Should we remove combat patches to be sensitive to those who don't have them?

Absolutely not. I'm a junior officer who hasn't deployed yet. No right shoulder patch. A lot of people under my command? Have right shoulder patches. They know what is going on, and the'yre valuble assets. They earned the right to wear that patch. Use them to your advantage. I'm sure I'll get my chance, as will those E-1s and 2s. You can't get your feelings hurt in this profession, if you do, you're in the wrong field.

Hell No

Hell no! I have 6 of them, every one earned! Those new "soldiers" will get their turn eventually to get one...providing they don't Wuss-Out because it's "dangerous" and don't want to deploy and try to get themselves kicked out.

What's that BCT malfunction?!?!

What's next, they can't take shots before deployments because it hurts...?

Hell no! I have 6 of them, every one earned! Those new "soldiers" will get their turn eventually to get one...providing they don't Wuss-Out because it's "dangerous" and don't want to deploy and try to get themselves kicked out.

I spent 30 years in the National Guard. I never went to combat but the year after I retired my unit got activated. Some did not come home from the Gulf. I had guys in my unit that had seen combat. It made me proud to serve with them. I learned from them. I would never want them to remove anything that that showed they had seen combat. I respected them.

NO! Should we do away with Rank because it makes some jealous (and / or afraid)? HELL NO!! MAN UP (that goes for MEN and WOMEN.. if you were a uniform of a Soldier, Sailor, Marine, or Airman).. Military folks have NO ROOM FOR Babies that GET HURT FEELINGS (or NEED A SAFE PLACE-----BECAUSE THERE ARE NONE IN COMBAT!!!)

ABSOLUTELY.........then we can give every team that hasn't won a Super Bowl a Lombardi trophy, then for everyone that doesn't have a million dollars, we'll give them a million, then we'll give.....give, give, give............if you want one, go EARN ONE....these patches are NOT participation trophys. If you joined the military only for the cool uniforms and to get patches, get out now!!! Go be a Girl Scout Leader! I hear they give patches for finding cool rocks!!!!!!!!! And, as an added bonus, you get cookies!!!!!!!!!!!

It really depends on the data. If it is in fact, only a "reasonably large" number of new E1s and E2s that have reported inappropriate discrimination due to the fact that they don't have them, then I say it's time to take the bully stick away from the big kids who don't deserve to wear them. BUT, if a large portion of the complaints come from leaders who might feel insecure that their subordinates have them and they don't, then I say no. Higher echelons of leadership should send a memo to leadership outlining how they can best use their combat patch wearing resources to build a better team. Given the two previous examples, I would accept whatever decision comes down the Chain, without resentment. For your reference, I have "earned" a combat patch. Whatever that means.

In the early 80s the navy brought back the old tradition of having a patch to identify the ship that you were stationed on. It was called a rocker and went on at the top of the right sleeve. Example would be: "USS Enterprise", real simple and again it was a ship and nothing more. If you left the ship and went to shore duty then off went the rocker. As a young sailor I wore it with pride. Well you can guess what happened next. Those non seagoing people (not really sailors) got all jealous and said what about me? So every command got a rocker and from there on it wasn't the same anymore.

I served three years Regular Army and 18 years National Guard. Never saw combat. Don’t have what I didn’t earn. So what? I also don’t have my grandfather’s “shell shock” (PTSD) or my other grandfather’s disability (WWI). My father was more fortunate. (WWII) My son was too. (Afghanistan and Iraq. Retired E7.) There have been times like the 1940’s when high school boys knew that after graduation they would be going off to war. Now what do we have? “Hey, why don’t we get a cool patch?” Give me a break! Is that what we’re stuck with to try and make into warriors to guard and defend our country?