Insignia Tank Tops

The army rank of captain (from the French capitaine) is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to the command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today, a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery (or United States Army cavalry troop or Commonwealth squadron). In the Chinese People's Liberation Army, a captain may also command a company, or be the second-in-command of a battalion. In NATO countries, the rank of captain is described by the code OF-2 and is one rank above an OF-1 (lieutenant or first lieutenant) and one below an OF-3 (major or commandant). The rank of captain is generally considered to be the hig...

A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old") is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces. Those veterans that have had direct exposure to acts of military conflict may also be referred to as war veterans (although not all military conflicts, or areas in which armed combat takes place, are necessarily referred to as wars).

In 1965, the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment became the first element of the regiment to deploy to South Vietnam. The battalion arrived on the USS General W. H. Gordon on 14 July 1965 as a part of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (United States) and debarked at Vung Tau. The troops were initially sent to Long Binh Post north of Saigon and there the battalion immediately began building a base camp named Camp Ranger. In the many ensuing operations, the elusive enemy had to be found before he could be destroyed and to find him the troops had to remain almost constantly in the field on search missions. “Search and Destroy” operations such as those conducted during Operations Mastiff, Bushmaster, Abilene, Birmingham, El Paso,...

Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey Located on the post were: the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC), a suborganization of Defense Information Systems Agency which coordinated joint interoperability between the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, Special Operations Forces and Combatant Commands (COCOMs);

The battalion's history can be traced back to 15 May 1846 when a company of miners, sappers, and pontoniers was formed at West Point, New York. Alpha Company, 1st Engineer Battalion is that company's direct descendant. The battalion has received 67 decorations and campaign streamers and eight foreign awards. Alpha Company served during the Mexican–American War of 1846, participating in the Veracruz campaign and charging up the heights of Chapultepec in Mexico City. During the war, three future Civil War generals, George McClellan and P.G.T. Beauregard served as lieutenants in Alpha Company, and the company worked closely with Captain Robert E. Lee, an engineer aide to General Winfield Scott.

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.

Staff sergeant (SSG) is E-6 rank in the U.S. Army, just above sergeant and below sergeant first class, and is a non-commissioned officer. Staff sergeants are generally placed in charge of squads, but can also act as platoon sergeants in the absence of a sergeant first class. In support units, staff sergeants ordinarily hold headquarters positions because of the number of slots available for them in these units. Staff sergeants are typically assigned as a squad leader or company operations non-commissioned officer in charge at the company level, but may also hold other positions depending on the type of unit.

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.

USAF - Air Force Veteran

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.

The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It has been responsible for naval forces in the Cat Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean since 1995 after a 48-year hiatus. It shares a commander and headquarters with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) in Bahrain. As of 2017, the commander of the 5th Fleet is Vice Admiral John C. Aquilino. Fifth Fleet/NAVCENT is a component command of, and reports to, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Established in 1944, the Fifth Fleet conducted extensive operations against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific during World War II. World War II ended in 1945, and the Fifth Fleet was deactivated in 1947. It remained inactive until 1995, when it was r...

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. When holding the position of first sergeant, while unco...

The 38th Infantry Division ("Cyclone") is one of the eighteen divisions of the United States Army, and one of eight National Guard divisions. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and contains Army National Guard units from Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware, Michigan and Tennessee. Formed in 1917, the division earned the special designation “Cyclone Division” after the division’s training camp at Camp Shelby, Mississippi was damaged by a springtime tornado. Deployed to France in the closing days of the Great War, the 38th Division was broken up to provide fillers for combat formations. At the end of the war, the 38th Division demobilized and after a brief period of inactivity, was reconstituted and reorganized in the Nati...

19th Engineer Battalion Southwest Asia Liberation and Defense of Kuwait Cease-Fire

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.

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.

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

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-...

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

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...

Sniper helmet insignia from the Gone With the Blastwave comic.

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.

ISS vintage logo

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 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.

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 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 (...