Military Patches

Military "patches", or shoulder sleeve insignia, as they are properly called, have been used by many soldiers throughout the years. Many patches have existed from the early 1900s on. The shoulder sleeve insignia have long been historical pieces of history, as well as tangible pieces of one's family member's past.

Military shoulder sleeve insignia serve for many different reasons. Many of the patches that are created are done so to show the rank of an individual. This ideology is even used today. Other patches have been created to show which branch of the military that an individual is in. Many patches were prevalent during World Wars I and II. However, many of the military's have waned from using patches. The only branch of the military that truly utilized patches was the Army. Other branches of the military, such as the Marine Corps did use the designated patches, but soon ceased their usage after the second World War. The Navy was never truly partial to the military patches, and therefore did not truly use them, as they had their own forms and practices in regards to military shoulder sleeve insignia. On rare occasion, several Naval personnel wore shoulder sleeve insignia as a fashion statement.

Although patches have all but ceased, they are still used in several military uniforms, such as the Airborne squadrons. Historians and military enthusiasts all appreciate shoulder sleeve insignias. Many soldiers have kept the patches over the years, and have passed down from one generation to another in their families. The patches have indeed become irreplaceable pieces of family heirlooms. Each patch tells a story of battles lost and won. Above all, they tell the story of a brave soldier that fought for what they believe in, and that, by far, is the bravest battle ever.

Vintage Guitars Vintage Portal Dream Glossary
VintagePortal.com is designed and optimized to be viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution in IE 6 and Netscape 6.
©VintagePortal.com 2005-2006. All material on this site is owned by VintagePortal.com unless otherwise credited.