Sapper Tab on:
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In the
Department of the Army, Army Publications Directorate, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 13 March 2021DA Pamphlet 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia
Department of the Army, Army Publications Directorate, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 13 March 2021 Tabs are highly coveted in the U.S. Army. Unlike medals – which are only worn on a soldier's garrison or dress uniform – tabs are worn on a soldier's combat uniform. Moreover, tabs are worn above a soldier's SSI which rarely include words as a part of their symbolism. It is unique in that it identifies an individual soldier's or a whole unit's special skill using words rather than images to symbolize a skill. For example, while any member of a special forces unit will wear the unit's SSI that includes an arrowhead, sword, lightning, and Airborne tab, only soldiers who have completed special forces training will have been awarded and wear an additional tab containing the words "SPECIAL FORCES" (i.e. the Special Forces tab) that is worn above the unit's Airborne tab. Some tabs are awarded to recognize an individual soldier's combat related skills or marksmanship and are worn by a soldier permanently. These tabs are also considered special skill badges and have metal equivalents that are worn on the soldier's chest of their Army dress uniforms. Other tabs recognize a whole unit's special skill and are considered to be part of a specific unit's SSI and are worn by a soldier only while they belong to that unit. The Jungle and Arctic tabs are unique in that while they are awarded to recognize an individual soldier's skill, it is only worn by soldiers while they belong to certain units. Similarly, tabs awarded at the state level by the
The Special Forces tab is a service school qualification tab of the U.S. Army, awarded to any soldier completing either the Special Forces Qualification Course, or the Special Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course. Soldiers who are awarded the Special Forces tab are authorized to wear it for the remainder of their military careers, even when not serving in a
The Ranger tab is a qualification tab authorized upon completion of the U.S. Army's Ranger School by a member of the U.S. military, civilian personnel, or non-U.S. military personnel. The Ranger tab was approved by the Chief of Staff, Army, on 30 October 1950.
The full color tab is worn below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of the Army green coat. The subdued tab is worn below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of utility uniforms, field jackets and the Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU). The full color tab is long, wide, with a yellow border and the word "RANGER" inscribed in yellow letters high. The subdued tab is identical, except the background is olive drab and the word "RANGER" is in black letters.
The
The President's Hundred tab is a marksmanship tab which is authorized for soldiers who qualify among the top-scoring 100 competitors in the President's Match held annually at the National Rifle Matches at
Army.mil, by Kenji Thuloweit, dated 17 May 2020, last accessed 6 January 2022 Other graduates of the course receive the tab as a souvenir.
The Governor's Twenty tab is a state-level 
In the
, Missouri National Guard, dated 14 December 2010, last accessed 18 May 2014
In the
The Ranger Challenge tab is the only
The Mountain tab is a part of the SSI of the
www.army.mil, dated 26 November 2014, last accessed 7 May 2016 The tab was authorized for wear on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and Army Service Uniform (ASU) by U.S. Army Pacific while assigned to any of its units while in its area of responsibility.Alaska-based soldiers who qualify for arctic fighting get newly designed tab
Stars and Stripes, by Wyatt Olson, dated 20 April 2020, last accessed 6 March 2021 The Arctic tab was originally designed as a rectangular bar worn below the SSI on the ACU. In November 2019, the Arctic tab was redesigned to resemble other U.S. Army skill tabs and worn above the SSI, below other skill tabs and above unit designation tabs. On 25 April 2022, the G-1 of the U.S. Army authorized the wear of the Arctic tab by soldiers assigned to organizations in Alaska as a temporary wear tab with specific SSIs, above any already designed unit tabs and below individual tabs.SUBJECT: United States Army Arctic Tab and SUBJECT: Guidance for Wear of the Arctic Tab with Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
The Institute of Heraldry, Department of the Army; dated 26 April 2022 and 25 April 2022 respectively; last accessed 9 May 2022 In the authorization letter,
Members of the
dated 1 November 2017, last accessed 3 November 2017 The command's official SSI was authorized in December 2017 and the tab was again changed to "ADVISOR" and is authorized for wear by all security force assistance units.1st SFAB hosts activation ceremony; Heraldry announced
Army.mil, dated 8 February 2018, last accessed 2 March 2018.
The Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF–AF) SSI incorporates a scroll–style tab at the top and a bar–style tab at the bottom of the unit's SSI.US ARMY SOUTHERN EUROPEAN TASK FORCE, AFRICA, Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 19 November 2024, last accessed 6 January 2025. The maroon colored top tab incorporates the letters "SETAF" representing the name of the unit and was originally approved by the U.S. Army's Institute of Heraldry in 1955. The SETAF-AF SSI's top tab was changed to the airborne tab in 2001 but was reverted to the SETAF tab in 2008. As a result of the re-designation of the U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force to the Southern European Task Force, Africa in 2021, the heraldry of the SETAF SSI and tabs were updated to reflect this change. In November 2024, a red bar–style tab was added to the bottom of the SSI with the word "AFRICA" embroidered in gold, matching the colors of the SSI's top tab.
On 29 December 2015, the U.S. Army approved the wear of a black tab by soldiers assigned to Headquarters, 2nd Infantry Division (ID). This black tab, worn immediately above the 2nd ID's SSI, is embroidered with white English and Korean letters spelling out the words "Combined Division."Combined Division Tab
The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 29 December 2015, last accessed 13 June 2020 The tab is used to signify the joint nature of the new combined headquarters made up of units from the U.S. Army's 2nd IDUS, South Korea activate 1st-ever combined division
Stars and Stripes, by Ashley Rowland, dated 3 June 2015, last accessed 16 April 2016 and the
U.S. Army Homepage, by CPL SeoWon Lee, dated 12 May 2015, last accessed 16 April 2016 established on 3 June 2015. The tab may be worn only by U.S. Army 2nd ID and ROKA 8th ID headquarters soldiers while serving within the geographical boundaries and territorial waters of the
Institute of Heraldry (Department of the Army), last accessed 13 June 2020 The exception to this is the U.S. Army Field Band tab which is an integral part of that unit's SSI, just like the Mountain tab worn by the 10th Mountain Division. Each Army unit that has a band can have its own unique Band tab, designed by the Institute of Heraldry, and can only be worn with that unit's SSI. Once a band member leaves the band to join another element of the same unit, they can no longer wear the Band tab but will continue to wear their unit's SSI. Subdued versions of each unit's Band tab is authorized for wear with their unit's subdued SSI.
The Pershing tab was worn as part of the SSI for units supporting the Pershing missile system. From 1970 to 1971 the 56th Artillery Brigade wore the SSI of the Seventh Army with the Pershing tab. In 1971 the 56th FA received their own SSI that included the Pershing tab, which continued through redesignation as the 56th Field Artillery Command in 1986. The
Prior to the consolidation of the
WorthPoint, last accessed 5 February 2022. These ranger companies wore black berets with either unique organizational beret flashes or the 75th Ranger Regiment's Beret Flash and
The US Militaria Forum, last accessed 7 March 2021. Also, these companies wore a unique black scroll with red piping and white alpha/numeric characters, known as a "ranger scroll." These "ranger scrolls" look similar to today's SSIs worn by the 75th Ranger Regiment and its battalions but incorporated the words "RANGER" and "AIRBORNE" stacked in the center flanked by their company designation on the left and their infantry unit designation on the right.Company F (Ranger) 425TH Infantry Regiment Miarng 2ND Style Scroll, Pricing & History
WorthPoint, last accessed 6 March 2021. In 1985, these ranger companies were redesignated as long-range surveillance companies and in doing so were no longer ranger units but specialized airborne–qualified intelligence units, thus swapping their ranger scroll and black beret for an airborne tab and
In 1963, the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) was established—formed from reactivated elements of the 11th Airborne Division—to explore the theory and practicality of helicopter assault tactics, and was inactivated two years later when testing was completed and the 11th Air Assault Division, Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
The US Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 19 February 1963, last accessed 13 June 2020. believed to be the first and last approved Air Assault tab in the U.S. Army.
With the expansion of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) in
angelfire.com, by Dr. Howard G. Lanham, last accessed 3 April 2020 Given the AAF SSI did not allow someone to determine which AAF command the wearer belonged, on 28 July 1945 the U.S. Army approved the use of Command Identification Tabs—also known as an arc—to help identify an AAF solder's command.Air Force Weather, Our Heritage 1937 to 2012
prepared by TSgt C. A. Ravenstein (Historical Division, AW3DI, Hq AWS), dated 22 January 2012, last accessed 3 April 2020.WW2/Post WW2 US Army AAF Command Tabs/Arcs
usmilitariaforum.com, last accessed 3 April 2020. These Command Identification tabs were worn above the AAF SSI as an arc that followed the curvature of the SSI and was embroidered with the name of the AAF command in the same blue and gold colors as the SSI. The use of these Command Identification tabs continued until the introduction of the U.S. Air Force blue uniform.
