The 505th Infantry Regiment Headquarters Airborne background trimming (better known as an “oval”) and beret flash were both approved on 8 July 1992 for the Regiment’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, or HHC. Its red border and blue interior serve as the template for the design of the ovals and flashes approved for the Battalions that make up the 505th Infantry Regiment.
Ovals are dubbed “Airborne background trimming” because they are placed beneath Air Assault and/or Parachutists Badges, with the badges centered on the oval (except the star and star-and-wreath of Senior and Master Parachutist Badges are not included in the centering calculation). The combination is worn on the AGSU and ASU coats and Service Uniform shirts (except on the Class B AGSU); female Soldiers only may wear the combo on the blue or green Army Maternity tunic. Complete wear guidance for ovals is found paragraph 21–32(b)2, DA PAM 670-1.
Officially referred to as an organizational flash because it is worn only by personnel in a specific unit or organization, the 505th Infantry Regiment HQ flash is worn centered on the stiffener of the maroon beret, the color of the beret having been used to represent Airborne units for four decades. Officers wear their non-subdued insignia of grade centered on the flash, while NCOs and Junior Enlisted personnel in the 505th Infantry Regiment wear the 505th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, also known as a unit crest.
Click here to view that insignia and to read a synopsis of the Regiment’s history and lineage.