Blue and white, the primary colors used for the Minnesota state flag, are used exclusively in the design of the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by the Minnesota Army National Guard (ARNG) personnel assigned to Joint Force Headquarters (HQ), Minnesota National Guard.
White is used as a border for the sky-blue shield, a five-pointed star centered horizontally in the upper portion of the insignia, the seven rays streaming from the star, and a wavy horizontal bar near the bottom of the shield. The star represents the North Star, titled “L’Etoile du Nord” on the state flag and state seal and reason for Minnesota to sometimes be called the “North Star State.”
Wavy bars symbolize water or waterways in heraldry, and here they recall Minnesota’s reputation as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” and even the state’s name: “Minnesota” is said to have been derived from the Sioux language’s phrase for “water tinted like the sky” or “sky-tinted water.”
This Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or unit patch, has been designated for personnel in the Minnesota ARNG Element, Joint Force HQ, Minnesota National Guard since 1 October 2003. For the previous twenty years, the insignia had been designated for HQ, State Area Command, Michigan ARNG beginning on 30 December 1983. It was first designated for HQ and HQ Detachment, Minnesota ARNG on 23 April 1970.
Related Items
Minnesota ARNG Element, Joint Force HQ Unit Crest (DUI)