The no-nonsense United States Eighth Army Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or unit patch, displays an octagon of alternating red and white sections; the colors are used for distinguishing flags for Armies and the eight-sided octagon represents the organization’s numerical designation. It was approved a month before the Army’s activation on 10 June 1944.
Relieving Sixth Army in the Pacific Theater, Eighth Army quickly was nicknamed the “Amphibious Eighth” as it made beach assaults on over five dozen islands starting in New Guinea; its motto, “Pacific Victors,” followed fast thereafter as it constantly dislodged and eliminated Japanese defenders on each of the islands (the motto is featured on the
8th Army Distinctive Unit Insignia). Its final offensive began on the Leyte in December 26, from where it moved on to Luzon and then spent the final months of the war driving Japanese occupation forces from the Philippines, including the major island of Mindanao.
In the Korean War, the Eighth Army helped bolster the defensive line dubbed the Pusan Perimeter in the southeast corner of South Korea in the summer and fall of 1950, repelling the North Korean onslaught before boarding transports and taking part in the Inchon landings much farther to the north and behind North Korean lines. Eight Army pushed deep into North Korea, almost to the border with China—only to be hurled back by a tsunami of Chinese forces. Following a long retreat, the Eighth regrouped, returned to the famous 38th Parallel, and established a more or less stable line, not only for the duration of the war, but until this day: the Eighth is still stationed in South Korea at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.
Related ItemsUnited States Army Eighth Army Unit Crest (DUI)