KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A Soldier with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, receives his combat patch March 11, 2018, during a patching ceremony in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The 2nd IBCT, 4th Inf. Div. deployed to Afghanistan late February to be part of Train, Advise, and Assist Command-South. (Photo by Cpl. Fletcher King)
By Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The U.S. Army patching ceremony is a tradition, which began in 1918 with the 81st Infantry Division and continues to be conducted by units throughout the Army to recognize Soldiers who served in a hostile environment or area of operations as declared by the secretary of the Army.
During the ceremony, senior leaders within the unit place the shoulder sleeve insignia for former wartime service, most commonly known as the combat patch, on the right shoulders of their Soldiers.
According to the Army’s Wear and Appearance of the Army Uniforms and Insignia regulation, Soldiers wear the shoulder sleeve insignia on the left shoulder for the organization they are currently assigned to and wear the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service (SSI-FWTS) on their right shoulder for the organization they served during combat operations.
“(The combat patch) is a demonstration that a Soldier has performed their wartime duties in harm’s way,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Anton Hillig, senior enlisted adviser, Train, Advise and Assist Command-South (TAAC-South) and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “It means a lot, specifically, to our younger Soldiers, it’s like a badge of honor for them.”
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Command Sgt. Maj. Kerstin Montoya, senior enlisted adviser, 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, holds a 4th Inf. Div. patch during a patching ceremony in Kandahar, Afghanistan, March 11, 2018. (Photo by Cpl. Fletcher King)
The 2nd IBCT held patching ceremonies throughout the month of March for Soldiers who recently deployed to Afghanistan.
Hillig earned his first combat patch in 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq, with the 3rd Infantry Division.
“It was a special moment for me then, and it’s a special moment for me now, seeing my Soldiers earn their patch,” he said.
It is important, especially as senior leaders, to continue the tradition of the patching ceremony for the younger generation of Soldiers, said Hillig.
“It’s an honor to serve in the same unit that has been around since World War I and II,” said Spc. James Buckingham, a Soldier with 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd IBCT. “I am proud to wear the 4th Inf. Div. patch on my left and right shoulder.”
While most leaders focus on younger Soldiers, senior leaders take pride in being part of the ceremony as well.
“I am extremely honored to command these (Soldiers) and to be part of a unit with such a storied history,” said Lt. Col. Mike Wroblewski, battalion commander, 704th BSB, 2nd IBCT.
As Hillig visits Soldiers in Kandahar, what stands out the most to him was seeing how proudly the Soldiers of the “War Horse” brigade wear their patches on both shoulders.
“It was a very humbling experience for me to watch entire battalions don their 4th Inf. Div. patch,” said Hillig. “But to see all the Soldiers, even those who have deployed previously, wear the division’s patch is truly amazing and a testament of how much we love this division and what it stands for.”
The 2nd IBCT will be working alongside Soldiers with the 40th Infantry Division, California National Guard, as the TAAC-South during the nine-month deployment.
The command’s mission is to train and assist Afghan security forces and support counterterrorism operations.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A Soldier with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, receives his combat patch March 14, 2018, during a patching ceremony in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Photo by Maj. Richard Barker)