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5th SFG Flash - Vietnam - Combat Vet

The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The corps was founded as the U.S. Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) during World War I. Its name was changed to the Chemical Corps in 1946. For most of its history, the Chemical Corps was tasked with delivering chemical weapons rather than defending against them.

It was among the first groups of the Special Forces to be officially formed. The group is responsible for operations in the Pacific. Currently, the First Battalion is stationed at Okinawa while the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Battalions are stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington with a 4th Battalion standing up in the summer of 2009. 1st Special Forces Group holds the distinction of having the first (Captain Harry Cramer killed 21 October 1957), and last (SGT Fred Mick killed 12 October 1972) Special Forces men killed in Vietnam. Captain Cramer's name was left off the Vietnam Memorial when it was opened in 1982 due to the secretive nature of his mission and that the extent of America's involvement in Southeast Asia was not known...

The 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) – abbreviated 3rd SFG(A) and often simply called 3rd Group – is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) group which was active in the Vietnam Era (1963–69), inactivated, and then reactivated in 1990. The 3rd SFG(A) was primarily responsible for operations within the AFRICOM area of responsibility, as part of the Special Operations Command, Africa (SOCAFRICA). Its primary area of operations (AO) is now Africa as part of a 2015 SOCOM directive[1] but 3rd Group has also been involved in the Caribbean and the Greater Middle East. The 3rd SFG(A) has seen extensive action in the War on Terror and its members have distinguished themselves on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

The 19th Infantry Regiment ("Rock of Chickamauga") is a United States Army infantry regiment which is assigned to the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, with the assignment of conducting Basic and Advanced Infantry Training. Took part in quelling the 1921 miners' rebellion at the Battle of Blair Mountain in Logan, WV. This was the largest labor battle in US history and took three infantry regiments to halt. The 19th Infantry took the lead role, traveling up the Spruce Fork River to Blair, WV, and dispersing the miners. Once the 19th arrived, the miners, many of whom were veterans fresh from WWI, surrendered peaceably and departed for their homes.. Deployed forward from Hawaii on 1943-07-30. Regiment arrived in Australia on 1943-...

On 18 October 1974, the Office of Personnel promulgated the Coast Guard Cutterman Insignia program, to “recognize the contributions and qualifications of our personnel. The version awarded to officers is gold-toned, while the version awarded to enlisted members is pewter-toned.

The 8th Special Forces Group of the United States Army was established in 1963 at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone. The primary mission of the 8th Special Forces Group (Airborne) [(SFG(A)] was counter-insurgency training for the armies of Latin America. Some training was performed under the sponsorship of the School of the Americas, also located at Fort Gulick. In May 1962, the advance party from Company D, 7th SFG(A) departed from Ft. Bragg, NC to Fort Gulick, Panama, at that time in the Panama Canal Zone, to establish the 8th SFG(A). Three months later, in August 1962, Major Melvin J. Sowards, Commander of Company D, 7th SFG(A) moved the main body of the company to the Canal Zone. They would be followed by augmentation detachment...

In the United States, military chaplains have an officer's rank based on their years of service and promotion selection from among their peers. Chaplains serving in the US Armed Forces wear the uniform of their respective branch of service, and normally wear clerical attire only during the performance of a religious service. The position of rank and chaplain faith group insignia varies in each military department and may vary significantly from one type of uniform to another within a military department. The US Army, Air Force, and Navy (as a component of the Department of the Navy the Marine Corps is supplied by USN chaplains). The Civil Air Patrol, the volunteer Auxiliary of the USAF, also has chaplains, who must meet the same sta...

Leyland classic commercial vehicle "plughole" logo based on my photo of an actual badge

As of 2012, the 75th Ranger Regiment is conducting sustained combat operations in multiple countries, deploying from multiple locations in the United States—an unprecedented task for the regiment. Rangers continue conducting combat operations with almost every deployed special operation force, conventional and coalition force in support of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 1st Signal Brigade ("First to Communicate" is a military communications brigade of the United States Army subordinate to the Eighth United States Army and located at Yongsan Garrison in South Korea.

