I began wearing the unit shoulder patch of the U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command in Jan.1969 after graduating from training at Fort Monmouth as a Tactical Microwave Radio Systems Repairmen (26L20) and getting my assignment to STRATCOM South Korea.

The patch for this signal command was first approved June 19, 1964. It is worn on the left shoulder of fatigues and Class A uniforms and comes in color or subdued (black and olive green) for the field which began about 1969 in Viet Nam. At first we had them made in the local village from fatigue scraps and embroidering but eventually we were issued a couple of the new patches. The patch is in the shape of a shield and is divided diagonally with a yellow-gold lightning flash. The shield is orange and white which are the colors for the Signal Corps and associated communication units. A superimposed globe with grid lines is in the middle of the patch with its colors reversed of that of the shield.

The color orange represents the flames used in early signaling at night and later the glow of a vacuum tube filament. White stands for purity, world wide service and daylight functions of around the clock operations. The globe represents world wide service and the lightning bolt is for fast reaction and response. It also represents electronics, communication and control through knowledge. Gold is the color of excellence, achievement and high standards of performance.