The Maine Army National Guard Element, Joint Force Headquarters unit patch, or Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, was originally for HQ and HQ Detachment, Maine National Guard on 19 August 1949. It was redesignated Maine Army National Guard’s State Area Command on 30 December 1983, and almost thirty years later it was given its current designation on 1 October 2003.
While other states might have more trees because of their size, Maine is unsurpassed in the percentage of its territory made up of forest: Around ninety percent of the state is woodlands, with various types of pines forming the majority of trees, so many that the state is nicknamed the “Pine Tree State.” So it’s no surprise that a pine tree is the focal point not only of the Maine ARNG Element’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, but also its unit crest (see below) and the crest of color-bearing organizations; it’s also seen on the State flag and Great Seal.
The state’s National Guard falls under the purview of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management and is headquartered at at Camp Keyes in Augusta, Maine.
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Maine ARNG Element, Joint Force HQ Unit Crest (DUI)