Army Insignia 101: A brief explanation of the insignia and patches found on Marissa's Army uniforms.

Alright, some of you have asked me questions about some of the pins, patches and other insignia you've seen on some of Marissa's Army uniforms in photos, etc. I'll give a little primer here explaining some of these.

Disclaimer: I've always been a big military history buff and my explanations here are those of a layman. I'm sure Marissa will come along and correct me should I misinform you.

US Army Captain's Rank Insignia

This is Marissa's rank. She is a commissioned officer, charged with leading Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) like Corporals & Sergeants and other enlisted solders, such as Privates, PFC's, and Specialists.

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Traditionally, a Captain in the Army commands a company of soldiers. To put this into perspective, let me offer this example: During the American Civil War, A regiment (Think 54th Massachusettes Regiment from the Movie 'Glory') consisted of approximately 1,000 soldiers commanded by a Colonel. The Regiment was divided into at least two (2) Battalions, each commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel or a Major. Each Battalion consisted of a number of Companies, consiting of about 100 soldiers each, commanded by a Captain. Each Company, is split into platoons of about 50 soldiers each commanded by a Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant. During the Civil War, volunteers from the same city or county often mustered into the same company and were assinged to their Regiment, which consisted of other Companies from all over their state. In those times, the Company often elected who their officers (Lieutenants & Captains) would be. Now, officers must undergo strict military education in order to receive a commission. Marissa spent four years in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Indiana University in order to earn her commission. When she graduated IU with her Bachelors Degree, she went into the Army as a Second Lieutenant (2LT). Over the next five years she received further training and experience and has been promoted to the rank she now holds.

US Army Quartermaster Branch Distinctive Insignia

You may have noticed Marissa wears this pin above her name tag on her Class "A" uniform. This is the Distinctive Insignia (DI) of the Quartermaster Corps. Offciers that are not in a combat arms branch (Infantry, Artilley, Armor) wear the DI of their branch.

US Army Quartermaster Branch Insignia

This is the branch insignia of the Quartermaster branch. You will see this on the lapel of Marissa's Class "A" uniform. You have probably also seen this on the old style Desert Combat Uniform like the one Marissa is wearing in the photo on the banner at the top of her blog. This identifies her to other solders as being a Logistics person.

10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) - "Climb to Glory!"

The 10th Mountain Division was Marissa's parent unit when she was in the Active Army from 2001-2005. The 10th Mountain Division is specially trained division, trained to fight in harsh and mountainous conditions. When Marissa was still in this unit, she wore this patch on her left shoulder. This signifies that she is an active part or member of this division. Marissa was deployed to Afganistan with this unit for nearly a year. Because of her deployment, she has been authorized to wear this patch on her right shoulder now. Wearing a patch on your right shoulder, signifies that the wearer has served with the unit in a combat deployment. Marissa now proudly wears this patch on her right shoulder.

1st Infantry Division (Heavy Mechanized) - "The Big Red One." - "No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great-Duty First"

This is the patch that Marissa is currently wearing on her left shoulder. Once Marissa was mobilized, she was assigned to an Army Reserve Unit based out of Washington state. This unit, which was also mobilized, has fallen under the parent unit of the 1st Infantry Division. The 1st Infantry Division is America's oldest Army Division, having served since World War I and in every major conflict since. Nicknamed "The Big Red One" for obvious reasons, the unit is based at Fort Riley, KS where Marissa is now.

104th Division (Institutional Training) - "Timberwolf Division"

This is the reserve unit that Marissa was mobilzed into. Soldiers from this unit were wearing this patch until they arrived at Ft. Riley and brought under the purview of the 1st Infantry Division. Now the mobilized soldiers from this unit that are serving with Marissa are wearing the patch of the "Big Red One." Marissa will not be wearing this unit's patch.

Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I) Patch

This is the patch of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq. This is the component that Marissa will be assigned to once she deploys. She will most likely be replacing the 1st Infantry Division patch on her left shoulder with this patch. Upon completion of her deployment (or after a time in theatre of at least 30 days) Marissa may be authorized to wear this patch on her right shoulder as her combat patch should she so desire.

Ok, I hope you've all enjoyed your lesson for the day. Tune in next week, when we cover ribbons and medals!!

=)