Technical Sergeant, commonly shortened to "Tech Sergeant" in a somewhat informal parlance, is the sixth enlisted rank (pay grade E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above staff sergeant and below master sergeant. A technical sergeant is a noncommissioned officer and abbreviated as TSgt (with no period in official USAF and other military correspondence). Official terms of address are "Technical Sergeant" or "Sergeant", although many use "Tech Sergeant" in informal situations

ISS vintage logo

Technical Sergeant, commonly shortened to "Tech Sergeant" in a somewhat informal parlance, is the sixth enlisted rank (pay grade E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above staff sergeant and below master sergeant. A technical sergeant is a noncommissioned officer and abbreviated as TSgt (with no period in official USAF and other military correspondence). Official terms of address are "Technical Sergeant" or "Sergeant", although many use "Tech Sergeant" in informal situations

The 3rd Engineer Battalion is a unit of the United States Army that deploys to designated contingency areas and conducts combat and/or stability operations in support of a brigade combat team. It is a divisional mechanized combat engineer unit, composed of two combat engineer companies, one signal, one military intelligence, and a headquarters company. Its mission is to provide assured mobility, counter-mobility, general engineering, survivability support, military intelligence, and connectivity support to deploy anywhere at any time. The unit’s history spans 1901 to present day.

Sniper helmet insignia from the Gone With the Blastwave comic.

The 182nd Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest regiments in the United States Army. The regiment traces its history more than 230 years, when it was a colonial regiment of foot of the British Crown in Massachusetts. It later served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, with Union forces in the American Civil War, and as a federalized Massachusetts National Guard regiment with the U.S. Army during World War I and World War II. For many years the regiment was a mechanized unit, and in 2006 the regiment was converted into the 182nd Cavalry Regiment, headquartered at Melrose Armory in Melrose, Massachusetts. Converted back into infantry in 2010, the only active element of the regiment is the 1st Battalion, 182...

The eighth enlisted grade, ranking above sergeant first class and below sergeant major, command sergeant major, Sergeant Major of the Army and equal in grade but not authority to a first sergeant. It is abbreviated as MSG and indicated by three chevrons above three inverted arcs, commonly referred to as "rockers". A master sergeant is typically assigned as a brigade-level section noncommissioned officer in charge and serves as the subject matter expert in his or her field, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit. The equivalent-grade first sergeant is the senior noncommissioned officer of a company, battery, or troop. When holding the position of first sergeant, while uncommon, the master sergeant is re...

The 18th Infantry Regiment ("Vanguards") is an Army Infantry regiment. The 18th Infantry Regiment currently exists with one active battalion under the U.S. Army Regimental System and has no regimental headquarters. 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment's home duty station is located at Fort Riley, Kansas with the 2d "Dagger" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. It is a combined arms battalion. 2d Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment was stationed in Baumholder, Germany as part of the 170th infantry Brigade Combat Team (Separate) and inactivated with the brigade in 2012. 3d Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment was stationed in Lawrence, Massachusetts as part of the 187th Infantry Brigade, 94th Army Reserve Command (...

The regiment was reorganized in August 1963 as the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 5th Cavalry Regiment and later as the 3rd Squadron, 5th Armored Cavalry. The units arrived at Fort Benning in 1965, and then proceeded to the Republic of Vietnam as air and armored cavalry. In Vietnam 5th Cavalry units participated in twelve campaigns. In May 1971, the units moved to Fort Hood, where they were reorganized as mechanized infantry.

