Military patches ???

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87flht

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Threespears said:
No
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RC44Mag said:
One country that does is Denmark. Found out on liberty call will serving when my ship stopped there in July in the 80's. They love Americans there and are known for their beautiful women, I can attest to that. Just throwing it out there.
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Wondered because I think Americans partake in cinco de mayo more than mexicans
 
Danjet500

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Since we are talking patches can someone enlighten me about these? Belonged to my uncle who was a Navy radioman C3 in WWII. Thanks.
 

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Jeepnik

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During my service the major commands patches that went on your blouse pocket. I have Tactical Air Command (TAC), United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE), Systems Command (no fancy acronym just called Systems), and Strategic Air Command (SAC).

My South East Asian vacation was a TDY so we just kept out TAC patches on.
 
Hankus

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Bob Wright said:
I was in the 7th Inf. Division in korea, the 1st Cav. Div. to the east of us. The 1st CAV patch was a large yellow (color for cavalry) shield, wit the head of a horse and a diagonal stripe in black on the shield.

So, in bars around Seoul, there was the question and answer:

"What does that patch mean?"

"The horse is the horse they never rode. the line is the line they never crossed. And the yellow speaks for itself."

The MPs arrived shortly after that.

Bob Wright
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My dad, who served in Korea from September 1950 through the end of the war, and later, taught me a version of that saying as a child. His version; "The horse they never rode, the road they never crossed, and the background color says the rest".
This is in reference to elements of the First Cav getting their butts handed to them and abandoning their equipment to the enemy.
I personally served multiple tours in Korea during the 80s and 90s.
 
BearBiologist

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Hankus said:
My dad, who served in Korea from September 1950 through the end of the war, and later, taught me a version of that saying as a child. His version; "The horse they never rode, the road they never crossed, and the background color says the rest".
This is in reference to elements of the First Cav getting their butts handed to them and abandoning their equipment to the enemy.
I personally served multiple tours in Korea during the 80s and 90s.
Click to expand...
"The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team")[1] is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army."

Here's what your dad was referring to:

"During the afternoon of 1 November, the PVA attack north of Unsan gained strength against the ROK 15th Regiment and gradually extended to the right flank of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry. At nightfall, the 1st Battalion controlled the northern approaches to the Samt'an River, except for portions of the ROK 15th Regiment's zone on the east side. The battalion's position on the left was weak; there were not enough soldiers to extend the defensive line to the main ridge leading into Unsan. This left a gap between the 1st and 2nd Battalions. East of the Samt'an the ROK 15th Regiment was under heavy attack, and shortly after midnight it no longer existed as a combat force. At 19:30 on 1 November, the PVA 116th Division attacked the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, all along its line. At 21:00 PVA troops found the weak link in the ridgeline and began moving through it and down the ridge behind the 2nd Battalion, penetrating its right flank and encircling its left. Now both the 1st and 2nd Battalions were engaged by the enemy on several sides. Around midnight, the 8th Cavalry received orders to withdraw southward to Ipsok. At 01:30 on 2 November, no PVA activity was reported in the 3rd Battalion's sector south of Unsan. But as the 8th Cavalry withdrew, all three battalions became trapped by roadblocks made by the PVA 347th Regiment, 116th Division south of Unsan during the early morning hours. Members of the 1st Battalion who were able to escape reached the Ipsok area. A head count showed the battalion had lost about 15 officers and 250 enlisted men. Members of the 2nd Battalion, for the most part, scattered into the hills. Many of them reached the ROK lines near Ipsok. Others met up with the 3rd Battalion, the hardest hit. Around 03:00 the PVA launched a surprise attack on the battalion command post. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued for about half an hour before the PVA were driven from the area. The disorganized members of the 3rd Battalion formed a core of resistance around three tanks on the valley floor and held off the PVA until daylight. By that time, only six officers and 200 enlisted men were still able to function. More than 170 were wounded, and the number dead or missing were uncounted. Attempts by the 5th Cavalry to relieve the beleaguered battalion were unsuccessful, and the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, soon ceased to exist as an organized force.[9]

Following the battle, there were disparaging rumors about the 1st Cavalry Division's fighting abilities, including a folk song of the time called "The Bug-Out Ballad".[10] The series of engagements were rumored to have given rise to the song were due (at least partly) to the myth that the division lost its unit colors.[11] Other Army and Marine units disparagingly described the division shoulder insignia as representing 'The horse they never rode, the river they never crossed, and the yellow speaks for itself'. Another version goes: "The shield they never carried, the horse they never rode, the bridge they never crossed, the line they never held, and the yellow is the reason why."
RE: Loss of colors:

"a. The 1st Cavalry Division in Korea. The incident that apparently gave rise to this false rumor appears to be the Unsan Engagement which took place on 1 and 2 November 1950 at Unsan, Korea. In that battle, the 8th Cavalry, a component of the 1st Cavalry Division, was pushed back from positions in and around the town of Unsan by vastly superior Chinese forces. The regiment was severely battered, suffering heavy casualties and losing a considerable amount of equipment. This was one of the first major Chinese operations in the Korean War and, like the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir Battle of this same period, it took the United Nations Command by surprise. Considering the circumstances, the 8th Cavalry fought very well, and it has never been criticized for its conduct in this operation." ...............U.S. Army Center of Military History

So, I call BS!!!!!
 
