Headquartered first inside the city of Saigon and later at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, the U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam was originally created to augment the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group, but within two years it subsumed that organization in a move to consolidate the oversight of ever-increasing numbers of personnel from all branches of the Armed Forces of the United States. The Military Assistance Command Vietnam Shoulder Sleeve Insignia was first approved 10 February 1966 for wear by all Army personnel serving in Vietnam, but was amended on 22 September 1971 so that only those personnel assigned directly to MACV could wear the patch.
Red and yellow are the colors of the Republic of Vietnam and its flag, and the wall with the breach represents the Great Wall of China and an opening to allow aid to flow to the North Vietnamese Army. An upright sword through the breach indicates offensive action to halt the aggressive forces of North Vietnam and, by extension, China. But while China did supply a large number of troops to North Vietnam, especially Engineers and Anti-Aircraft units, it refrained from sending combat forces into action against U.S. troops in South Vietnam.
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