Should the Army do away with Patches and go to one universal Symbol like the Marines EGA?

No. Unit patches are a part of the Soldier. Instead of a new gimmick, sell what a Soldier is. Identify as a Soldier. Be that Soldier and not a recruiter.

Leave tradition alone. The unit/combat patch are distinctively Army. The Army has a long and historic tradition and they should keep it

I personally was Navy and enjoyed the seaworthy traditions of Navy as it was distinctive in it's own accord.

The Marines have their own traditions that are unique to the Corps. They have their own thing and are pros of their service.

The Army needs to be proud of their own traditions too. It is easy for me to identify a Soldier by his/her own uniform which includes the patches.

I have a little understanding of those patches as I did a two year your in the National Guard prior to joining the Navy...(long side story for another time) this was back in 1990-92. I went to Basic training and only the recruits had no patches. It looked like a stripped down uniform. Then after AIT, when I returned to my unit and sewn them on my uniform, I finally feel like I belonged.

This little patches help foster a since of unity and acceptance. Keep them!

No offense to the USMC, but they had 6 divisions in WW2, and 3 now, 2 active and 1 reserve. That’s why they don’t wear them, because they only have 3. The Army has a much bigger and richer history, there were 16 Armored Divisions and around 80 Infantry Divisions in WW2.

PS... the Air Force, having gotten rid of patches, is bringing them back !

Maybe it should - but it won't.

Some may disagree with me, but as I said in a previous thread, I think that all items except name, rank, and US Army should be removed from the OCP and only worn on the dress uniform. It's a utility uniform and having all of this extra stuff on there doesn't make sense to me. I can already hear some saying "well you'd say different if you were airborne/air assault/ ranger/SF/etc, but I don't think I would. I really hate, as a maintainer, when I get on the ground to look at a truck or something, and I lay my flag in the dirt. If you want to know my qualifications, talk to me like a normal person.
Imagine how impressed you'd be when everyone is in blues with all their bling for an event or something like that! Plenty of conversations to be had there.

Here we go again...I thought this was settled already...stop worrying about people making comparisons between the Services...you do the job you were trained to do as a Recruiter and do it well and forget about the nay sayers and you won’t have to worry about what someone says or questions about the differences between the Services. Just because one branch has something supposedly appealing more than another doesn’t make a hill of beans. If someone comes in and starts making comparisons, then you need to in a polite manner direct him/her towards the other branch OR, start selling the Army !

Once upon a time in the heritage of the British army - one joined the REGIMENT, not the Army. So loyalty to the unit was the big thing - even to the point of wildly different uniforms. The Marines have always been a CORPS - a smaller unit, to start with.

Did the regimental loyalty concept EVER exist in the USA? Does it now? Does anybody stay in the Old Guard for their whole career? I don't know - I'm a Navy guy.

Never! No disrespect intended to our Marine brothers and sisters, but this is our Army's history. Every patch tells its own unique history - 3rd ID, 1st AD, 101st, Big Red 1, etc. Learn about these and other divisions and wear their patch with pride. I know things change with time, but why the questions about changing patches, rendering hand salutes, etc.?

What patches do the Marines OR the Army wear that shows their specialty? The Army wears Division patches, 82nd Airborne, 101 Airborne, Other than they are stupid enough to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, you still dont know if they are a Rifleman or a cook. The Marines is simple, EVERY MARINE IS A RIFLEMAN! Then they have secondary dutys Mud Marines, Cooks, Airedales. The Navy and the Coast Guard are the only services that identify their ratings on their Rank patches. Bosuns, Gunnersmates, QuarterMasters, Aviation Ordnancemen, and SEALS is now a rating not just a specialty's. Aside from knowing that someone in the 82nd Airborne is stupid enough to jump out of a perfectly good Airplane, you don't know a whole lot more.
As far as I am concerned The Air Farce needs to be folded back under the Army and become the US Army Air Corps again. that way the 82nd. and the 101st. would own the planes they jump out of. That is what I used to tell my Air Force Bird Colonel Uncle. He was just a glorified Taxi Driver for the Army.

Tat's why there are Marines and there are soldiers. Not all Marines are combat oriented nor are all soldiers, airmen, sailors or coasties. I like the individual patches. It shows pride and unit cohesion. When people saw my All American patch with the Airborne strip above it they knew what I did! Just my opinion