Can you wear your Marine unit patch as an Army combat patch if you deployed with the Marines? Policy appears to say no.

Wtf is a "unit patch"?

No! You cannot! Combat patches are for Army combat deployments only. Yes you’re a combat veteran, yes you are authorized to wear your combat ribbon, but combat patch is for Army combat deployments only! If you have switched branches, thank you for your service but respect Army procedure and policy. The only way you earn the right to wear an Army combat patch is to deploy with an Army combat unit in a combat environment!

I can tell you this. Marines don't like army soldiers wearing marine corp patches. If you have never been in the corp you wouldn't understand. You never went thought Marine Boot camp. That disqualifies you from the patch. I know a Marine General gave the army permission.. I spent 4yrs in the Marine corp and 3 years in the Army in Ammo companies. The difference was like night and day. I know the army likes guys that were in the Marine corp. They are better trained, better disciplined. I got out of the Marine corp as a cpl. I wanted to take basic training but the army wouldn't let me. If you went from the Army to the Marine corp you would have to go to boot Camp first. If you like wearing marine corp patches you should have joined the Marines in the first place. Then you would wear the EGA insignia, not a cloth patch. Semper Fi.

Thank you so very much for asking this question. Now i get to tell my most awesome stories from Iraq.

My unit was first stationed at FOB Kalsu, near Iskandiryah south of Baghdad at the bottom of the Sunni triangle. It was Alpha Company, Scouts, and the mortar teams.

In May the FOB was hit hard, we lost a soldier, and my BN commander pulled most of us back to CSC Scania, however the Marines had come in to relive us, and 8 members of our mortar platoon were requested to stay behind to support the Marines.

At the end of our tour, those 8 guys were submitted to HRC for an exception to policy to wear the 1st marine division patch as their FWTS Patch, and it was approved, for about a year the soldiers were mentioned BY NAME in AR 670-1.

So yes it is 100% possible to do, the Marine Corps just has to request an exception to policy.

You can’t wear it on your Marine uniform, why should you be able to wear it on your Army uniform? Listen LT, you’re worried looking like a boot, while you’re acting like one.

Army LTs are a dime a dozen - my advice wait until you’re worth “two bits” before you worry about not looking like a boot.

Why yes you earned the patch as a Marine! No it doesn't translate to Army service. As a former Marine who retired from the Army you can't and shouldn't live in the past while serving in another branch. Set the example, You know your hardcore, showing a uniform patch doesn't mean more or less of the solider your are. Accept the fact your a combat vet that move on to another branch.

When I enlisted in the Army after my Marine enlistment, I wore my 1st Marine Division patch and Marine ribbons on my Army uniforms, and nobody called me on it. I was actually complimented a couple of times by officers for wearing them.

In my 30+ years of service in the ARMY, we had many former Marines join our ranks, those that had served in the Marines in Vietnam were allowed to wear their Marine division (1st and 3rd were the more numerous )patch on their right shoulder to show combat service There were no issues with this from any level of command that I am aware of. When serving as the 1SG in a couple of units I saw many of our former Marines who joined our organizations be allowed to wear their "combat" patch from Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. Who in their right mind would disagree with this ?? Yes the Marines typically do not wear a unit patch but then they have left the Marine Corps and joined the Army which does wear unit patches

Chief: "Do they have a distinctive patch? Yes." Actually, No. The logic is that there is no official patch to be worn on Marine uniforms, therefore doing so on an Army uniform is inconsistent with the parent (to the patch) service policy.

BTW -- I have known former Marines to do so, and have no problem with it. We are talking about regulation.

Since the USMC has no Official unit patches that can be worn on a uniform, the Army rightfully doesn't recognize them.