UNITED STATES ARMY RETIRED PATCH (OLD)

The recommendation for the creation of a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) to be worn by former Army personnel who meet the requirements to be considered Retired (“retirees”) was first approved by the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel on 15 August 1985. On 23 February 1987, this design was approved for wear on the left shoulder of the Army Green Uniform in the same location where Active Duty Soldiers wore their current unit SSI.

This design was also used for a Retired Service ID Badge to be worn on the wearer’s left side of the blue Army Service Uniform when the old Army Green Uniform was discontinued in 2015.

By the time the Army Green Service Uniform was revived in November 2018, however, retiring Soldiers were offered the choice of this patch and its tradition or a new patch based on the Army’s “Soldier For Life” initiative introduced in 2012 (see link below).

For this original Retiree patch, our nation’s colors of red, white, and blue—symbolizing sacrifice, purity, and loyalty—are exclusively used. Its circle design denotes accomplishment and a full, completed career in the United States Army, represented by the blue-and-white adaptation of the Coat of Arms of the United States, i.e., the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States used frequently in Army heraldry and insignias.