Military Matters #4: We Don’t Need No Stinking Badges

What badges has my character earned?

Where do they go on his uniform?

Can he have too many badges?

The uniform is only so big, so there is a maximum amount of badges that can actually fit. Also, most of the badges require attendance to a course, some of which can last months, so the age of your Soldier character is very important, and the rank. Also, many of the badges are combat related, which means the profession of your character will be important. Officers tend to have less badges than enlisted because the enlisted are more likely to do the missions and officers usually only lead men on the ground for about two years before moving to staff and command positions. It doesn’t really make sense to have a battalion commander be sniper qualified, he will never have the amount of training that an enlisted Soldier can because of the officer promotion requirements (think about it, have you ever read a memoir about a sniper that was an officer?)

Many authors don’t even know this and commonly put officers as their protagonist when it really makes no sense for them to have these skills or experiences. Once again, good research can bring realism to your story, and a Military Editor or Military Technical Advisor that reviews your work can point out these inconsistencies.

As a Story Grid Developmental Editor and Book Coach, my background in military special operations makes me uniquely qualified to assess stories with military characters and settings.

Military Matters is a series of posts where I discuss how authors can accurately write about, well, military matters. My goal is to arm the authors with words that make their prose stronger. Over the next few months, I’m going to talk about how I have helped authors create authentic military characters and settings, without losing their readers in military jargon and acronyms.

Badges and Tabs

Wear of badges (and the uniform in general) is covered in the manual AR 670-1.

There are a number of badges that are worn on the uniform. Some are required, and some are optional. The optional patches are usually earned either by accomplishing something in the military or attending a specific training.

All Soldiers must wear the following when in uniform:

• U.S. Flag—Worn on the right shoulder. There is a color version for garrison and a subdued camouflage version for combat and training. The reason the flag looks backward is because it’s meant to look like the flag is blowing in the wind as the soldier moves forward. It is always worn on the right shoulder because the right side is considered the site of highest honor. It is attached with Velcro.
• Rank—Worn in the center of the chest; it is usually attached with velcro, but may be sewn (at one time this was worn on the collar of the uniform)
• Unit Patch—Worn on the left shoulder. Depending on the unit, this patch may include a tab (such as airborne). This doesn’t necessarily mean the soldier is airborne qualified (able to parachute out of planes); it just means that is the patch for his/her unit. It is attached with Velcro.
• U.S. Army Tape—Worn on the left side of the chest on the pocket and typically attached with Velcro but may be sewn.
• Name Tape—Worn on the right side of the chest on the pocket and typically attached with Velcro but may be sewn.

Additional Patches:

Combat Patch—Worn under the U.S. flag on the right shoulder. This can only be worn if the soldier has been deployed to combat. The combat patch is actually the unit patch from the unit the soldier went to war with. It is possible that the unit patch on his left shoulder is the same as the combat patch on his right shoulder. Some soldiers may have been to war with numerous units, and they can change the patch depending on how they feel that day, but only one can be worn at a time. They are attached with Velcro.

Tabs

Tabs are earned by the soldier and can be worn on the left shoulder. The exception is the Airborne tab, which is part of the unit patch and can be worn by Soldiers even if they haven’t been to Airborne School (non-airborne qualified Soldiers will wear the patch, but won’t actually parachute out of airplanes).

• Special Forces—the soldier needs to have completed the Special Forces Qualification Course and earned his Green Beret
• Ranger—The soldier needs to have completed the Ranger Course
• Sapper—The soldier needs to have completed the Sapper Course
• Airborne—The soldier must be assigned to an Airborne Unit.

Combat and Special Skill Badges

Only one of the following can be worn on the left chest above the pocket:

• Combat Infantry Badge—must have fought in active ground combat and be an infantry or special forces soldier. You can also have earned the badge more than once, in which case you would have a star on top of the badge. (Every conflict before Sept 18, 2001 counts as one badge, and every conflict after Sep 18, 2001, counts as a second badge. This mean the most any soldier could have at this moment would be two.)
• Expert Infantry Badge—The soldier must pass the Expert Infantry Badge Certification Test.
• Combat Action Badge—The soldier must have fought in active ground combat and not be an infantry or special forces soldier.
• Expert Soldier Badge—The soldier must pass the Expert Soldier Badge Certification Test
• Combat Medical Badge—The soldier must have fought in active ground combat and be a medical professional.
• Expert Field Medical Badge—The soldier must pass the Expert Field Medical Badge Certification Test

Additionally, other earned badges can be put on the left pocket:

• Army Aviator Badge
• Army Flight Surgeon Badge
• Army Astronaut Badge
• Explosive Ordinance Badge
• Parachutist Badge
• Pathfinder Badge
• Scuba Badge
• Military Freefall Parachutist Badge
• Air Assault Badge
• Diver Badges

Summary

There is a fine line between having a lot of badges and actually doing your job. It is generally impossible for a young 22-year-old soldier to have more than 4 qualification badges on the left pocket (there just is enough time for that to really happen).  Usually, more senior soldiers are selected for the training, and the badges require a soldier to spend one to three months training and certifying for the badge, which means that soldier won’t be doing his/her job. Supervisors are reluctant to lose their soldiers for long periods of time. (Ranger school is upwards of three months including the pre-Ranger course that is required; SCUBA school is 6 weeks, etc). There have been many examples of young soldiers getting out of basic training, buying a bunch of badges at the store, putting them on their uniform, and then flying home in their uniform and getting caught by senior soldiers in the airport.

If you have any questions about writing soldiers and their badges, let me know in the comments below. This post was current in 2024, but the Army military uniform is always evolving. You can find the most up-to-date information on current wear in the regulations.

The best way to ensure accuracy is to talk to service members who are experts in the time periods where your story takes place. A MilitaryTechnical Advisor can help you here.

Remember, the haters will look for every detail to discredit you, but your fans will love all the details that immerse them in the world you have created.

Let me know in the comments if you have any specific questions about Military Matters in writing.