The organizational flash (also known as a “beret flash”) and Airborne background trimming (“oval”) worn by members of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment were both approved on 23 November 2005, the same date that the flash and oval for the Regiment’s 1st Squadron were approved.
Worn on the maroon beret authorized for personnel serving in Airborne units, the flash is placed on the beret’s stiffener with the wearer’s a nonsubdued insignia of rank (Officers) or Distinctive Unit Insignia (Enlisted) centered upon the flash. Exceptions to this general guidance include Chaplains (they wear insignia of branch rather than rank) and Enlisted personnel serving in a unit lacking a Distinctive Unit Insignia who wear their Regimental Distinctive Unit insignia in its place.
Ovals are placed beneath Parachutist and Air Assault badges and worn on AGSU and ASU coats, Class B ASU shirts, and green or blue Army Maternity Tunic. The combination of insignia and device are considered a single item toward the total number of badges allowed on each uniform type, with the outer edge of the oval (or the top of the star or wreath of the Senior and Master parachutist badges) used when measuring distance between this item and ribbons, medals, pockets, and other badges.
Detailed rules determining oval-badge placement are found in
Chapter 22-16(b) of the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1, Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia.
The 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, or 5-73 CAV, is a subordinate unit of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division and has deployed several times to the Middle East in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It has been tapped for two Meritorious Unit Commendations, one for service between August 2006 and October 2007 involving combat operations as part of Task Force Panther and another for a December 2008-2009 tour.
But it was the 5th Squadron’s role in Operation Turki Bowl, which began with the discovery of an elaborate trench system near the village of Turki. reated by a Wahabist insurgent faction known as “The Council” or “The Sunni Council.” Between 12 November 2006 and 14 January 2007, 5th Squadron carried out 14 squadron- and troop-level operations that led up to a linear, set-piece battle as opposed to the hit-and-run guerrilla tactics commonly used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By the end of the Operation, the Squadron had seized numerous weapons caches containing hundreds of thousands of rounds of small-arms and heavy machine-gun ammo along with anti-tank weapons, mortars, grenades, artillery rounds (convertible into IEDs), and other munitions. More significantly, the Operation also resulted in more than 250 Al Qaeda killed, greatly enhancing the safety of local Iraqi residents improving regional stability. In May 2011, the Squadron was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest military decoration awarded to units, for its actions during the three-month campaign.
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