Are the days of combat patches over?

Combat patches only started in WWl. The Marines that served with the Army got permission to wear, when war was over and everything calmed down. Commandant of USMC took it away from them, didn't get it back till WWll. When it was over, it was taken off. The USArmy never stopped, probably never will.

Prior to the GWOT, there was a combat deployment each decade.
- Spanish American War/PI Insurrection 1898-1902ish
- punitive expedition 1915
- WWI 1916-1918, later if you count the IN BN in the Far East by Vladivostok.
- 1920s small wars inSouth America
- exception 1930s, technically 1939 Navy was in combat in the Atlantic
- WWII 1941-1945
- Korea 1950-53
- Vietnam 1959-1973
- Dominican Republic 1965
- Mayaguez Incident 1975
- Grenada 1983
- panama 1989
- ODS 1991
- initial intervention in Bosnia 1990s
- somalia 1993
- GWOT from 2001 forward

I was commissioned in the Army in 1994. About 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 had a SSI FWTS. We thought we’d “missed everything”. The wall fell, USSR imploded, Saddam was done for ten years...Then in 2003 it all came up on the wheel and I deployed three times. You’ll go cycles like this. Guys coming in post 1973, 1946, 1919 and 1954probably had similar thoughts.

First off, that is a beautiful theater made patch. Secondly, I think as the personnel age, so too will those with combat patches. You'll start to see higher ranking NCOs/Officers with them, and the brigades who deploy to fight ISIS slowly percolate through as they change duty stations.

It's funny you mention this, because as I look at my units page, and other pages (USAWTFM, Army's official facebook, etc) you're starting to really see a lot of slick-sleeves in most pictures. This also represents the Army losing leadership and knowledge all at the same time. Lessons learned will be forgotten until the next time shit kicks up because its what the Army does. You also can't teach deploying and the environment you'll be in. Once boots get on the ground again, then you'll see that knowledge coming back for whatever X conflict will be.

I had enough to cover a wall but all of them and 1.50 will get you a coke when your done.

I know I don't use Velcro around the farm. It's a mother to keep hay and other detritus out of it.

Often it depends upon the individual if he or she chooses to wear one, unless local command says not to. And also depending upon the nature of a few operations while Soldiers may be authorized Hazardous Duty/Immenent Danger Pay while in an overseas location, DA may not authorize a war time unit patch. With the draw down of troops in a few locations world wide, it is likely also that there are fewer troops being awarded "combat patches".

I don't see why it's an issue either way.

I hope so

I think with the advent of the term " MOOTW" - military operations other than war - the definition of combat along with war shifted into the gray. Personally if some one is shooting at you or me - that's combat - do you or I need to get a patch - that depends. I think combat patches are more for large scale, long campaign type engagements.

Not asking as there are combat deployments.