The 187th Infantry Regiment Headquarters oval, officially called Airborne background trimming, was approved on 20 June 2002. It is worn by personnel in the unit who have earned a Parachutist or Air Assault badge, with the main portion of the badge centered on the oval before it is placed on the coats of the AGSU and ASU, the Class B AGSU shirt, and Army Maternity (female Soldiers only.)
Use the edge of the oval (or the top of the star or wreath on the Senior and Master Parachutist badges) when measuring distances to determine proper placement. General wear guidance for ovals is found in
Chapter 21-32 (b) of the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1
detailed instructions for placing the oval-badge combination is found in
Chapter 22-16 (b) of the same manual.
“Rakkasans,” the unit’s official special designation, is actually a Japanese word meaning created by a translator attempting to describe what the Soldiers did as part of their Airborne mission; it translates roughly as “falling down umbrella soldiers.” The Regiment acquired the nickname while serving occupation duty in Japan following World War II, during which it fought in three campaigns in the Pacific and earned a Presidential Unit Citation and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
Since World War II, the Regiment has taken part in six campaigns in the Korean War, a dozen in Vietnam, two in the First Gulf War of 1990-1991, and an amount that is yet to be determined in the War on Terrorism. Its military honors over that period including four Presidential Unit Citations, two Valorous Unit Awards, two Meritorious Unit Commendations, an Army Superior Unit Award, and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.
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187th Infantry Regiment Unit Crest (DUI)