While U.S. Army Regulations allow only three skill tabs to be worn at one time on the combat or similar utility uniform, the “Mountain” tab does not count toward that limit. The “Mountain” tab is a temporary tab, worn only by those Army personnel serving in a qualifying unit, and is considered an actual, integral part of the unit’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or unit patch. And there is only one unit in the Army that wears an insignia which includes the “Mountain” tab: the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum in New York.
Many members of the 10th Mountain are likely to have earned skill tabs, such as “Ranger” or “Special Forces” that are worn permanently (regardless of current unit assignment) and that do count toward the three-tab limit on the combat uniform. In these cases, the skill tabs are worn above the “Mountain” tab, which is worn centered above the 10tth Mountain Division unit patch featuring a pair of crossed knives.
The Wikipedia entry for the 10th Mountain Division states that it has been the most deployed Army unit since the Global War on Terror was launched in 2001, while the Division’s official Web site says that it has been the most deployed unit since it was reactivated in 1985 following 28 years of inactivation. And according to the U.S. Army Center for Military History, the 10th Mountain Division has earned a total of five Meritorious Unit Citations since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom.