There are formally recognized ones, and informal ones. I was told by a retired LTC in 1979 that in Vietnam McNamara forbade the use of infantry
for static defense, and the peculiar hybrid nature of that war gave the enemy lots of fixed targets and the people in them had to provide their own security.

This is where your dad did jungle survival. Jungle Operations Training Center (JOTC), Ft. Sherman, Panama.

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Was in RVN very late in the “ war”. Had an Infantry unit pulling guard duty on the perimeter and they were P.O.ed big time but they were the last unit in country. One did not have to be Infantry to be “ in combat” there, by chance one does not know this then guess it reverts to a vulgar saying we had, “ Vietnam, if you were not there shut the -=*= up”. Granted many if not most “ office types” never got shot at , had guard duty, had the “ opportunity to “ “ visit” many remote places there had it easy. Have seen a few posers that ran their mouths about being there when they never left the US. Others posers that were there but sat in an office in Saigon for their entire tour. One “ instance” was many years ago at the dedication of an RVN Veteran memorial at the museum in Newport News Va. when this guy loudly proclaimed he was “ there” and had all these medals , this and that. Well turned out a former POW and his his staff were also attending. Former POW was an elected official. When he heard this clown running his mouth we heard him ask one of his staff to “ see who this guy is”. About a hour later the staff guy handed the former POW a couple of pages of paper. Former POW confronted the clown exposing him to have been in an office in Saigon. Supposedly the clown went home and threatened to “ off himself”……..

Ah yes, to live the life of a REMF. It's all a matter of perspective. My second unit was like heaven. Flush toilets, hot and cold running hooch maids and a great O'club. Quite different from my first unit. With all that, it was not a safe space. Mortars and 122mm rockets would come in. A very good friend was shot down and KIA one night while checking out a VC probe of the perimeter. Yet, every day we would depart in support of the infantry, SF, arty or who ever needed us. Ours is not to wonder why, although I did a little of that. 50 some years later I know why.

I served in Vietnam. Armored Cav, Armor, Intelligence Specialist. This means scout. We did serve with infantry units, we did patrols on the ground, along with ambushes on the ground. We were awarded the CIB, there was no CAB in 1968.
When we went of Search and Destroy missions in vehicles, were were like bait, we searched til they found us. Salute to those who served in combat!

The Army has a Combat Medic Badge since the medics are right up there with the ground troops.

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Here’s the Army badges.

Hopefully not much off topic. I was a US assigned to Germany., mid-late 60s) Troops rotated in all the time. Guys from Nam wore their division (or other) patch on their right sleeve. No idea if there was a procedure or process for that. Now and then a CIB would show up too. We were Combat Engineers. Anybody have thoughts on that, as in wearing unit patch you were in combat with on right sleeve?
Heck, years later I found out I could not even qualify to join the VFW. Thought that was to separate themselves from the GAR.

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It's what I do, not what I am.

I am not a Combat Vet. I was "In Country" I Corps, SVN 1970, a REMF. I was wounded by a "friendly" cadre upset from lack of due respect for a sub set of Americans back in the World, as inflamed by news media. It was a fragging into a out door E Club whence a female floor show was performing. One Marine was killed, four Huey's responded for Medevacs. "It Don't Mean Nuthin." A Combat Vet faces a determined enemy under fire.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

Wearing a patch from your combat unit on the right sleeve is a long established Army practice, I have never seen any regulations authorizing it.
I have read a number of stories by Vietnam veterans who said they were not welcomed by the VFW posts in their areas.

During my Army service those who had served in combat displayed the unit patch of their combat command on the right shoulder, the left shoulder displayed the current unit patch.

Not unusual during the 1960s and 1970s for soldiers to be assigned to units outside their usual MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). An infantryman who happened to hold a military driving license for 5-ton trucks might find himself assigned to any command needing qualified drivers for their 5-ton trucks. Many combat troops came home with temporary or permanent "medical profiles", orders preventing them from being assigned to positions that required extended running, marching, or other such activities, and were assigned to positions that did not conflict with those standing orders.

My primary MOS was 11F4P, Infantry Operations & Intelligence Specialist, skill level 4 (sergeant, staff sergeant), parachute qualified, with additional qualification as a Pathfinder. While in Vietnam I was reassigned as NCO in charge of a Military Police detachment due to physical restrictions from my last wound that prevented me from my usual assignment. When I returned from Vietnam the MP thing stuck and I was assigned as a patrol supervisor, later as a Provost Marshal's investigator. Everything worked out pretty well because when discharged from active duty my DD-214 listed the Primary MOS along with the "Related Civilian Skills" as "NONE", but the secondary MOS as Military Police caught me a job with the police department that turned into a fairly decent career.

I don't know how well I would have done as a civilian seeking employment jumping out of airplanes to hurt people and break things. Probably not so good.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

I'm beginning to wonder how long some of you guys were in the Army. Have you really never heard of AR 670-1?

According to Army Regulation 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, soldiers are authorized to wear the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) of their higher headquarters. This SSI, also known as the combat patch, recognizes a soldier's service in a combat zone and is officially called the Military Operations in Hostile Conditions SSI. The Army regularly updates the regulation to authorize soldiers to wear the combat patch in new combat zones, such as Somalia. Soldiers who have deployed to a combat zone can wear the patch as soon as they have the proper documentation, which includes military orders and other documents.

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Retired Career Security Guard

How long in the Army? Active duty 4 years, 9-plus months. Active reserve service 2-plus years. All of that was from 1968 to 1976.

