The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (shoulder patch) worn by personnel serving at the United States Army School of the Americas was approved for wear on 30 December 1982. With the passage of the 2001 National Defense Authorization Act in 2000, the organization was redesignated as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation and new insignias were approved for it, making this patch obsolete.
The design of the patch is identical to that of United States Army South except the colors have been counterchanged: the background inside the disc is white (silver) and the galleon is blue, as opposed to U.S. Army South’s white galleon and blue background. The galleon recalls the predominantly explorers of the Caribbean region during the 16th and 17th centuries, with the white background specifically alluding to the discovery of the “New World” during that time.
A Maltese cross on the mainsail is an allusion to Columbus, who flew this insignia during his explorations. On 12 October 1492, Columbus made landfall on an island called Guanahani by the native inhabitants and christened San Salvador by the explorer.