The flash and oval authorized for personnel of the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division was originally approved on 23 December 2010 but was amended on 5 April 2011 to change the shade of the yellow used for the border.
Often called a beret flash but more accurately called an organizational flash since it is the insignia for single unit, this embroidered patch is worn centered on the stiffener of maroon berets that have been authorized specifically for Airborne-designated units since 1981. Officers place their pin-on metal rank insignia in the center of the flash, while Battalion members wear their Distinctive Unit Insignia (link below).
The oval is worn by members of an Airborne-designated unit who have also earned a Parachutist or Air Assault badge. It serves as a backing for the badge, with the main portion of the badge (excluding the star and wreath found on Senior and Master Parachutist badges). When worn together, a badge and an oval are considered a single item when calculating the maximum allowable badges and tabs. Instructions on that subject and positioning the badge-oval combination on AGSU and ASU coats, Service uniform shirts (ASU only), and the green or blue Army Maternity Tunic are found in Chapter 22-16 (b), DA PAM 670-1 (click here to read).