Regimental Combat Teams Patches History 4
Increasingly during World War II, infantry regiments employed the regimental combat team (RCT) concept.  A regimental combat team might be a group of combat units; for example, it might include an artillery battalion, an engineer company, a medical company, and a signal detachment, all supporting the infantry regiment employed to accomplish a given mission.  The sub-legions of the postcolonial period (1792 - 96) commanded by the Revolutionary War hero Anthony Wayne were the predecessors of the regimental combat team.  Regimental combat teams, formed after World War II and during the Korean War to perform limited tactical objectives, were composed of an infantry regiment, a field artillery battalion, and an engineer company.  The colors are blue and white for infantry, red for artillery, and red and white for engineers.

Information extracted from the book "US ARMY PATCHES"  by Barry Jason Stein

USED BY PERMISSION

The design on the insignia is a representation of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, in profile, from the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.

The gold pheon, an ancient combat weapon, symbolizes the unity and readiness of the organization to accomplish its mission.

The bust of the Spanish soldier represents the early militia of Puerto Rico, organized in 1510 by Juan Ponce de Leon, which gloriously participated in the defense of the Island against the English and Dutch in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries.

The fighting cock represents the alertness, disposition, and gallantry of the organization.  It is also a symbol of the team's home station, being closely associated with the history and tradition of the Puerto Rican people.

The ancient Hawaiian warrior and spear are symbols of courage and skill in the art of combat.  This unit was assigned to the National Guard with headquarters in Hawaii.

The shield shape symbolizes the combat mission of the team.  The ancient Hawaiian warrior's spear denotes fighting spirit, and the three prongs indicate the unity of the three-island command.  The kahili represents peace and sovereignty.  Together the devices indicate the team's alertness in peace and war.  The mountain peaks, whose outline forms the letter "M," allude to the famous mountains of the area.  The white circle of the moon and the water further depict special features of the territory of Hawaii to which the unit was allocated.

The shape of the insignia was suggested by the blade of a battle-ax and alludes to the mission and striking power of the organization.

The red and white bomb burst on a blue background represents the national colors.  The yellow arm wielding a bloody sword represents Americans of Japanese ancestry who volunteered for service in defense of their country.

The 442nd Infantry was activated in 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, with personnel of Japanese ancestry who were American citizens having resided in the United States since birth.  The design of the insignia is representative of liberty holding the torch of light, which represents guidance.  Red, white, and blue are the national colors.

Campaigns:  World War II (Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Anzio, North Apennines, Rhineland, Po Valley).

Decorations:  Presidential Unit Citation -- Army (streamers embroidered Belvedere; Biffontaine; France and Italy; and Gothic Line).

The heraldic creature, the winged wyvern, symbolizes the airborne fighting power of the team.

Scarlet, blue, and yellow are the colors of the various groups that make up a combat team.  The lightning flash represents the effective teamwork of the organization.  The abstraction of two parts of a grenade, the safety pin pull ring and the safety lever, symbolizes the mission of a combat team to arm and strike.  They also simulate two nines, indicating the numerical designation of the unit.  This elite unit was made up of men of Norwegian-American ancestry specially trained for a planned action in Scandinavia.  The war ended before this action could take place.

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