UNKNOWN   TANK   GUNNERY   PATCHES



            Unfortunately, there are many qualification patches for which there is no solid identification. This article illustrates some such patches. If you have any information concerning which units may have worn these patches, please contact the website's author. See Figures 1–13.

Figure 1

1969 Distinguished TCQC patch. Appears to be German made, embroidered on twill with a standard edge. Two things set this patch off from other qualification patches. First, the yellow is a lemon yellow, rather than the standard golden yellow. Second, this patch is small – only 4" wide.

Figure 2

1971 Distinguished CEV Crew patch. German made, embroidered on twill with a standard edge. Oddly, this patch appears to depict a World War I era French Renault Light Tank. The Renault equipped two of the three U.S. Army tank battalions that saw combat in World War I.

Figure 3

1973 TCQC patch. German made, embroidered on twill with a standard edge. This patch is similar to the style worn by the 8th Infantry Division(Mech), except that 8th Infantry Div(M) patches have the year enclosed within a rectangle with a black border. This patch may just be a variation worn by 8th ID soldiers.

Figure 4

1974 Distinguished Chaparral patch. German made, embroidered on twill with a standard edge. "ASP" stands for "Annual Service Practice," which is what air defense artillery units called their annual gunnery qualification exercise.

Figure 5

1976 Distinguished TCQC patch. Unclear if this is a German made or U.S. made patch. Embroidered on twill with a standard edge.

Figure 6

M60A2 Qualified TCQC patch. U.S. made, embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge.

Figure 7

"Abrams Certified" patch. German made, embroidered on twill with a standard edge. This patch may have been issued to tank crews that successfully transitioned from M60 series tanks to the M1 Abrams. The shape of the patch suggests it may have been issued by the 1st Armored Division. See Main Article, Figure 8.

Figure 8

"Qualified Tank Crew" patch. Appears to be U.S. made. Embroidered on twill with a standard edge.

Figure 9

"Distinguished Bradley" patch. Appears to be U.S. made. Embroidered on twill with a standard edge. This patch also comes in "Qualified" and "Superior." The shape of this patch is similar to qualification patches that were worn by the 2nd Bn, 69thArmor, so this patch may have been worn by 2–69 Armor.

Figure 10

"Tank Gunnery Combat Proficiency Distinguished Crew" patch. Appears to be U.S. made. Embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge.

Figure 11

"Task Force Irwin 1976 Tank Crew Tactical Proficiency In Desert Operations" patch. U.S. made. Embroidered on twill with a merrowed edge. "Irwin" probably refers to Fort Irwin, California. There were no tactical units stationed at Fort Irwin in 1976, so this patch was presumably awarded to a unit stationed elsewhere that moved to Fort Irwin temporarily. Finally, this patch was apparently awarded for "tactical proficiency" rather than tank gunnery.

Figure 12

"Red Eye Air Defense" patch. U.S. made. Fully embroidered with a merrowed edge.

Figure 13

"Redeye Qualified Gunner" patch. German made. Embroidered on twill with a standard edge.