Military Assistance Patches History 3

USTDC	Worn from: Unknown - Current. Approved for local wear only. Red, white, and blue are the national colors of Nationalist China and the United States. The stars and stripes suggest the American flag while the Chinese twelve-pointed sun is taken from the flag of China. The letters are the unit's designation. Taiwan has been run by the Nationalist Party, whose leaders fled there after losing the civil war in China to the Communists in 1949. The following year, President Harry Truman sent the Seventh Fleet to guard the island against communist attack. United States diplomatic relations with Taiwan were downgraded in the 1970's after the United States established formal relations with China. The United States has not taken sides lately in the dispute between China and Taiwan. It has urged them to settle their differences peacefully.
AFNORTH	Worn from: 1 April 1949 - 1954. The insignia depicts a Viking long ship as seen from its port side and alludes to northern Europe and the ancestors of the Scandinavians.
USFK	Worn from: 1950's. Approved for local wear only. The inscription is the unit's designation while the design below is a stylized American eagle (stars and stripes) holding in its talons an olive branch, the symbol for peace.
Scty. Platoon Spec Troops Vietnam	Worn from: 1950's - 1960's. Above and below the shield is the unit's designation. Within the shield is a sword in an upward position representing striking power. It is superimposed over infantry crossed rifles on an infantry-blue background.
KCOMZ	Worn from: 1953. The beacon fire is symbolic of the old Korean system of communications. Until 1885 there were five lines of beacon fires around the country by means of which messages could reach the capital from the most distant points in a few hours. A flaming light is also a symbol of liberty.
KCOMZ2	Worn from: September 1953 - June 1955. The design of the insignia is that of a fire beacon and alludes to the old Korean system of alert communications. This system of lines of lighted beacon fires was used to alert the capital of danger. The flaming torch also is a symbol of liberty.
AFCommun	Worn from: 4 May 1954 - Unknown. The star on the patch represents the North Star and the unit's main elements in Alaska. Orange flashes suggest electronic communica - tions dispersing to all points of the globe. Orange and white are the colors of the Signal Corps.
MDW	Worn from: 2 September 1942 - Current. The functions of the organization are indicated by the double-handed sword, symbolic of protection, placed over the Washington Monument, representing the area concerned. The blue represents the navy and the infantry; the scarlet the field artillery, coast artillery, and engineers. The green and gold represent the military police.
HQBerlinBde	Worn from: Unknown. Approved for local wear only. The origin and the design is unknown. The inscription is in Latin and means, "These things we protect."
BerlinDist	Worn from: Late 1940's - 1960's. The colors black, yellow, and red are taken from the German flag. The Brandenburg Gate is symbolic of the city of Berlin.
USAB	Worn from: 14 April 1970 - 26 October 1970. Re-designated: Berlin - United States Army. Worn from: 26 October 1970 - 1 October 1990. The design of the patch is that of the United States Army, Europe patch with the addition of the "Berlin" tab.
55th Cmd HQ Div	Worn from: 21 December 1964 - Late 1960's. The white ground with the red saltire was suggested by the state flag of Florida. The sun alluded to the Sunshine State, the sobriquet by which Florida is known. The sun also refers to the command headquarters and the five pointed and five wavy rays indicate the numerical designation.