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
, tabs are cloth and/or metal arches that are worn on U.S. Army uniforms, displaying a word or words signifying a special skill. On the Army Combat Uniform
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Within the Air Force and Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP ( Op ...
and Army Service Uniform
The Army Service Uniform (ASU) is a military uniform for wear by United States Army personnel in garrison posts and at most public functions where the Army Combat Uniform is inappropriate. As of 2021, the Army has two service uniforms for use by ...
, the tabs are worn above a unit's shoulder sleeve insignia
Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) are distinctive cloth patches worn on the left sleeve of the United States Army uniform just below the shoulder seam by soldiers assigned to divisions, corps, armies, and other specifically authorized orga ...
(SSI) and are used to identify a unit's or a soldier's special skill(s) or are worn as part of a unit's SSI as part of its unique heritage. Individual tabs are also worn as small metal arches above or below medals or ribbons on dress uniforms.U.S. Army Regulation 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and InsigniaDepartment of the Army, Army Publications Directorate, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 13 March 2021DA Pamphlet 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia
Department of the Army, Army Publications Directorate, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 13 March 2021 Tabs are highly coveted in the U.S. Army. Unlike medals – which are only worn on a soldier's garrison or dress uniform – tabs are worn on a soldier's combat uniform. Moreover, tabs are worn above a soldier's SSI which rarely include words as a part of their symbolism. It is unique in that it identifies an individual soldier's or a whole unit's special skill using words rather than images to symbolize a skill. For example, while any member of a special forces unit will wear the unit's SSI that includes an arrowhead, sword, lightning, and Airborne tab, only soldiers who have completed special forces training will have been awarded and wear an additional tab containing the words "SPECIAL FORCES" (i.e. the Special Forces tab) that is worn above the unit's Airborne tab. Some tabs are awarded to recognize an individual soldier's combat related skills or marksmanship and are worn by a soldier permanently. These tabs are also considered special skill badges and have metal equivalents that are worn on the soldier's chest of their Army dress uniforms. Other tabs recognize a whole unit's special skill and are considered to be part of a specific unit's SSI and are worn by a soldier only while they belong to that unit. The Jungle and Arctic tabs are unique in that while they are awarded to recognize an individual soldier's skill, it is only worn by soldiers while they belong to certain units. Similarly, tabs awarded at the state level by the
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...
can only be worn by soldiers while they are on state-level orders.
Individual tabs
There are currently four permanent individual skill/marksmanship tabs authorized for wear by the U.S. Army. Only three skill tabs may be worn at one time. A soldier wearing three tabs is said to have achieved the "tower of power" in military slang. Prior to the creation of the Sapper tab, this required a soldier to earn both a Special Forces tab and Ranger tab as well as serve in a unit with an Airborne tab or Mountain tab as part of its SSI.Special Forces
The Special Forces tab is a service school qualification tab of the U.S. Army, awarded to any soldier completing either the Special Forces Qualification Course, or the Special Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course. Soldiers who are awarded the Special Forces tab are authorized to wear it for the remainder of their military careers, even when not serving in a Special Forces
Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
command. The Special Forces tab can be revoked by the Chain of Command for significant violations of conduct considered contrary to the high standards expected of a Special Forces soldier (for example, DUI conviction or other forms of misconduct).
The Special Forces tab was created in 1983 and is an embroidered arch patch worn on the upper left sleeve of a military uniform. The cloth tab is wide and is teal blue with yellow embroidered letters.
Ranger
The Ranger tab is a qualification tab authorized upon completion of the U.S. Army's Ranger School by a member of the U.S. military, civilian personnel, or non-U.S. military personnel. The Ranger tab was approved by the Chief of Staff, Army, on 30 October 1950.
The full color tab is worn below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of the Army green coat. The subdued tab is worn below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of utility uniforms, field jackets and the Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU). The full color tab is long, wide, with a yellow border and the word "RANGER" inscribed in yellow letters high. The subdued tab is identical, except the background is olive drab and the word "RANGER" is in black letters.
