Wearing Unauthorized Patches/Flags while deployed?

I never wore patches on my ACU's other than the one's I was authorized. Now I did wear an M-18 Claymore 'Front Toward Enemy' patch on my IBA. And I discarded the back plate as I never planned on getting shot running away.

I kept one in my pocket on my last deployment. All it said was "That Guy". One of my guys have a duhh moment he "won" the patch for the day. Kept morale up pretty good.

I never wore another nations flag, but when I was deployed to Iraq I did wear an unauthorized tab. Our platoon was nicknamed "wrecking crew" and we all had a tab made that said that. It was never worn visibly as we all wore it under our left shoulders pocket flap, but we all had it and it was a source of camaraderie and morale. I still have mine in a shoe box with the rest of my military keepsakes and when I eventually get around to making a shadow box it be a part of it.

Some thoughts on wearing of patches.
- Soldiers ought not to wear something overseas that they would not or could not wear in CONUS.
- There are many others ways of showing partnership with coalition partners other than wearing their flags or other patches on our uniform.
- The military is about standards and discipline. Individuality by doing your own thing regarding a US military uniform is not part of this.
- Military personnel need to realize that US citizens and citizens of other nations form their impressions of the US military one Soldier at a time.

This is one of the reasons Marines don't have Velcro on their uniforms. You have no easy way of affixing other patches (not that we wear any but our name strips and those are sewn on). It is easy to decline sticking some other country's flag or path.

As long as the US Flag is displayed properly and there is a valid reason for wearing another flag, I don't have an issue with this. A valid reason would be a member of a training team or other unit working with coalition partners. Sharing a patch with coalition partners could help build camaraderie and help strengthen the team. I do not think wearing a patch just because you think it looks cool or was designed by a team member is acceptable. Save that for the morale patches you wear on your hat when you get home.

My guys had different random patches but I only allowed them to be worn under their pocket, out of sight. If they wanted to show someone, that was ok. But then it was back under wraps. As for other countries and us displaying their flag on our shoulder, I believe that is a no go. We are already there in support of their mission and country, there should be no need to display their flag on our uniform.

I was over in Afghanistan until recently as a contractor; I was amazed by the plethora of unauthorized patches worn by Service members- mainly Air Force and Navy. The "Don't Tread on Me" subdued flag with a rattlesnake(NOT the Gadsden Flag), made up patches, blood type patches, etc... were out of control on Kandahar and Bagram and with them it's just a wink and a nod. Didn't see many Army and absolutely NO Marines wearing those type of patches. I get it that there were some worn for 'solidarity' with the Afghan Mil but those were authorized by someone with Courts Martial Authority- i.e. a BN CDR or higher.

Likewise, I saw other countries' militaries wearing 'Ranger' an 'Special Forces' Tabs- not mil issue but locally produced. That pretty irritating also; they probably would be pissed off if we wore some of their insignia without earning, don't you agree?

I'm sure somewhere there is a Coalition version of AR 670-1 that applies to all members of the Coalition but it seems no one is enforcing it.

It is a violation, and while working on a MiTT I wore my Iraqi unit's patch and wore the equivalent of my rank in the Iraqi Army on my "Fobbit Bra." It was wrong and I got corrected a few too many times, but it did make my job as an adviser easier and did help build esprit de corps between the MiTT and the IA units and Soldiers I worked with.

That being said, I would never wear their Flag, I'm not an Iraqi, I'm an American. I was adopted into their unit, and wearing foreign rank is practiced in some cases in order to make it easier on the other Army's Soldiers.

These answers are a little sketchy, because it's a one-answer only arrangement and there is a lot to talk about here.

I don't think there are many/any situations that would warrant wearing another countries flag ... I can't think of one, anyway, off the top of my head. In uniform, I represent the USA, in every way, and there shouldn't be any confusion about that. Even if it's a NATO or UN mission, we still participate as US soldiers. If there's a patch or uniform change that is needed, we'll be told and it will be OK'd at DOD level. No personal decision needed in those few cases.

Otherwise:

* It IS a violation of AR-670-1, yes. No argument there.
* If it is in bad taste, do you really have to ask? We can create a PR disaster for the service and the country with that one. There are other regs prohibiting disgrace and dishonor to the service that would figure in here.
* Some things CAN be helpful when building rapport with others.

Real example: auxiliary nametapes in Arabic, Kurdish, Pashtun, etc.. Totally not allowed by AR-670-1, no language other than English is allowed. Considering the situation though, is it worth breaking the reg to establish a good working relationship with a host nation, an ally or even a detainee if it gets the mission done? I think so.

Other example: wearing "special" headgear in a TOC/CP etc. Commander has "role hats" made for S-2, S-3, special staff, etc... and whichever shop member is on duty wears that hat. I think that's also against the reg, but it's in the TOC or specified spaces, and it serves a few purposes. I think that works well and doesn't confuse the issue. Those hats aren't exactly going to show up in the DFAC.

Other example: Would it make sense for a team that was assigned to train a host nation's forces to come up with their own embroidered distinctive patch, maybe one that includes both flags, text in both English and host nation language? Maybe, as long as it's only worn in conjunction with that mission.

I think the AR needs to be updated to reflect certain modern realities about the complexity of our relationships with other societies.

* No homework or googling was done for this post, it is off the cuff and intended to promote civil discussion.