Also called an organizational flash, this shield-style embroidered patch with a semi-circular bottom was worn by members of the 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment (Special Operations) (Airborne) beginning in August 1990. It is centered on the stiffener of the marron beret authorized for wear by all members of Airborne units or organizations, regardless of their individual Airborne qualifications. Battalion Officers (except Chaplains) wear their insignia of rank centered on the flash, while NCOs and Junior Enlisted Soldiers wear the 245th Aviation Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia.
Also worn starting in August 1990, the Airborne background trimming, or “oval,” was worn by Battalion personnel who had earned a Parachutist and/or Air Assault badge. This embroidered insignia served as backing for the badge, with its main portion (excluding the star and wreath on some Parachutist badges) centered on the oval.
Before the 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment was inactivated for the first time in 1994, the oval-badge combination was worn on the coat of the Army Green Uniform that was phased out in 2015 and on the Army Green 415 shirt; today, the combo is authorized for on AGSU and ASU coats, the Class B ASU shirt, and the green or blue Army Maternity Tunic. Complete guidance on the wear of an Airborne oval-badge combination can be found in
Chapter 21-32(a) and (b) of the January 2021 edition of the DA PAM 670-1.
Prior to its designation as 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment (Special Operations) (Airborne) in the Oklahoma Army National Guard on 1 October 1987, the unit was designated as the 45th Aviation Battalion (SO)(A) and was tapped as the “round-out” unit for the famed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, or SOAR. It is not clear how much time passed between the Battalion’s inactivation in 1994 and its subsequent reactivation, but the Battalion was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010-2011 and was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for that tour of service on 19 December 2011.
The 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment is no longer listed as an active unit in the Oklahoma National Guard.
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