Sapper
The Sapper
A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses ...
tab is a qualification tab which is authorized for graduates of the U.S. Army's Sapper Leader Course
The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day United States Army small unit tactics and leadership course that develops soldiers in critical skills and teaches advanced combat engineer techniques needed across the Army. Sapper training began developmen ...
. The Sapper tab was approved by the Chief of Staff, Army, on 28 June 2004. The Sapper tab can be revoked by the Engineer Commanding Officer of Ft. Leonard Wood, MO for misconduct, or not upholding the standard as an Engineer. Any requests will be processed through USASC.
The full color tab is worn below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of the Army green coat. The subdued tab is worn below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of utility uniforms, field jackets and the desert battle dress uniform (DBDU). The full color tab is long, wide, with a red border and the word "SAPPER" inscribed in white letters high. The woodland subdued tab is identical, except the background is olive drab and the word "SAPPER" is in black letters and the desert subdued tab has a khaki background with the word "SAPPER" in spice brown letters.
President's Hundred
The President's Hundred tab is a marksmanship tab which is authorized for soldiers who qualify among the top-scoring 100 competitors in the President's Match held annually at the National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry
Camp Perry is a United States National Guard, National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton, Ohio, Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry a ...
, Ohio. This is a permanent award which will stay with the individual; there is no annual requirement to maintain the President's Hundred tab. Most competitors will compete each year to ensure that less-qualified individuals do not receive the tab.
On 27 May 1958, the National Rifle Association of America
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
requested the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel's approval of a tab for presentation to each member of the "President's Hundred." The NRA's plan was to award the cloth tab together with a metal tab during the 1958 National Matches. The cloth tab was approved for wear on the uniform on 3 March 1958.
A full-color embroidered tab of yellow long and high, with the word "President's Hundred" centered in high green letters. The metal replica is wide.
Jungle
The Jungle Expert badge was often worn by graduates of the Jungle Operations Training Center (JOTC) atFort Sherman
Fort Sherman is a former United States Army base in Panama, located on Toro Point at the Caribbean (northern) end of the Panama Canal, on the western bank of the Canal directly opposite Colón, Panama, Colón (which is on the eastern bank). It w ...
until the school became inactive in 1999. The badge was authorized for wear by soldiers assigned to U.S. Army South who graduate from JOTC but the badge was never recognized Army-wide.
In 2014, the JOTC was reopened in Hawaii and the Jungle Expert badge was revitalized as a tab which is authorized for wear by soldiers who complete the course and are assigned to the U.S. Army Pacific area of responsibility
Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and c ...
. However, the revitalized tab now simply reads 'Jungle' instead of 'Jungle Expert'.Eighth Army Soldiers authorized wear of arctic, jungle tabsArmy.mil, by Kenji Thuloweit, dated 17 May 2020, last accessed 6 January 2022 Other graduates of the course receive the tab as a souvenir.
Governor's "#" (National Guard)
The Governor's Twenty tab is a state-level National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
award, created in 1968, that is awarded to the top 20 shooters in a state. However, award criteria vary from state-to-state. For example, within the Texas Military Forces, only eight guardsmen are presented this award for rifle, eight for pistol, two for sniper, and two for machine gun each year. Texas guardsmen compete against other Texas guardsmen who have already received the award; thus, there may be one or two new recipients of this award each year. As of July 2014, 14 states have authorized the awarding of the Governor's Twenty tab.
In the Missouri National Guard
The Missouri National Guard (MONG), commonly known as the Missouri Guard, is a component of the Army National Guard and Missouri State Department of the National Guard. It is composed of Army National Guard, Army and Missouri Air National Guard, A ...
and Arizona National Guard, the top twelve guardsman selected to represent their state at the Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Championships are awarded the Governor's Twelve tab (for Missouri) or Governor's Dozen tab (for Arizona). These tabs are worn on the upper-left sleeve of the ACU below individual tabs and above unit and honor guard tabs. The Missouri National Guard also awards a Governor's Twelve Ribbon that accompanies the tab which is worn on dress uniforms; any guardsman who earns the award more than once wear Hawthorn Cluster Devices on top of the ribbon.Tabs and Badges a Measure of Marksmanship, Missouri National Guard, dated 14 December 2010, last accessed 18 May 2014
In the Iowa National Guard
The Iowa National Guard consists of the:
* Iowa Army National Guard and the
* Iowa Air National Guard
The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, several miles north of the state capital Des Moines. The facility serves ...
