The design of the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by members of the Louisiana Army National Guard assigned to the state’s National Guard HQ—a white mother pelican feeding three silver-gray young—is taken from the device found on the Louisiana State Seal. Yellow and blue used for the field and border of the patch are taken from the colors of the Louisiana state flag.
The imagery is inspired by the centuries-old belief that female pelicans were extremely attentive to the care of their young, even to the point of tearing open their own breast flesh and feeding their offspring with their blood, a practice referred to as vulning. Neither the state seal of Louisiana nor this unit patch actually displays a pelican vulning, but the position of the parent pelican’s head does make it appear that way at first glance.
This insignia was originally approved for HQ and HQ Detachment, along with other nondivisional elements of the Louisiana Army National Guard, on 18 June 1969. It was redesignated for HQ, State Area Command, Louisiana Army National Guard on 30 December 1983. On 1 October 2003, the insignia was given its current designation for the Louisiana Army National Guard Element, Joint Force HQ, along with an amendment updating the description.
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