The Special Forces Shoulder Patch
Three lightning bolts represent blinding speed and strength, and the three methods of infiltration
- land, sea and air. The gold represents constancy and inspiration, and the background of teal
blue represents the Special Forces' encompassing of all branch assignments.
 
Crest worn by 10th Gp. in the 50's 
The Special Forces Officer Branch Insignia
|
| POSITION | RANK | MOS |
| Detachment Commander | Captain | 18A |
| Executive Officer | Warrant Officer | 180A |
| Operations NCO/Team Sergeant | Master Sergeant | 18Z |
| Intelligence & Operations NCO | Sergeant First Class | 18F |
| Weapons NCO | Sergeant First Class | 18B |
| Assistant Weapons NCO | Staff Sergeant | 18B |
| Engineer NCO | Sergeant First Class | 18C |
| Assistant Engineer NCO | Staff Sergeant | 18C |
| Medical NCO | Sergeant First Class | 18D |
| Assistant Medical NCO | Staff Sergeant | 18D |
| Communications NCO | Sergeant First Class | 18E |
| Assistant Communications NCO | Staff Sergeant | 18E |
| SF WEAPONS SERGEANT (MOS 18B) |
| Training Includes: tactics, anti-armor weapons utilization, operating all types of U.S. and foreign light weapons, indirect fire operations, manportable air defense weapons, weapons emplacement and integrated combined arms fire control planning. |
| SF ENGINEER SERGEANT (MOS 18C) |
| Training Includes: construction skills, field fortifications, use of explosives for both sabotage and demolitions, and construction of buildings and bridges. |
| SF MEDICAL SERGEANT (MOS 18D) |
| Training Includes: advanced medical procedures, which consists of trauma management, surgical, dental and veterinary procedures. The SF medic is also an integral part of civic action programs, which bring medical treatment to native populations. |
| SF COMMUNICATIONS SERGEANT (MOS 8E) |
| Training Includes: installation and operation of SF satellite, high-frequency and burst communications equipment, antenna theory, radio wave propagation, and communications operations; procedures and techniques. |
|
Birthday: 9 April 1987. The first Special Forces unit in the Army was formed on 11 June 1952, when the 10th Special Forces Group was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A major expansion of Special Forces occurred during the 1960s, with a total of eighteen groups organized in the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. As a result of renewed emphasis on special operations in the 1980s, the Special Forces Branch was established as a basic branch of the Army effective 9 April 1987, by General Orders No 35 dated 19 June 1987. |
Emblazoned on the distinctive black and silver crest worn by Special Forces soldiers is the Special Forces motto: De Oppresso Liber, a Latin phrase that means To Free the Oppressed.
Two crossed arrows symbolize the Special Forces' role in unconventional warfare. A fighting knife is attached over the arrows, which reflect the qualities of a Special Forces soldier - straight and true. The knife, a silent deadly weapon, was used by the American Indian.
The gold and teal Special Forces patch is worn by members of Special Forces units around the world. The arrowhead shape represents the craft and stealth of the Indians, America's first warriors. An upturned dagger represents the unconventional warfare missions of Special Forces.
The Special Forces officer branch inherited its insignia - two crossed arrows - from the Indian scouts, several of whom earned Medals of Honor while serving U.S. forces in almost every major campaign. Crossed arrows were a symbol of peace to the U.S. Scouts, which were inactivated in
1939. However, the crossed arrows served the 1st Special Service Force through World War II,
and some Special Forces officers at Fort Bragg began wearing them unofficially on their collars
in the Sixties. In April 1987 a separate branch of the Army was created for Special Forces
by General Orders No 35 dated 19 June 1987.
Officers then formally adopted the crossed arrows as their official branch insignia.
The Special Forces Enlisted Men's branch insignia consists of two crossed arrows on a 1" gold (brass) disk worn on the uniform collar.
Branch Plaque: The plaque design has the branch insignia, letters, and rim in gold. The background is Jungle Green.