, the top ten rifle and/or pistol shooters from the state's Army and Air Force guard units that compete at the Iowa Governor's 10 Shooting Competition are awarded the Governor's Ten ("X") tab. Prior to 2008, the Governor's Ten tab was awarded to the top five pistol shooters and top five rifle shooters. Today, the rifle and pistol scores are combined so only the best 10 overall shooters earn the tab.
Because these awards are state-level awards, soldiers and airmen under Title 32 status (state control) are authorized to wear them; soldiers and airmen under Title 10 status (federal control) are not.
Ranger Challenge (Army ROTC)
The Ranger Challenge tab is the only United States Department of the Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. The DA is the Federal government of the United States, federal government agency within which the United St ...
individual qualification tab awarded exclusively to Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer tr ...
(ROTC) cadets. This award is presented annually to cadets who compete in regional ROTC Ranger Challenge competitions.
Unit tabs
An SSI is an embroidered patch worn on uniforms of the United States Army that identifies the wearer's major formation. Unit tabs are an integral part of the SSI and are never worn separately. Soldiers are only authorized to wear the tab while assigned to the organization that prescribes wearing the SSI with the tab.Airborne
The Airborne tab is a part of the SSI of certain airborne andair assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...
units. Airborne and air assault forces are military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
units, usually light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
, set up to be moved by aircraft
An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
and dropped into battle. Thus, they can be placed behind enemy lines and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning. The tab is worn immediately above and touching the SSI. The tabs are long and wide. The letters are high.
Mountain
The Mountain tab is a part of the SSI of the 10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...
and the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) and worn informally by cadre of the Northern Warfare Training Center and the Army Mountain Warfare School. The 10th Mountain Division retains the Mountain tab for historical purposes but is currently organized as a traditional light infantry division.
Although they do not wear the Mountain tab, mountain warfare training is a basic component of the US Army's Ranger School
The Ranger School is a 62-day United States Army small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. Ranger training w ...
and each US Army Special Forces Group maintains detachments that specialize in mountain warfare.
Arctic
TheArctic
The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
tab was an individual skill tab earned by those who graduated from the Cold Weather Orientation Course or Cold Weather Leadership Course held at the Northern Warfare Training Center.Are you Arctic Tough?www.army.mil, dated 26 November 2014, last accessed 7 May 2016 The tab was authorized for wear on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and Army Service Uniform (ASU) by U.S. Army Pacific while assigned to any of its units while in its area of responsibility.Alaska-based soldiers who qualify for arctic fighting get newly designed tab
Stars and Stripes, by Wyatt Olson, dated 20 April 2020, last accessed 6 March 2021 The Arctic tab was originally designed as a rectangular bar worn below the SSI on the ACU. In November 2019, the Arctic tab was redesigned to resemble other U.S. Army skill tabs and worn above the SSI, below other skill tabs and above unit designation tabs. On 25 April 2022, the G-1 of the U.S. Army authorized the wear of the Arctic tab by soldiers assigned to organizations in Alaska as a temporary wear tab with specific SSIs, above any already designed unit tabs and below individual tabs.SUBJECT: United States Army Arctic Tab and SUBJECT: Guidance for Wear of the Arctic Tab with Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
The Institute of Heraldry, Department of the Army; dated 26 April 2022 and 25 April 2022 respectively; last accessed 9 May 2022 In the authorization letter,
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Gary Brito wrote, "The Arctic tab recognizes organizations in the Arctic region, which operate in extreme cold-weather, mountainous, and high-latitude environments and support the Arctic strategy."
Advisor
Members of the Security Force Assistance Command
The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) is a division-level command element for the United States Army's new Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFAB). These units' core mission is security force assistance to conduct training, advising, as ...
wear a tab as part of their unit's SSI. Early versions of the SSI incorporated a tab embroidered with the words "ADVISE – ASSIST." Shortly after, the SSI tab was changed to read "COMBAT ADVISOR".The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade official Facebook page, New Shoulder Sleeve Insigniadated 1 November 2017, last accessed 3 November 2017 The command's official SSI was authorized in December 2017 and the tab was again changed to "ADVISOR" and is authorized for wear by all security force assistance units.1st SFAB hosts activation ceremony; Heraldry announced
Army.mil, dated 8 February 2018, last accessed 2 March 2018.
