Designated as a Long-Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) or a Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) depending on the source, Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP) was in existence for a very brief time, from December 1967 until February 1969.
Based at Camp Evans north of Hue and serving with the 1st Cavalry Division, the 120-man unit took part in key actions during its short service life, including assisting in ending the siege of Khe Sanh, reclaiming the city of Hue, and Operation Jeb Stuart III. It was redesignated as H Company, 75th Rangers, which was inactivated in August 1972; its lineage was inherited by 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in 1974.
According to the reference book
U.S. Army Patches, Flashes and Ovals by Barry Jason Stein, the organizational flash and Airborne background trimming (oval) were both approved for wear on 31 August 1995. The flash is worn centered on the maroon beret, signifying the unit’s Airborne status, with Officers wearing their non-subdued insignia of rank centered upon, while Junior Enlisted Soldiers and NCOs wear either their Distinctive Unit Insignia or, if no DUI has been approved, the Regimental Distinctive Insignia (in this case the
52nd Infantry Regiment DUI, also called a
unit crest).
Unlike flashes which are worn by all personnel in a unit, ovals are worn only by members who have earned the Parachutist and/or Air Assault badge. The oval is worn underneath the badge, with the two components considered to be one device when calculating the maximum number of devices allowed on a specific uniform type. When measuring the distance between the badge-and-oval and other devices, use the outermost edge regardless of whether it is the oval or the badge.