Apparently the military has dispensed with idea that exceptionalism is an idea to be appreciated and rewarded. Perhaps it’s an effort to knock the knees out from under the entire American exceptionalism mindset. At any rate, it has members of the military furious. It will, no doubt, make you furious too.
Soldiers are livid after being told to remove their combat patches in an attempt to be “welcoming” to new recruits.
It’s an insane move that goes against the unofficial combat patch creed: “You earn it. You keep it. You wear it.” But that’s apparently the policy now for Fort Carson’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Soldiers are told to strip their uniforms bare to the bone, only showing the name, rank, American Flag, U.S. Army tape and the 4th Infantry Division insignia, the Army Times is reporting.
According to officials, the move is designed to promote a “unified army culture.”
Brigade Commander Col. David Hodne issued the requirement. He told the Colorado Gazette it’s not about making new recruits feel jealous.
The colonel said he made the switch for a couple of reasons. One was to welcome new blood.
Hodne’s unit, which has seen a radical reorganization over the past year from tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles to eight-wheeled Strykers, is loaded with brand-new privates whose uniforms are bare of insignia. Instead of standing out, the new guys look like everyone else in training.
“It’s about the collective, it’s not about the individual,” Hodne explained during a training exercise last week at Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site east of Trinidad.
He also wants to send a message to veterans who have as much gear decorating their uniform as the brigade’s boss.
“Character counts more than your resume,” he said. “It’s heart more than what you did five or six years ago.”
The uniform change is a subtle reminder to all the brigade’s soldiers that they have to keep learning to keep up with the emerging threats of a still dangerous world, Hodne said.