Something to be Proud of
"In union there is strength." ~Aesop
Many military people show their pride in a unique way. You can find out what they have accomplished in their military career by looking at the back window of their vehicle. I've driven behind many a car on a military base that has stickers galore on their back window. You will see Airborne, which means they have jumped out of airplanes and probably been affiliated with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, NC. You may see Air Assault, which means they have repelled down a rope suspended from the belly of a helicopter. You may just see a patch from the Screaming Eagles the 101st out of Ft Campbell, KY. These stickers are serious business, like a permanent tattoo on your car. When you put on a sticker from the unit you are most proud of , it is going to be there for a long time.
The same pride is seen in another aspect of a Soldiers life, the patch on the right shoulder of a uniform. The patch on the left shoulder is the division you are currently serving under. The patch on the right shoulder of a uniform is the division you went to war with. For the first 14 years of Vic's career, there were only a designated few who had patches on their right shoulder. Without war, there was little chance of earning this patch. Times have changed. A majority of Soldiers have not only one division they can proudly wear on their right shoulder, but numerous. The patch you wear into combat becomes a lot like a mental tattoo. Vic went to Iraq, first, with the 1st Infantry Division out of Europe (they have since moved to Ft Riley, KS). Their patch is a big rectangle with a red 1 in it and they are known as the Big Red One. The intense pride comes from the legacy of that division and where it has been in history. Soldiers wearing the same patch as Vic went into WWI, WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. There history is expansive. It is this sense of camaraderie with those who have gone before that gives a Soldier pride enough to put a sticker on their car, and even real tattoos on their bodies.
I haven't put stickers on my car since I left college. Living overseas for so many years, this was another aspect of operation security. We were told not to put anything on our car that would designate us as a target for terrorists. This worked well for me. If I put a sticker on my car, I'm pledging allegiance for life. The transition from one military assignment to another is hard enough without having to change my allegiance and loyalty from one division to another. As I look back on it, I realize I was probably protecting myself. When we lived in North Carolina, I was always proud to drive past the statue of Iron Mike on Ft Bragg. I drew the Airborne patch on things, I felt the pride that Vic felt. In Korea it was the same thing, I knew all of the patches and who they belonged to and I drew them as well. In Germany, I carried a coffee mug with the Big Red One on it, I was extremely proud of the Division we belonged to.
Some people put their affiliation on their car for everyone to see. Some tattoo on their bodies and know. I've tattooed them in my brain, line by line, color by color and tucked them away. Being a part of the history that goes with those patches, that is definitely something to be proud of.
Many military people show their pride in a unique way. You can find out what they have accomplished in their military career by looking at the back window of their vehicle. I've driven behind many a car on a military base that has stickers galore on their back window. You will see Airborne, which means they have jumped out of airplanes and probably been affiliated with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, NC. You may see Air Assault, which means they have repelled down a rope suspended from the belly of a helicopter. You may just see a patch from the Screaming Eagles the 101st out of Ft Campbell, KY. These stickers are serious business, like a permanent tattoo on your car. When you put on a sticker from the unit you are most proud of , it is going to be there for a long time.
The same pride is seen in another aspect of a Soldiers life, the patch on the right shoulder of a uniform. The patch on the left shoulder is the division you are currently serving under. The patch on the right shoulder of a uniform is the division you went to war with. For the first 14 years of Vic's career, there were only a designated few who had patches on their right shoulder. Without war, there was little chance of earning this patch. Times have changed. A majority of Soldiers have not only one division they can proudly wear on their right shoulder, but numerous. The patch you wear into combat becomes a lot like a mental tattoo. Vic went to Iraq, first, with the 1st Infantry Division out of Europe (they have since moved to Ft Riley, KS). Their patch is a big rectangle with a red 1 in it and they are known as the Big Red One. The intense pride comes from the legacy of that division and where it has been in history. Soldiers wearing the same patch as Vic went into WWI, WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. There history is expansive. It is this sense of camaraderie with those who have gone before that gives a Soldier pride enough to put a sticker on their car, and even real tattoos on their bodies.
I haven't put stickers on my car since I left college. Living overseas for so many years, this was another aspect of operation security. We were told not to put anything on our car that would designate us as a target for terrorists. This worked well for me. If I put a sticker on my car, I'm pledging allegiance for life. The transition from one military assignment to another is hard enough without having to change my allegiance and loyalty from one division to another. As I look back on it, I realize I was probably protecting myself. When we lived in North Carolina, I was always proud to drive past the statue of Iron Mike on Ft Bragg. I drew the Airborne patch on things, I felt the pride that Vic felt. In Korea it was the same thing, I knew all of the patches and who they belonged to and I drew them as well. In Germany, I carried a coffee mug with the Big Red One on it, I was extremely proud of the Division we belonged to.
Some people put their affiliation on their car for everyone to see. Some tattoo on their bodies and know. I've tattooed them in my brain, line by line, color by color and tucked them away. Being a part of the history that goes with those patches, that is definitely something to be proud of.
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