U.S. ARMY 511TH INFANTRY REGIMENT BERET FLASH AND/OR OVAL

The 511th Infantry Regiment beret flash and Airborne background trimming, colloquially referred to as an oval, were both approved on 13 May 1993. This was less than a month before the Regiment’s thirty-five-year period of inactivation was ended with the activation of Company A, 511th Infantry. But the Regiment was inactivated again in November 1995, and while Company A, 511th Infantry reactivated in 1997, it would serve only as a testing unit and not be deployed for combat before its final inactivation in 2005.
 

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Also called an organizational flash, this shield-shaped symbol with arched base is worn centered on the stiffener of the maroon beret to reflect the organization’s Airborne status (flashes are also worn on green, tan, and brown berets for members of Special Forces, Ranger, or Security Assistance Command/Brigade units). Officers wear their non-subdued, pin-on insignia of grade centered on the flash, while NCOs and Junior Enlisted personnel wear their Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called a "unit crest") or, if their unit lacks a DUI, their Regimental Distinctive Insignia.

Unlike the beret flash, which is worn by all personnel serving in an authorized unit, the oval is worn only by those personnel in an Airborne or Air Assault unit who have been awarded a Parachutist or Air Assault Badge. The basic portion of the badge (excluding the star and star-and-wreath of Senior and Master Parachutist badges) is centered on the oval, and the two items are considered as one for measurement and placement, which is detailed in paragraph 22–16b(3)(d) of the January 2021 edition DA PAM 670-1.

Ovals are authorized for wear by male and female personnel on AGSU and ASU coats (including ASU Dress variation) and Service Uniform shirts, as well as by female personnel on the green and blue Army Maternity Tunic.

Related Items:
511th Infantry Regiment Unit Crest