How can someone prove that they can wear a combat patch for deploying to Kuwait under OIR and OFS?

Regulations inside of 670-1 will define what areas and time frames are authorized for ssi-fwts (combat patch). There is also no minimum time in a combat zone that qualifies wear of a ssi- fwts .

Also your NCO support channel should be able to answer these questions for you .

Some of these comments show that some of you old heads need to retire. I just know you’re trash leaders.

Thank you for the clarification SPC Livingston. I'm sorry I was totally confused. (I came from the Vietnam War Era).

Just curious. Fifty five years ago, I did one day on shore for security duty at the Cua Viet firebase at the DMZ,which was constantly under threat of assault by sappers. Our unit did artillery support, but also was necessary to iinteract on shore. We had no specific orders for that, as our general orders were vague, pertaining to a destroyer in a combat zone. Although we killed many, many people, how does Boots on the Ground here relate to this same thinking?

"Deserve" is relative. People are "earning" their patch in Jordan and Saudi right now.

If authorized, your unit would issue the orders for SSI-FWTS. Pretty much settles it.

If authorized, your unit would issue the orders for SSI-FWTS.

Real easy to figure out. Go to AR-670-1 (Jan. 2021) to get your answers, not from any of us on the internet. This is taken straight from AR-670-1:

Operation Inherent Resolve: between 15 June 2014 and a date to be determined, for Soldiers deployed to Iraq, Jordan, or Syria in support of OIR, who received combat zone tax exclusion and hostile fire/IDP as identified by USCENTCOM Command Center–Joint Staff for Personnel and Administration. Soldiers who were deployed in the area of operations on training exercises or in support of operations other than OIR are not authorized the SSI–MOHC, unless those exercises or operations became combat or support missions to OIR.

Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS): between 1 January 2015 and a date to be determined, for Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Djibouti in support of OFS who received combat zone tax exclusion and hostile fire/IDP as identified by USCENTCOM or AFRICOM Command Center–Joint Staff for Personnel and Administration. Soldiers who were deployed in the area of operations on training exercises or in support of operations other than OFS are not authorized the SSI–MOHC, unless those exercises or operations became combat or support missions to OFS.

There should be a memo from your battalion S-1 shop of which patch(es) are authorized for wear.

My first few months in Nam were with the 101st Airborne. They went home and I was transferred to the 1st Air Cavalry. Do I get a choice of which to wear or was I supposed to wear my latest outfits? I didn’t even wear one when I returned to Fort Hood.

You will get officially notified if you are authorized to wear it. There would've been a ceremony and all.

Did you get shot at. at all?