The 73rd Cavalry Regiment 1st Squadron (1-73 CAV) organizational flash and Airborne background trimming insignia (“oval”) were both approved for wear on 23 November 2005.
Unlike the standard blue Army flash worn on the black beret since its introduction in 2001, an organizational flash represents a distinct unit or organization and is worn on one of four colored berets representing four types of units: maroon for Airborne (as is the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry), green for Special Forces, tan for Rangers, and brown for Security Force Assistance Command. Officers wear nonsubdued rank insignia centered on the flash (except Chaplains), while NCOs and junior Enlisted personnel serving in the 1-73 CAV wear the 73rd Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia in the same fashion.
“Oval” is shorthand for Airborne background trimming, an embroidered insignia authorized for wear by personnel serving in an Airborne-designated unit who have also earned a Parachutist or Air Assault badge. As the name implies, the oval serves as a backing for the badge to create a trim around the main portion of the insignia (though Senior and Master Parachutist badges are topped with a star and a wreathed star that extend beyond the border of the oval).
The oval-badge combination is considered a single item and is authorized for wear the AGSU and ASU coats, Class B ASU shirts, and for Female Soldiers the green or blue Army Maternity Tunic. Rules for the placement of the oval-badge combination are somewhat complicated and vary between uniforms; detailed wear guidance can be found in DA PAM 670-1,
Chapter 22-16 (b).
A subordinate unit of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment has deployed several times to Iraq and at least once to Afghanistan, with the entire Squadron tapped for two Meritorious Unit Commendations—the most recent for service between December 2016 and September 2017—and two of its Troops (B and C) each honored with a Valorous Unit Award.
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