Posted on Apr 30, 2018
Are Army soldiers allowed to wear USMC combat patches?
140K
79
42
7
7
0
If you deployed to a combat zone as a marine but then later switched to the army, are you able to wear your marine division patch as a combat patch or do you have to be attached to them during your time in the army to wear it?
Posted in these groups: 
Combat Patch (SSI-FWTS)
Combat Patch (SSI-FWTS)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 23
13
13
0
The short answer is NO, for you to wear a MARINE patch you had to be in the Army during the authorized period with a memo stating that in your records. In addition coming from the Marine Corp to the Army with a CAR COMBAT ACTION RIBBON does not mean you can wear a CIB as some dillwad started that rumor years ago. I know this will also cause heart burn for the BRO Soldiers but the color version of the Big Red One is UNAUTHORIZED and has been addressed by the Uniform board years ago yet it still is being done. Below is the ALARACT message that came out about this many years ago.
SUBJECT: ALARACT 140/2007
TEXT:
UNCLASSIFIED//
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT BY THE PENTAGON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER ON BEHALF OF: DA WASHINGTON DC//DAPE-HRI//
SUBJECT: AR 670-1, 3 FEB 05, WEAR AND APPEARANCE OF ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA
1. THIS MESSAGE SERVES AS IMPLEMENTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE WEAR POLICY OUTLINED IN AR 670-1 AND MESSAGES OUTLINING THE WEAR POLICY FOR THE ARMY COMBAT UNIFORM (ACU).
8. NON-SUBDUED SSI (S) ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO BE WORN ON UTILITY UNIFORMS AS A SSI OR SSI-FWTS. LEADERS WILL ENSURE SOLDIERS COMPLY IMMEDIATELY. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO POLICY CURRENTLY APPROVED AUTHORIZING WEAR OF ANY NON-SUBDUED SSI ON UTILITY UNIFORMS.
24. POC FOR UNIFORM POLICY IS SGM K. EASLEY, DSN 225-5287; COMM. [login to see] . E-MAIL IS [login to see] .MIL.
25. THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE DCS, G-1.
26. THIS AUTHORITY IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
27. EXPIRATION. THIS MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE UPON NEXT PUBLICATION OF AR 670-1.
AR670-1 (KEY WORD SOLDIERS) not MARINES
(14) Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF): between 19 March 2003 to 31 August 2010, for Soldiers assigned to units
participating in OIF. Soldiers must have been deployed in the CENTCOM area of operations, or participated in OIF
while deployed in Turkey, Israel, or on Aegis cruisers. Soldiers who served with the 1st Marine Division between 19
March 2003 and 21 April 2003 during combat operations in support of OIF are authorized to wear the 1st Marine
Division SSI as their SSI–FWTS. Soldiers who were deployed in the area of operations on training exercises or in
support of operations other than OIF not authorized the SSI-FWTS, unless those exercises or operations became
combat or support missions to OIF.
SUBJECT: ALARACT 140/2007
TEXT:
UNCLASSIFIED//
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT BY THE PENTAGON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER ON BEHALF OF: DA WASHINGTON DC//DAPE-HRI//
SUBJECT: AR 670-1, 3 FEB 05, WEAR AND APPEARANCE OF ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA
1. THIS MESSAGE SERVES AS IMPLEMENTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE WEAR POLICY OUTLINED IN AR 670-1 AND MESSAGES OUTLINING THE WEAR POLICY FOR THE ARMY COMBAT UNIFORM (ACU).
8. NON-SUBDUED SSI (S) ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO BE WORN ON UTILITY UNIFORMS AS A SSI OR SSI-FWTS. LEADERS WILL ENSURE SOLDIERS COMPLY IMMEDIATELY. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO POLICY CURRENTLY APPROVED AUTHORIZING WEAR OF ANY NON-SUBDUED SSI ON UTILITY UNIFORMS.
24. POC FOR UNIFORM POLICY IS SGM K. EASLEY, DSN 225-5287; COMM. [login to see] . E-MAIL IS [login to see] .MIL.
25. THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE DCS, G-1.
26. THIS AUTHORITY IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
27. EXPIRATION. THIS MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE UPON NEXT PUBLICATION OF AR 670-1.
AR670-1 (KEY WORD SOLDIERS) not MARINES
(14) Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF): between 19 March 2003 to 31 August 2010, for Soldiers assigned to units
participating in OIF. Soldiers must have been deployed in the CENTCOM area of operations, or participated in OIF
while deployed in Turkey, Israel, or on Aegis cruisers. Soldiers who served with the 1st Marine Division between 19
March 2003 and 21 April 2003 during combat operations in support of OIF are authorized to wear the 1st Marine
Division SSI as their SSI–FWTS. Soldiers who were deployed in the area of operations on training exercises or in
support of operations other than OIF not authorized the SSI-FWTS, unless those exercises or operations became
combat or support missions to OIF.
(13)
(0)
SSG Jeff Furgerson
That is a damn good answer 1SG Dennis Hicks, I served in both the USMC and the Army and during my time in the Corps I don't ever remember Marines wearing patches on the uniform, badges yes like Recon wearing Scuba and USMC jump wings, maybe things changed in the USMC I got out in 84, so I'm not up on the USMC regs, but I always wondered if former Marines serving in the Army could wear a patch, I did see one former Marine doing it but didn't say anything, because unlike what you have done here, I didn't have any way at the time of backing up anything I would have said. GySgt Thomas Vick do Marines wear unit combat patches in the Corps these days?
(0)
(0)
CPT (Join to see)
I've been around a lot of marines i don't remember seeing any of them wearing patches besides the Aviation units
(1)
(0)
MAJ Ronnie Reams
I always thought that the 1st Inf Div rejected the black one. I forget the CG's name, but it was all over the Stars and Stripes when he and Westy publically fought over it. He was a people's General. He stated that they were the Bloody Red One and never be a Black One. He had US Grade A whore houses, with frequent medical exams at Lai Khe, Phouc Binh and Michelin Rubber Plantation. I hate it that I cannot remember his name, he was WRAMC when I was in the 6th US Cavalry at Meade. A nurse friend of mine from 24th Evac was on his floor and got me a script for issue sunglasses, which for a Spec 4 were hard to come by. Anyhow, they wear the Bloody Red One in his honor. Had an S-3 that would be told to take his off and he said only if you can take it off. No one ever did and had it on til retirement as a LTC. Kinda like Olds and his mustache. LOL Somethings you let slide.
(0)
(0)
8
8
0
Yes! We Currahees 03-04 are authorized to wear the patch. A few of us also have Navy Commendation awards.
(8)
(0)
CPL(P) (Join to see)
SGT Frank is correct. I was a MP directly attacked to the 1st Mar Div for major combat in OIF I. My SSI - FWTS or now what is a CSIB was that of the 1st Marine Division. My unit also received the Navy Presidential Unit Citation for "extraordinary heroism" in combat.
(1)
(0)
7
7
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google