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

I’m a veteran of both the Marines (‘RAH) and the Army. I’m very proud of the history and lineage of both the Corps and the 101st. Honestly, for all the crap that the Army gets for their patches and “flair,” they’re things to be proud of... things that were earned. Keep the patches...especially the combat patches.

Having served 5 years Marine Corps and 4 years Army I have an experienced opinion. Patches are a part of Army culture. Soldiers are proud of our patches . It’s part of our identity, who we are, who we serve and who we served with. ( The combat patch ) The US Army is sovereign in its identity and has many traditions especially with their uniforms, some very unique, for example the Air Cav hat or red socks for artillery. Keeping these traditions I believe is an essential part of Espirit de Corps. & pride
The Marine Corps being much smaller are taught from day one in the Marines that the title United States Marine is all the identity you need. The honor of being worthy to wear the Eagle Globe and Anchor is all the identity they want on their uniform. Regardless, even the Marines wear special badges; jump wings, SCUBA Badge and now the Raiders have their own insignia.
Soldiers and Marines share a common mission and ethos and yet are most certainly two completely different cultures.
I say keep the patches and hold closely to traditions.

I’m in USAREC and I’ve never seen this ad an issue. I love being asked about the patches. And the US ARMY on my chest says enough.

Patches just tell you who you belong to and also if you have been to a combat zone they tell other people who you went with. The army is much bigger than the Marine Corps. The patches give us some identity. They also make the army unique.

The fact that this is even being proposed is a bit upsetting to me. I’ve always felt that unit/combat patches were a thing of great pride, worn with dignity and commanded a level of respect. The day I earned my combat patch with the 1st Cavalry Division was one of my proudest moments in the army. Live The Legend!

I wear my baseball cap with the unit imprint and with my jump wings on the top left side of the Cap an d a pathfinder badge on the top right side, and of course I have the halo wings on the bottom left of the cap. I make trips to MacDill AFB, home of United States Central Command and United States Special Operations Command. Last month I was shopping a gentleman about my age asked when I finish Halo tng I told the gentleman and he replied I piloted a C130 pilot out old Pope Field and dropped you guys all over Ft Bragg. Then he told me he also piloted a few HALO jumps. And what month and year I completed Halo I replyed with the date seems he piloted a few jumps I was on. Shook hands and we both said small world after all Airborne.

NO!!!
The patch identifies where you are from and makes it easier for other soldiers to tell what your job is.

If I see a soldier with the All American patch, I have a pretty good idea who they are and what skills they have. With no patch, I'll have to ask who they are and where they are from. Civilians DO ask Marines what they do, you just never hear it.

By the way, what with this ridiculous trend toward copying the Marines?

If I had wanted to look like a Marine, I would have joined the Marines, not the Army.

Soldiers take pride in the fact that they are Army and the unit(s) they served in. There is a ton of history in the unit patches. If we wanted to be like the Marines we would just lower the entrance standards. No one wants that. The fact that we are discussing this based on recruiting marketing data is ridiculous. Recruiters are a necessary evil but they are the used car salesmen of the Army. Obviously not all recruiters are that bad but there are a lot more concerned about “performance ratings” “Quotas” than history and probably most soldiers feel like their recruiters screwed them one way or the other. If someone asks what a patch is then simply tell them. Don’t suggest getting rid of unit patches due to laziness. Explaine the history of each patch they ask about. Explaine the history of the Army. Would you suggest getting rid of awards too because people don’t know what they all are? Simple answer...no.

Being a former Marine, I would say no. The U.S. Army also has proud traditions. Each patch beginning from the 81st Wildcat division to the 101st has their own proud history and traditions. What the Army needs to do is promote those history and traditions. Instill them in each new generation of young Soldiers and remind them that the patch they wear is a legacy of all those who came before them. The Marine Corps is just one corps so they can get away with having one emblem. The U.S. Army has many corps and divisions each with their own patch representing their heritage and history. We just need to do a better job honoring that history within our respective units.

The history inherent in patch can have the power to build pride and unit cohesion. It’s a unifying symbol IMO