Specialist 2nd Class / Specialist 5 rank insignia (U.S. Army) SP2 - (1955–1959) Spec/5 - (1959–1985) In 1958 the DoD added two additional pay grades to give enlisted soldiers more opportunities to progress to a full career with additional opportunities for promotion. Thus the recognition was changed to six specialist ranks, and the pay grade was tied into the rank designation: specialist four (E-4), specialist five (E-5), specialist six (E-6), specialist seven (E-7), specialist eight (E-8), and specialist nine (E-9)

A Second Lieutenant is an officer in the United States Army. Officers holding this rank serve either as the commanders of a platoon-sized element (15-50 soldiers) or as staff officers. All second lieutenants hold both types of positions during their time holding this rank. The former job of commanding a platoon, known formally as being a platoon leader, is the more prestigious position of the two and the one required for officers to move on to the next rank.

The Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG Corps) is the branch or specialty of a military concerned with military justice and military law. Officers serving in a JAG Corps are typically called judge advocates. Only the chief attorney within each branch is referred to as the Judge Advocate General; however, individual JAG Corps officers are colloquially known as JAGs. Branch Insignia

In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Public Law 90-130 was signed into law; it removed legal ceilings on women's promotions that had kept them out of the general and flag ranks, and dropped the two percent ceiling on officer and enlisted strengths for women in the armed forces.Women’s Army Corps soldiers served in the Vietnam War; at their peak in 1970, WAC presence in Vietnam consisted of some 20 officers and 130 enlisted women

The Royal Australian Air Force Ensign is used by the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Air Force Cadets in Australia and overseas. The roundel is a red leaping kangaroo on white within a dark blue ring.

Sergeant First Class (SFC) is the seventh enlisted rank (E-7) in the U.S. Army, ranking above staff sergeant (E-6) and below master sergeant and first sergeant (E-8), and is the first non-commissioned officer rank designated as a senior non-commissioned officer (SNCO). A sergeant first class is typically assigned as a platoon sergeant at the company level or battalion operations non-commissioned officer in charge at the battalion level, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit. In a combat arms role, a sergeant first class is typically in charge of from 18 soldiers and four tanks in an armor platoon to 40 soldiers in a rifle platoon. A sergeant first class' primary responsibilities are tactical logistics, t...

The 8th Infantry Regiment of the United States, also known as the "Fighting Eagles," is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. The 8th Infantry participated in the Mexican War, American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam War and Iraq Campaign.

A First Lieutenant is an officer in the United States Army. As with second lieutenants, officers holding this rank serve either as the leaders of a platoon-sized element (15-50 soldiers) or as staff officers. All first lieutenants hold either one of these types of positions during their time in this rank. The position of commanding a platoon, known formally as being a platoon leader, is the only job required of a lieutenant to be promoted to the next rank.

The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.

Vintage USAF 357FS Patch

Vietnam War The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. The war was a war to stop the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia.

Master Sergeant (MSG) is the eighth enlisted grade (E-8), ranking above sergeant first class and below sergeant major, command sergeant major, Sergeant Major of the Army and equal in grade but not authority to a first sergeant. It is abbreviated as MSG and indicated by three chevrons above three inverted arcs, commonly referred to as "rockers". A master sergeant is typically assigned as a brigade-level section noncommissioned officer in charge and serves as the subject matter expert in his or her field, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit. The equivalent-grade first sergeant is the senior noncommissioned officer of a company, battery, or troop.

The 3rd Chemical Brigade was first constituted on 1 January 1942 as the 3rd Chemical Battalion.[2] It was activated at Fort Benning, Georgia. The unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 3rd Chemical Mortar Battalion on 11 March 1945. It was inactivated on 2 January 1946 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia. The unit reactivated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on 18 September 1950, but again inactivated there on 5 February 1953. On 20 September 1989, the unit was disbanded. The unit reconstituted on 1 October 1999 in the Regular Army and was redesignated as 3rd Chemical Brigade. Command of the unit was transferred to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, and activated at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II. The ship was commissioned in 2001 and is currently in service.

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, it is directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The PAARNG maintains 124 armories and is present in 87 communities across the Commonwealth.