Originally approved for the 801st Maintenance Battalion on 29 February 1988, this oval (officially called “Airborne background trimming”) was redesignated for the 801st Support Battalion on 29 June 2002. The Battalion itself was originally constituted as the 801st Ordnance Company on 2 October 1942.
The oval is worn by personnel in the Battalion who have qualified for a Parachutist and/or Air Assault badge. The oval is placed beneath the badge with the main portion (i.e., excluding the star and wreathed star on the top of some Parachutist badges) centered on the oval. Oval-badge combinations are authorized for wear on AGSU and ASU coats, Class B AGSU shirts, and Army Maternity Tunics (female Soldiers only).
Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 801st Support Battalion has been tapped for a total of five Meritorious Unit Commendations (MUCs), the first for service between March and August 2003 while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and the remaining four while assigned as the 801st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. These honors are in addition to four MUCs and two Valorous Unit Awards earned by individual Companies in the Battalion.
The Battalion’s last MUC, for service in Afghanistan between 22 May 2013 and 22 November 2013, was announced on 10 July 204 in Army General Order No. 2014–47, just under a month-and-a-half after the Battalion had cased its colors in an inactivation ceremony held on 25 April 2014 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Rules regarding placement of these Skill badges are different for each of the authorized uniforms and can be found in
Chapter 22-16 (b) of the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1.
Related Items
801st Support Battalion Unit Crest (DUI)