The 4th Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment—nicknamed the “Gold Falcons”—is a now-inactive unit that was formed through the reflagging of the 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment in 1983. The Gold Falcons enjoyed their most successful mission when they carried out a nighttime parachute assault on Torrijos Airport in Panama City, Panama as part of Operation Just Cause. This was followed by an operation to secure the district containing the Papal Nunciatura—the Vatican’s embassy in Panama—where Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega fled to avoid capture and was famously flushed out of hiding after enduring
ten days of rock, pop, metal, disco, and even novelty songs blasted at concert-level volumes aimed at Noriega's would-be sanctuary.
According to the reference book
U.S. Army Flashes, Patches and Ovals by Barry Jason Stein, the 325th Infantry Regiment, 4th Battalion beret flash and oval—technically referred to as “Airborne background trimming—were originally approved on 2 May 1983, but were worn from 19 July 1991. More interesting than these approval dates is Stein’s inclusion of a photo of a “humped” oval designed to accommodate the star and/or star-wreath “crest” found on the Senior and Master Parachutists Badge.
The beret flash is worn on the maroon beret authorized to the Battalion to signify its Airborne status. The oval—technically referred to as "Airborne background trimming"—is worn beneath Parachutist and/or Air Assault badges that are worn on Service Uniform coats (AGSU and ASU, including ASU Dress variation) and Service Uniform shirts, as well as by female Soldiers only on the blue or green Army Maternity Tunic.
Detailed wear guidance for both insignia are found in
paragraph 21-32, subsections (a) and (b) of DA PAM 670-1. Exceptions to the rules regarding Enlisted personnel and the wear of insignia on the flash are detailed in
paragraph 4-10(e) of DA PAM 670-1.
Note: Neither the beret flash nor the Airborne background trimming may be worn with the Class B Army Green Service Uniform.