 1st class. Lots of people usually got these. The blue patch, is the OPFOR equivilant to an EIB. If you were an EIB holder in the "real" army, you could wear this on the OPFOR uniform. It was designed by the 2/11th CSM around 2003 time frame. The red patch is the OPFOR Mortar Certification Badge. There was a written test, Mortar exam, and a 5 mile ruck march required to earn this badge. Only 1/11 Mortar men wore it.

Jeff, so what does the OPFOR wear now?

Neil

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The uniform I'm wearing in this picture that Doug took on his visit is being batted around as the next OPFOR uniform. Since the Army is going to the new digitized color scheme, the NTC is trying to stay with the DCU, so that visiting BLUFOR units will still be able to easily distinguish us apart from their own forces. When I got here in 2002, DCU's were in short suppy, so much so that some soldeirs were issued heavy weight tops with light weight bottoms, or very faded tops with new bottoms, etc... Joe private usually could care less, but I'm picky about my uniform and want to look professional at all times, so I bought my own uniforms. The DCU is really much cooler is the Mojave sun in the summer as well, but doesn't hide stains very well. I have already bought one set of the New ACU's and the cost is as follows, straight from my clothing sales reciept;
ACU Top- $36.95
ACU Bottom- $34.55
ACU Name tapes- $10.00 (4X$2.50)
ACU velcro E-7 rank- $3.15 (for 2)
11th ACR velcro patch-$7.50 (for 2)
U.S. Flag velcro- $2.50 (for 1)
3pr tan t-shirts- $13.50 ($4.35 per t-shirt)
subdued pin on EIB, Airborne, AirAssault- $7.50 ($2.50 ea)
TOTAL so far is $115.20 for 1 uniform and I have still to buy a hat because they dont have my size yet. I believe they are another $7.50. So you're looking to spend about $122.70 for one set!!! That doesn't even include the boots, if you weren't issued them already as I was. I've typed enough.

Here are others from 89. They are all sewn on my nomex jacket I wore during the competition.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

[img][/img]
ACU Top- $36.95
ACU Bottom- $34.55
ACU Name tapes- $10.00 (4X$2.50)
ACU velcro E-7 rank- $3.15 (for 2)
11th ACR velcro patch-$7.50 (for 2)
U.S. Flag velcro- $2.50 (for 1)
3pr tan t-shirts- $13.50 ($4.35 per t-shirt)

An afternoon spent running around post finding historical aircraft relics and generally phartin' around with another old trooper....PRICELESS!

Family crest Of the Baron of Sytzama which formed the Regiment Hussars of Sytzama of which 11th Tank battalion is part off, the other (disbanded) was 43rd Tank Battalion



Family crest of Major Leichleitner, first military commander of the Regiment. This crest is on both sides of the turret of the Leopards.


This was the emblem of 43rd tank battalion. It is originated from the Afdeling (english translation?) Currasiers nr.3

Regards,
Lesley