Commonly called a unit patch, the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by Idaho Army National Guard (ARNG) assigned to the state’s National Guard Joint Force Headquarters (HQ) was inspired by the original Idaho territorial seal featuring a large elk’s head above a shield.
An elk's head to the neck with full antlers is the crest which appeared on the first territorial seal of Idaho adopted on 5 March 1866. Idaho is home to over 120,000 of the magnificent creatures, making it a natural icon to invoke images of the state, but some reason the current design eschews highlighting the noble animal.
This Shoulder Sleeve Insignia was not approved for wear until 28 July 1975 when it was authorized for HQ and HQ Detachment, Idaho ARNG. It was redesignated and given a new description when it was assigned to the HQ State Area Command, Idaho Army National Guard. The description would have to be revised one more time for the final redesignation which took place on 1 October 2003
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Idaho ARNG Element, Joint Force HQ Unit Crest (DUI)