SETAF-AF
The Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF–AF) SSI incorporates a scroll–style tab at the top and a bar–style tab at the bottom of the unit's SSI.US ARMY SOUTHERN EUROPEAN TASK FORCE, AFRICA, Shoulder Sleeve InsigniaU.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 19 November 2024, last accessed 6 January 2025. The maroon colored top tab incorporates the letters "SETAF" representing the name of the unit and was originally approved by the U.S. Army's Institute of Heraldry in 1955. The SETAF-AF SSI's top tab was changed to the airborne tab in 2001 but was reverted to the SETAF tab in 2008. As a result of the re-designation of the U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force to the Southern European Task Force, Africa in 2021, the heraldry of the SETAF SSI and tabs were updated to reflect this change. In November 2024, a red bar–style tab was added to the bottom of the SSI with the word "AFRICA" embroidered in gold, matching the colors of the SSI's top tab.
Combined Division
On 29 December 2015, the U.S. Army approved the wear of a black tab by soldiers assigned to Headquarters, 2nd Infantry Division (ID). This black tab, worn immediately above the 2nd ID's SSI, is embroidered with white English and Korean letters spelling out the words "Combined Division."Combined Division TabThe U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 29 December 2015, last accessed 13 June 2020 The tab is used to signify the joint nature of the new combined headquarters made up of units from the U.S. Army's 2nd IDUS, South Korea activate 1st-ever combined division
Stars and Stripes, by Ashley Rowland, dated 3 June 2015, last accessed 16 April 2016 and the
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...
's (ROKA) 8th ID,ROKA 16th Brigade staff visits 1st ABCTU.S. Army Homepage, by CPL SeoWon Lee, dated 12 May 2015, last accessed 16 April 2016 established on 3 June 2015. The tab may be worn only by U.S. Army 2nd ID and ROKA 8th ID headquarters soldiers while serving within the geographical boundaries and territorial waters of the
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. The Korean letters 연합사단 are pronounced eon-hap-sa-dan
Honor Guard
The Honor Guard tab is a part of the SSI of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and other selected units with ceremonial duties. The tab had been worn by the Honor Guard Company of the 1st Battle Group, 3d Infantry (The Old Guard) since early 1950. It was officially approved for wear by the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (DCSPER) on 14 October 1959. The 3rd Infantry's tab is ultramarine blue long and high, the designation "HONOR GUARD" in white letters high. The subdued tab is identical, except the background is olive drab and the letters are black. On 16 March 1965, the DCSPER approved a white tab with ultramarine blue lettering for wear by select Honor Guard units throughout the U.S. Army. Proposed designs were submitted on 26 March 1965 and the color reversed version of The Old Guard's tab was approved on 19 April 1965. A subdued tab is also authorized. Additionally, there are other select Army and Army National Guard units that have their own distinctive Honor Guard tabs that are not defined in general Army uniform regulations, such as theUnited Nations Command
United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the South Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first attempt at collective security by the U ...
Honor Guard that wear a red (or scarlet) tab with white letters on the left shoulder of their service dress uniform.
On 31 December 2012, the DCSPER approved another Honor Guard tab for wear by select Army National Guard units. The new tab is an ultramarine blue embroidered tab with the inscription "ARNG HONOR GUARD" in gold letters, edged with a gold border.
Band
Similar to the Honor Guard tab for select units, the Band tab is worn by an Army band within a given unit.Distinctive Unit Insignia, Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, and Coat of Arms / BandsInstitute of Heraldry (Department of the Army), last accessed 13 June 2020 The exception to this is the U.S. Army Field Band tab which is an integral part of that unit's SSI, just like the Mountain tab worn by the 10th Mountain Division. Each Army unit that has a band can have its own unique Band tab, designed by the Institute of Heraldry, and can only be worn with that unit's SSI. Once a band member leaves the band to join another element of the same unit, they can no longer wear the Band tab but will continue to wear their unit's SSI. Subdued versions of each unit's Band tab is authorized for wear with their unit's subdued SSI.
Obsolete tabs
Pershing
The Pershing tab was worn as part of the SSI for units supporting the Pershing missile system. From 1970 to 1971 the 56th Artillery Brigade wore the SSI of the Seventh Army with the Pershing tab. In 1971 the 56th FA received their own SSI that included the Pershing tab, which continued through redesignation as the 56th Field Artillery Command in 1986. The 3rd Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment
The 9th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in Hawaii during World War I, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Divisions between the world wars, and with 3rd Infantry Divis ...
wore the Pershing tab with the SSI of III Corps from 1971 to 1981, then with that of the 214th Field Artillery Brigade when it had a SSI created in 1981. The Pershing tab was discontinued with the deactivation of units following the elimination of the Pershing missile system in 1991.
Company–Level Ranger scrolls
Prior to the consolidation of the 75th Ranger Regiment
The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the United States Army Rangers, Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry and direct-action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint S ...
into its own unit, the U.S. Army had ranger companies assigned to various infantry divisions and above."Emblems of Honor Rangers" US WW2 Korea Scroll Patch Tab Reference Book N/MINTWorthPoint, last accessed 5 February 2022. These ranger companies wore black berets with either unique organizational beret flashes or the 75th Ranger Regiment's Beret Flash and
Distinctive Unit Insignia
A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic Heraldry, heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (D ...
.US Army berets – blue, black, green, maroon, tan...The US Militaria Forum, last accessed 7 March 2021. Also, these companies wore a unique black scroll with red piping and white alpha/numeric characters, known as a "ranger scroll." These "ranger scrolls" look similar to today's SSIs worn by the 75th Ranger Regiment and its battalions but incorporated the words "RANGER" and "AIRBORNE" stacked in the center flanked by their company designation on the left and their infantry unit designation on the right.Company F (Ranger) 425TH Infantry Regiment Miarng 2ND Style Scroll, Pricing & History
WorthPoint, last accessed 6 March 2021. In 1985, these ranger companies were redesignated as long-range surveillance companies and in doing so were no longer ranger units but specialized airborne–qualified intelligence units, thus swapping their ranger scroll and black beret for an airborne tab and
maroon beret
The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the World War II, Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-general (Uni ...
.
Air Assault
In 1963, the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) was established—formed from reactivated elements of the 11th Airborne Division—to explore the theory and practicality of helicopter assault tactics, and was inactivated two years later when testing was completed and the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) 1st Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Regiment or 1st Cavalry Battalion may refer to:
Armies
* 1st Cavalry Army, Soviet Union
Corps
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée)
* I Cavalry Corps (German Empire)
* 1st Cavalry ...
was formed. Although this test unit wore the SSI of the 11th Airborne Division, they replaced their Airborne tab with a unique Air Assault tab in February 1963,The US Army Institute of Heraldry, dated 19 February 1963, last accessed 13 June 2020. believed to be the first and last approved Air Assault tab in the U.S. Army.
Army Air Forces' Command Identification
With the expansion of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) in World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the AAF SSI became one of the most widely worn shoulder insignias of the war.United States Army, Second World War, Air Force Command Arcs
angelfire.com, by Dr. Howard G. Lanham, last accessed 3 April 2020 Given the AAF SSI did not allow someone to determine which AAF command the wearer belonged, on 28 July 1945 the U.S. Army approved the use of Command Identification Tabs—also known as an arc—to help identify an AAF solder's command.Air Force Weather, Our Heritage 1937 to 2012
prepared by TSgt C. A. Ravenstein (Historical Division, AW3DI, Hq AWS), dated 22 January 2012, last accessed 3 April 2020.WW2/Post WW2 US Army AAF Command Tabs/Arcs
usmilitariaforum.com, last accessed 3 April 2020. These Command Identification tabs were worn above the AAF SSI as an arc that followed the curvature of the SSI and was embroidered with the name of the AAF command in the same blue and gold colors as the SSI. The use of these Command Identification tabs continued until the introduction of the U.S. Air Force blue uniform.
See also
* Duty tabs of the United States Air Force *Badges of the United States Army
Badges of the United States Army are Military awards and decorations, military decorations issued by the United States Department of the Army to soldiers who achieve a variety of qualifications and accomplishments while serving on active and res ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabs Of The United States Army Awards and decorations of the United States Army United States military badges United States Army uniforms Articles containing video clips Pershing missile United States military specialty insignia