For nearly 100 years, U.S. Army soldiers have designed and worn unit insignia, also known as unit patches. And for roughly the same amount of time, soldiers have made fun of each other’s patches.
Related: 13 of the best military morale patches
The tradition of Army patches dates to 1918, when the 81st Infantry Division deployed to Europe wearing a shoulder insignia they had designed for training exercises in South Carolina. Other units complained about the unauthorized unit item to Gen. John Pershing, who, rather than punishing the 81st, authorized the patch and recommended that other units design their own.
Since then, units have designed and worn patches that motivated soldiers, honored the unit lineage, and encapsulated military history. This is a sampling of some of those unit patches, along with the alternate names by which soldiers remember them.
1. “Leaning Sh-thouse” – 1st Theater Sustainment Command
The arrow is supposed to symbolize the command’s ability to fulfill its mission quickly and effectively, but soldiers decided it looked like an outhouse dropped on a hill.
2. Broken TV: “Third Infantry Division”
The three lighter stripes symbolize the three major campaigns the division fought in during World War I, while the darker stripes symbolize the loyalty of the soldiers who gave their lives. Once TVs were invented, the similarity between a broken set and the patch was undeniable.
3. “Four Lieutenants Pointing North”: 4th Infantry Division
The Future of Victory for the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division
The U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division wants you to see their patch and relate the four ivy leaves to fidelity and tenacity. The rest of the Army sees it and just thinks about lieutenants getting lost on the land navigation course.
4. “Crushed Beer Can”: 7th Infantry Division
This is supposed to be an hourglass formed from two 7s, a normal one and an inverted one. Of course, it really looks more like a can that someone crushed with their bare hands.
5. “Flaming Anus”: 9th Infantry Division
You see it. You know you do.
6. “Gaggin’ Dragon”: 18th Airborne Corps
Their mascot is a Sky Dragon, so they went with a big, scary dragon… that needs someone to administer the Heimlich maneuver.
7. “Electric Strawberry”: 25th Infantry Division
The 25th is based out of Hawaii. Its patch is a taro leaf, native to Hawaii, with a lightning bolt showing how fast the division completes its missions. Since no one knows what a taro leaf is, most soldiers call it the electric strawberry. They also sometimes get called “Hawaii Power and Light.”
8. “Days Inn”: 41st Infantry Division
Like the 3rd Infantry Division’s, there was nothing odd about this patch when it was adopted during World War I. Still, if you’re only familiar with the hotel chain, this patch feels like something dangerously close to copyright infringement.
Some soldiers from this unit volunteered for service in Afghanistan in 2008, an experience chronicled in the documentary “Shepherds of Helmand.”
9. “Alcoholics Anonymous”: 82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division was named the All-American Division after a contest held in Atlanta. The patch’s two A’s are meant to call to mind the “All-American” nickname, but many people are, of course, reminded of the alcoholic support group. This wasn’t helped by the division’s reputation for hard drinking.
10. “Choking Chicken”: 101st Airborne Division
The 101st was originally based in Wisconsin, and they modeled their unit patch after “Old Abe,” a bald eagle carried into combat by the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. While Abe was a distinguished bald eagle, the unit patch could easily be seen instead as a chicken with corn stuck in its windpipe.
