Free Republic

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — Maybe they should all be the same. Or perhaps they could all be different to reflect a soldier’s military occupational specialty. While many soldiers said they thought everyone facing combat should be awarded some type of badge, few could agree on what the Close Combat Badge should look like. The Army, which recently announced the new badge, has not released information about its design. “I think the engineer corps, signal, artillery, [military police] should design their own,” said Spc. Garrett Nodell of the 983rd Engineer Battalion. “I want to wear something that reflects engineering.”...

WASHINGTON - The Army is creating a combat badge for soldiers who come under fire in close combat in Iraq and Afghanistan but who are not otherwise eligible for special recognition because they are from armor, artillery or other non-infantry units. Soldiers from foreign armies, such as the Iraqi army, who are assigned to U.S. Army units in close combat, also will be eligible for the special recognition, officials said Friday. The new badge, called the Close Combat Badge, will settle an emotional debate that has raged within the Army and was settled only last week by the service's most...