We all knew what Army Regulations were, but very few of us sat down and read them, much less memorized ARs sufficiently to recall AR 670.1 or any other section. Mostly the ARs were cited and quoted by senior personnel lecturing us on our duties and obligations, perhaps the occasional failure to perform to standards.

Today is 18 Aug 2024, the 54th anniversary of my Date of Rank (DOR) as a Sergeant E-5, probably making me one of the more senior Sergeants still drawing breath and taking nourishment on a daily basis. Later held higher rank in the reserves, but USAR was little more than comic opera during the 1970s so I don't really count that.

I'm sure everyone else's experiences were different.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

In my Army days 1967-1971 "Army Regulations" were always cited as "authority" but never quoted, I doubt if more than 10% of even senior personnel had ever ready any. Lots of local and SOPs and "traditions"-We've always done it this way !"

The Navy had regulations, including uniform regulations, but they weren't particularly hard to keep track of. In addition, Articles 90 and 91 of the UCMJ, which apply to all services, seemed to say that one did what one's officers and NCOs/petty officers told him to do. In my limited experience, the Navy and the Marine Corps didn't have much trouble understanding that, so there was never a need or desire to quote regulations to a senior or junior, either one. I hope that the other two services worked similarly.

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Formerly Model520Fan

My girlfriend's father served in the Army's 1st Cavalry Division in World War II. They were the first to engage the Japanese in Manila. When he returned home, he never, ever, talked about his experiences, but his daughter has his CIB and a Samurai sword he brought back with him. I explained to her the probable connection between the two...

My hat is off to any and all of you who served in our armed forces...thank you.

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Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins

I am not one, never been in. All I can say is THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

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No baby we aint

Since the conversation has turned to regulations, AR95-1 is considered law in Army Aviation and at one time I could recite it, backwards and forwards. Nothing wrong with that.

My avatar here is my combat patch, the 1st Aviation Brigade. For me, 32 years total, 24 active duty. On the bright side, the check comes to the bank every month. As for certain pols, false embellishments are bad and should not be tolerated.

Retired W4 (Chief Warrant Officer, pilot) and I share a combat patch from 1st Aviation Brigade. My assignment was Pathfinder Detachment, 212th Combat Aviation Battalion, 11th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade at Marble Mountain Airfield near Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam.

I later picked up another combat patch from 101st Airborne Division, a bit further north at Camp Eagle near Hue and Phu Bai, and on an outlying fire support base and helicopter refuel/rearming point near Dong Ha.

I lost my wallet and a good Zippo lighter, but I have no desire to go back and look for those.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

Combat vets ?
1. Formally recognized with the paperwork to back it up.
2. Informal-in-country but not with a combat arms MOS, rear echelon/base personnel who were shot at, shelled, rocket and mortar attacks, sappers, snipers.
3. Self-proclaimed.

My first Duty station Btry A 3/35 FA was big on knowing "The Book".

As an artillery unit we had to certify that we could safely fire a Canon every time we went to the field. They didn't want to screwing up and putting a round in somebody's backyard. True story, really happened to a unit the day I arrived at Ft. Lewis.

If you were asked a question during certification it was not uncommon to be asked exactly where that was in the Dash 10 (Maintenance Manual) or the 6-50 (Field Artillery Manual).

I once made the mistake of telling my first sergeant that I was certain that my hair was in regs. He made me get out the AR 670-1 and find and read to him the regulation concerning hair length for males. My haircut actually was in regulations but not by much. After that I just got a buzz cut every two weeks I made sure I was in Regs

Anyway, that's the way things were in that unit. If you were asked a question it wasn't enough to answer the question you had to be able to tell them where you got that answer. It made an impression on me that stayed with me throughout my time in the Army.

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Retired Career Security Guard

Not for me to define or question. Uncle Sam did not share my belief that I should serve as a JAG officer. So be it. The definitions of DOD and/or the branches, or those did experience combat, will have to suffice for me.

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NHI, 10-8.

I served a tour in Vietnam, in the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). But I was a staff officer in the 326th Medical Battalion in that division, and while I had more than one weapon, my day to day work did not require any weapons at all. We took incoming occasionally, running to the rat infested bunkers at times, other times just hunkering down in the hootch hoping nothing hit too close to where we were. I went out on Medevac flights a number of times and took fire on a few of those flights, and once I helped the medic and started an IV line (luck as a beginner). I feared for my life a few times and counted the days until I could return to CONUS. I was not, and never call myself a combat vet, but I am a Vietnam vet. And its probably not that common, but while we lost a number of men during my tour, none of those that I was close to were lost as KIA or wounded and evacuated. While I didn't volunteer for Vietnam, part of me wanted to go to see for myself what it was like. That curiousity lasted about a day and then I just looked forward to coming home to my wife and two little kids.

Joe, My Aircraft Maintenance Officer Buddy was shelled out on the flightline during Tet.
Running off the flightline, he observed a Security Policeman get hit with shrapnel which removed the top of his head.
Me? I flew Wild Weasel Missions out of Thailand.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I've been collecting F-105 stuff since I saw my first F-105 as kid at Kirtland. I have a 100 mission patch in my collection that I got from a store that bought an estate of a local Thud Driver who passed about 15 or 20 years ago.

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Thread Killer.

I am a REMF with a Purple Heart.
I was a 286A CW-2 at Bien Hoa Army base when the Ammo Dump was hit with a rocket.
:-)

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Paul
Salome, AZ

Korat? I was there in '72. I still think the -105 had the most awesome afterburner ever.