Officially known as Airborne background trimming, the oval worn by members of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment who have earned a Parachutist or Air Assault badge was approved on 29 February 1988; whether a Leap Day was intentionally chosen to approve an Airborne-related insignia is unknown.
As the official name indicates, the oval is worn as a backing for those Skill badges, which are centered on the oval (without taking into account the protruding star or wreathed star of Senior and Master Parachutist badges) to create a border or trim around the badge. In the most recently updated Army uniform regulations—the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1—the oval-badge combination is authorized for wear on Service Uniform coats (AGSU and ASU), Service Uniform shirt (Class B ASU), and Maternity Tunics (green or blue and only for female Soldiers).
Information on ovals and general wear guidance for them is found
Chapter 21-32 (b) of the aforementioned manual, while more detailed instructions on the wear and placement of Skill badges with ovals is delineated in
Chapter 22-16 (b).
Serving alongside the 327th Infantry Regiment’s 1st Battalion as part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division since 16 September 2004, today’s 2nd Battalion 327th Infantry Regiment—2-327 INF for short—was originally formed as Company B, 327th Infantry, an element of the 82d Division and fought in three World War I campaigns.
Redesignated in August 1942 as Company B, 327th Glider Infantry, an element of the 101st Airborne Division, the unit took part in assault landings in two of the four World War II campaigns in which it fought. Its outstanding service in France, Belgium, and Germany between D-Day and the end of the World War II in Europe was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation (Battle of the Bulge) and several foreign military awards including the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Netherlands Orange Lanyard, Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm, and a Belgian Fourragere for its two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army.
After a seven-year period of inactivation while designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry, the unit was redesignated as HQ and HQ Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry, an element of the 101st Airborne Division and reactivated on 21 January 1964 and 3 February 1964, respectively.
It was one of a mere handful of units that took part in sixteen of the seventeen named campaigns in Vietnam, and its service during that time was honored with a Presidential Unit Citation, a Valorous Unit Award, three Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry with Palm awards, and an ROV Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class. The Battalion would not see combat again until the Gulf War of 1990-1991, where it fought in two campaigns and was tapped for its first Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC).
Still assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, the Battalion was deployed to Iraq at the star of Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning a Valorous Unit Award for its courage and heroism in combat between March and April of 2003 and its second MUC. Its service in Iraq over the next five years was recognized with three more MUCs, which were subsequently augmented with two more for action in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2015. As of 2021, the Battalion is still assigned to 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division and is based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.