It is not clear when the oval (technically called Airborne background trimming) worn by personnel in the 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment were approved for wear, but it could not have been before 1988, the year the unit became an Airborne organization. In March of that year, the unit—which had taken part in fifteen campaigns across both World War and the Korean War as an Artillery organization—was assigned to the 101st Airborne.
That assignment ended in 2004, and in 2005 it was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. As of 2021, the Battalion serves as a C-RAM unit (Counter Rocket Artillery Mortar) and is part of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. While the rest of the Brigade is based at Fort Bragg, the 2nd Battalion, 44th ADA is based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
In addition to the numerous battle honors from both World Wars and the Korean War, the Battalion’s lineage also includes participation in two campaigns in the First Gulf War (it was selected for a Meritorious Unit Commendation during this deployment) and six campaigns in the Global War on Terrorism (five for service in Iraq and one for Afghanistan). Including awards to individual Batteries and Detachments, the Battalion’s service over numerous deployments to the Middle East since 2003 has been recognized with nine Meritorious Unit Commendations, the most recent being announced in October 2020 for service between February and November 2018.
Airborne background trimming is worn by personnel in an Airborne-designated unit who have earned the Parachutist and/or Air Assault Badge, with the badge centered on the oval and placed on the AGSU and ASU coat, Class B ASU shirt, or Army Maternity Tunic (female Soldiers only). Full guidance regarding the wear and positioning of the oval-badge combination can be found in the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1,
Chapter 21-32 (b) and
Chapter 22-16 (b).
Related Items
2nd Battalion, 44th air Defense Artillery Unit Crest (DUI)