The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, more commonly referred to as a unit patch, was originally approved for the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center on 22 October 1962. Since that time, it has redesignated and amended several times to reflect the organization’s changing title and mission.
On 3 August 1964, it was redesignated for the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare, followed by a second redesignation for the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Center for Military Assistance on 25 July 1969. (The latter change was likely spurred by the country’s involvement in Vietnam, the first conflict where the Special Forces trained at the Center were deployed in significant numbers.) It was amended to extend authorization for wear to personnel assigned to the U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance on 26 August 1981, and on 21 February 1984 it was given its current designation.
In the center of the insignia, a shining oil lamp is surmounted over a pair of crossed arrows. The lamp is an allusion to the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center, the organization’s original designation, as well as to the U.S. Army Special Warfare School, with the lamp’s three flames representing three primary areas of instruction: Psychological Operations, Counter Insurgency, and Unconventional Warfare.
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John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center Beret Flash and/or OvalThe School is also represented by the shape of the lamp itself. Nearly all images of oil lamps in heraldry are inspired by the single-handled, single-wick lamp often called a “genie lamp.” Here, the three wicks and two spouts form an outline that simulates the Greek letter “Psi,” which symbolically refers to Psychology, the study of the collective traits, actions, feelings, and of the mind, with the tongues of flame suggesting both the spoken and written words that are the major implements of Psychological Warfare.
Further, the three flames strongly resemble the heraldic specification “embattled,” i.e., to be prepared for battle (also the top of a crenelated castle wall). The crossed arrows recall the stealth and silence employed by our nation’s frontiersmen in their fight for the freedom they sough to enjoy in the New World, as well as their resourcefulness in developing wasplike, hit-and-run tactics and use of irregular tactics, techniques, and logistics. Additionally, the straight and true flight of an arrow is an excellent symbol of today’s Special Forces.
The black background is the color of wisdom and foresight; the white of the lamp embodies faith and perfection; and yellow is for inspiration and steadiness. Black and white are also a reference to the three major classifications of propaganda used by Special Warfare units, ranging from the complete truth (white) to complete fabrications and falsehoods (black) and gray somewhere in between.