What is the right combat patch to wear if you deploy with the National Guard and are attached to an active unit?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 11:57:35 -0500

I was sent over with my National Guard Infantry Battalion and was attached to the 4th Infantry Division. I need to find out what SSI I should wear. Is it the SSI of my National Guard Infantry Brigade or the SSI of the 4th Infantry Division?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2015 12:50 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 12:50:20 -0500

I believe it's the SSI of unit you were attached to.

See AR 670-1 (http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r670_1.pdf), para 21-17:

Individual Soldiers who are attached (to include OPCON, cross-leveled, assigned, or augmenting deployed units) will wear the same SSI-FWTS worn by members of the deployed Army unit (company or higher) to which attached by written orders. A Soldier who is further attached (to one or more units) during one deployment will only wear the SSI-FWTS for the first Army unit (company or higher) to which attached by written orders. Soldiers who deploy with their unit (company level or higher) will wear the SSI-FWTS as outlined in paragraph 21–17a(7)(a), regardless how many times they are further attached to other units as individuals or teams.

Response by SGM Billy Herrington made Mar 1 at 2015 6:39 PM

SGM Billy Herrington — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 18:39:43 -0500

To add in, I think it also depends on when you were there. The only reason that would matter is when determining which version of 670-1 you were under. If I remeber correctly, it changed 2006ish and that's when the inclusion of a deployed unit company or higher.

I might be wrong but I swear I remeber something being changed to specifically address earning multiple combat patches.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 26 at 2015 4:54 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:54:12 -0400

This is one of those things I see way too much in the Guard. I was Regular Army and deployed as a company. We were even broke down further into platoons and set out. I did spend most of my time with the 101st. But I only wear the unit patch that I wore on my left arm. I have a 101 patch that I can wear and I even have the Memo from the 101 letting me wear it. But I don't. I also have another patch. It was from the unit I deployed with. I don't like wearing a patch from a unit that you were attached too. So many times I would ask someone about their previous unit and they were never there and had little to do anything with them. They just want to look cool wearing a cool patch like the 82nd and the 101.

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Dec 18 at 2015 5:54 PM

CW3 Kevin Storm — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 17:54:41 -0500

You were in a unit that was larger than a company, that had its own organizational patch, was it a state command patch yes you would wear the Active patch, if was a Brigade patch non State Command patch then I would say the NG Brigade patch. Ref AR 670-1 Para 21-17

Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made Jun 6 at 2023 10:52 AM

MAJ Ronnie Reams — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 10:52:27 -0400

Is this really a problem? In RVN, in combat, we just grabbed from the clean fatigues pile that came in, that reasonably fit. Some would have US Army tapes, but often just written with a marker. Never worried about a patch, we knew who we were with. LOL