The Bowie knife that appears on the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB) is associated with Arkansas and is a distinct source of pride—so much so that the Bowie knife has been authorized to be the individual weapon of senior Brigade leaders since its conversion from a Division to a Brigade in 1967.
But these senior leaders can’t just scour the Internet to find any old version of this iconic bladed weapon. Instead, only knives that have been acquired by the Brigade Commander are authorized to be worn—and the Brigade Commander must source them from a particular craftsman in the state.
Worn on a pistol belt on the wearer’s left side of the Army Combat Uniform, the handle of the knife is based upon the wearer’s rank: ivory for Generals, stag horn for Colonels, black handles for Field-Grade Officers below Colonel, walnut for CWO-3 and higher, cherry wood for Sergeants Major and Command Sergeants Major, and cocobolo for Retired Master Sergeants.
Related Items
39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Unit Patch (SSI)
39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Unit Crest (DUI)