The Individual Ready Reserve patch, officially referred to as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Military Operations in Hostile Conditions (SSI-MOHC) insignia, was approved on 14 October 1980. It was amended on 18 August 1987 to revise the symbolism. The color patch is worn on the Army Green Service Uniform, while the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) patch comes in versions for the now-obsolete ACU made with the UCP (Universal Camouflage Pattern) and the current ACU and its OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern).
The insignia’s triangular shape recalls the tricorn hat of America’s colonial era and commemorates the readiness of individual citizens of that time to come to the aid of their country, a concept reinforced with the insignia’s red, white, and blue colors. A star in the center of an annulet (circle) represents the U.S. Army Reserve Personnel Center, the organization which provides central management the coordination of assignments of all Individual Ready Reserve Soldiers.
Four outward-pointing placed at the four main points of a compass is an allusion to the locations around the world to which Reservists might be assigned, while the disc with blue and red hemispheres behind the annulet is a symbol of Reservists’ dual status as citizens and Reserve Soldiers.
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Individual Ready Reserve Unit Crest (DUI)The Individual Ready Reserve is made up trained individuals who have previously served in the Active Army or Selected Reserve who can be called upon to replace Soldiers serving active duty or in Army Reserve units. Many of these are Soldiers who need to fulfill their Military Service Obligation (MSO), but Soldiers who have completed their MSO can choose to remain in the IRR unless for they are ineligible for some reason.