Hankus

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BearBiologist said:
"The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team")[1] is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army."

Here's what your dad was referring to:

"During the afternoon of 1 November, the PVA attack north of Unsan gained strength against the ROK 15th Regiment and gradually extended to the right flank of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry. At nightfall, the 1st Battalion controlled the northern approaches to the Samt'an River, except for portions of the ROK 15th Regiment's zone on the east side. The battalion's position on the left was weak; there were not enough soldiers to extend the defensive line to the main ridge leading into Unsan. This left a gap between the 1st and 2nd Battalions. East of the Samt'an the ROK 15th Regiment was under heavy attack, and shortly after midnight it no longer existed as a combat force. At 19:30 on 1 November, the PVA 116th Division attacked the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, all along its line. At 21:00 PVA troops found the weak link in the ridgeline and began moving through it and down the ridge behind the 2nd Battalion, penetrating its right flank and encircling its left. Now both the 1st and 2nd Battalions were engaged by the enemy on several sides. Around midnight, the 8th Cavalry received orders to withdraw southward to Ipsok. At 01:30 on 2 November, no PVA activity was reported in the 3rd Battalion's sector south of Unsan. But as the 8th Cavalry withdrew, all three battalions became trapped by roadblocks made by the PVA 347th Regiment, 116th Division south of Unsan during the early morning hours. Members of the 1st Battalion who were able to escape reached the Ipsok area. A head count showed the battalion had lost about 15 officers and 250 enlisted men. Members of the 2nd Battalion, for the most part, scattered into the hills. Many of them reached the ROK lines near Ipsok. Others met up with the 3rd Battalion, the hardest hit. Around 03:00 the PVA launched a surprise attack on the battalion command post. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued for about half an hour before the PVA were driven from the area. The disorganized members of the 3rd Battalion formed a core of resistance around three tanks on the valley floor and held off the PVA until daylight. By that time, only six officers and 200 enlisted men were still able to function. More than 170 were wounded, and the number dead or missing were uncounted. Attempts by the 5th Cavalry to relieve the beleaguered battalion were unsuccessful, and the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, soon ceased to exist as an organized force.[9]

Following the battle, there were disparaging rumors about the 1st Cavalry Division's fighting abilities, including a folk song of the time called "The Bug-Out Ballad".[10] The series of engagements were rumored to have given rise to the song were due (at least partly) to the myth that the division lost its unit colors.[11] Other Army and Marine units disparagingly described the division shoulder insignia as representing 'The horse they never rode, the river they never crossed, and the yellow speaks for itself'. Another version goes: "The shield they never carried, the horse they never rode, the bridge they never crossed, the line they never held, and the yellow is the reason why."
RE: Loss of colors:

"a. The 1st Cavalry Division in Korea. The incident that apparently gave rise to this false rumor appears to be the Unsan Engagement which took place on 1 and 2 November 1950 at Unsan, Korea. In that battle, the 8th Cavalry, a component of the 1st Cavalry Division, was pushed back from positions in and around the town of Unsan by vastly superior Chinese forces. The regiment was severely battered, suffering heavy casualties and losing a considerable amount of equipment. This was one of the first major Chinese operations in the Korean War and, like the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir Battle of this same period, it took the United Nations Command by surprise. Considering the circumstances, the 8th Cavalry fought very well, and it has never been criticized for its conduct in this operation." ...............U.S. Army Center of Military History

So, I call BS!!!!!
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Sir, you might call BS, and you're entitled to your opinion, but that's the way my father explained it to me. He was there, at the Chosin Reservoir, so I'll take him at his word. He came back from Korea with a Bronze Star and two OLCs on his Purple Heart.
As an FYI, the saying in question was still in use when I served in the 80s and 90s.
 
BearBiologist

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Hankus said:
Sir, you might call BS, and you're entitled to your opinion, but that's the way my father explained it to me. He was there, at the Chosin Reservoir, so I'll take him at his word. He came back from Korea with a Bronze Star and two OLCs on his Purple Heart.
As an FYI, the saying in question was still in use when I served in the 80s and 90s.
Click to expand...
Well, the OFFICIAL Army History says it was BS, as I showed! My buddies at FT Ord were there in Nam with the Cav and I never heard it from anybody while I was in!

If you were in the Army, you know how much you can trust war stories, especially 40 years after the "fact".!
 
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