The 197th Support Company flash and oval (technically designated “Airborne background trimming”) were approved on 29 February 2012.
More accurately called an organizational flash rather than a “beret flash” since by flashes are designed to be worn on berets, this shield-shaped insignia with a semi-circular bottom is centered on the stiffener of maroon berets, whose wear is reserved only for personnel serving in an Airborne-designated unit. Regulations call for Noncommissioned Officers and Junior Enlisted personnel to wear their unit’s Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) centered on the flash (or Regimental Distinctive Unit Insignia if their unit has no approved DUI).
Ovals are worn by personnel in Airborne-designated units who have also qualified for a Parachutist or Air Assault badge and are worn beneath these badges, which are centered on the oval before it is attached to authorized uniforms. These include the ASU and AGSU (coats), Class B ASU (shirt), and the green or blue Army Maternity Tunic (female Soldiers only). The badge and oval are considered a single item when worn together.
General guidance for the wear of flashes and ovals can be found in
subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of Chapter 21-32 of the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1. Regulations regarding the wear of Parachutist and Air Assault badges vary between the various authorized uniforms; consult
subsection (b) of Chapter 22-16 for detailed instructions on their wear and positioning on the different garments.