The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (unit patch) worn by members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard (ARNG) serving at Joint Force Headquarters, Wisconsin National Guard features a badger, the state animal. Many assume the badger was chosen because (a) there are a lot badgers in Wisconsin, (b) badgers ferociously defend their young and their dens, just as the Guard defends the state, or (b) both of the above.
But the real reason Wisconsin is now called the “Badger State” is only marginally related to decidedly vicious creatures. The discovery of various mineral deposits led to a huge influx of miners, and in some cases these miners would use the holes they’d excavated in search of wealth as a temporary shelter, or dig separate holes intended as shelter from start. In either case, the sight of men sleeping in holes inevitably drew comparisons to animals that burrowed for shelter; just why badgers were chosen over rabbits, weasels, mice, skunks, and countless others is not clear.
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Wisconsin ARNG Element, Joint Force HQ Unit Crest (DUI)This patch was originally approved for Headquarters (HQ) and Headquarters Detachment, Wisconsin National Guard on 2 December 1952, on 30 December 1983 it was redesignated for HQ, State Area Command, Wisconsin Army National Guard; it was amended to correct the description and symbolism on 7 August 1986. It was given its new designation, reflecting the new emphasis on state National Guard components operating as Joint forces, on 1 October 2003.