Though not shaped like a true oval, the Army’s Airborne background trimming is close enough in appearance to an oval to warrant use of the shorthand phrase. This embroidered insignia is worn by personnel serving in an Airborne-designated unit who have earned a Parachutist and/or Air Assault badge, with the badge being centered on the oval before it is placed on a Service Uniform coat (AGSU, ASU8, or ASU Dress variant, a Service Uniform shirt (Class B ASU only), or Army Maternity Tunic (blue or green).
Though two distinctive items, the oval and the badge centered on it are considered a single item when calculating badge limits for the various authorized uniforms. Regulations for the positioning of the badge and oval vary between these authorized uniforms; detailed instructions for determining badge positions on them are found in
Chapter 22-16, subsection (b) of the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1.
The Special Troops Battalion of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division was originally constituted under that designation on 16 September 2014. Over the next decade, the Battalion was deployed as part of the 4th BCT on several occasions in support of the War on Terrorism, and the superior quality of its service between 2005 and 2013 was recognized three times with a Meritorious Unit Commendation. Its last MUC, for service between 22 May and 22 November 2013, was announced in an Army General Order published on 10 July 2014—two-and-a-half months after an inactivation ceremony was held for the Battalion on 25 April 2014.
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Special Troops Battalion, 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Unit Crest (DUI)