There are two sorts of troopers within the Army — those that have deployed to a fight theater and those that haven’t.
One of the crucial conspicuous methods to make that distinction is the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia for Army Operations in Hostile Situations or SSI-MOHC. It’s higher referred to as the “Fight Patch.”
Troopers who deployed to any of 14 nations within the Center East and Africa between October 2023 and June 2025 can now put on the coveted fight patch on their proper shoulder. It signifies a soldier’s service in a fight zone with a selected unit.
A patch on the left shoulder identifies the soldier’s present unit of task.
Army Chief of Workers Gen. Randy George final week authorised granting fight patches for troopers who have been deployed throughout the lined time interval to Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Additionally on the record is Djibouti, dwelling to U.S. Africa Command’s Camp Lemonnier.
The authorization applies to active-duty troopers and people within the Army Reserves and Nationwide Guard. They will need to have served for a minimum of a day throughout the licensed timeframe, Army officers mentioned.
“These modifications acknowledge the inherent dangers and challenges confronted by troopers in these places and timeframes,” the Army mentioned in a press release. “Awarding the fight patch displays the Army’s dedication to recognizing the contributions and sacrifices of all troopers serving in these operational environments.”
The Army directive doesn’t authorize monetary entitlements to troopers, corresponding to hostile fireplace pay or imminent hazard pay, officers mentioned.
Opinions about fight patches have been combined on the Army Reddit web page.
“Some folks maintain them in overly excessive regard and suppose you’re principally nugatory until you might have one,” one Reddit poster famous. “Some folks don’t care and would reasonably decide you thru different means.”
One other soldier mentioned he deployed to fight as a Marine and so wasn’t awarded a fight patch when he switched to the Army.
“They could carry some additional weight in fight arms items, however the patch doesn’t make the soldier,” he posted on Reddit.
The timeline covers U.S. army operations that started following the Oct. 7, 2023, assault by Hamas into southern Israel that triggered the continued conflict within the Gaza Strip. In October 2024, the Pentagon despatched an Army Terminal Excessive Altitude Air Protection battery, referred to as THAAD, to Israel to reinforce its built-in air protection system.
Additionally included was Iran’s June 2025 assault on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Tehran’s nuclear services a day earlier. The barrage included short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. Pentagon officers mentioned Army air protection items in Qatar reportedly intercepted greater than a dozen Iranian missiles.
The fight patch coverage applies solely to Army troops. Navy crews have been awarded the Fight Motion Ribbon for maritime operations in Yemen towards Houthi forces launching missile assaults towards Israel.
For a lot of troopers, being licensed to put on a fight patch is a ceremony of passage, usually awarded throughout a ceremony. However it may be a sensitive topic in Army items with numerous troopers who’ve but to deploy to a fight zone.
In 2015, a unit commander at Fort Carson, Colorado, advised the troopers in his brigade to take away fight patches from their uniforms whereas on maneuvers.
“It’s in regards to the collective, it’s not in regards to the particular person,” then-Col. David Hodne advised the Colorado Springs Gazette. “Character counts greater than your resume. It’s coronary heart greater than what you probably did 5 or 6 years in the past.”
