In the United States Army, "tabs" are small cloth and/or metal arches
displaying a word or words signifying a special skill that are worn on U.S. Army
uniforms. On the Army Combat Uniform, the tabs are worn above a unit's
shoulder patch and are used to identify a unit's or a soldier's special skill(s)
or are worn on shoulder patches as part of a unit's unique heritage. Individual
tabs are also worn as small metal arches above or below medals or ribbons on the
Army Service Uniform. Tabs are valued uniquely in the U.S.
Army because images rather than words are traditionally used for the symbolism
of the shoulder patch worn to identify a soldier's unit. It is only to identify
an individual soldier's or a whole unit's special skill that an additional
shoulder patch is worn that uses words rather than images to symbolize this
skill. For example, while any member of a special forces unit will wear the unit
identifying patch that includes an arrowhead, sword, lightning, and
Airborne Tab, only soldiers who have completed special forces training will
have been awarded and wear an additional tab containing the words "SPECIAL
FORCES". Some tabs are awarded to recognize an
individual soldier's combat related skills or marksmanship and are worn by a
soldier permanently. These tabs are also considered special skill badges and have
metal equivalents that are worn on the soldier's chest if their uniform does
not have a place for shoulder patches. Other tabs recognize a whole unit's
special skill and are considered to be part of a specific unit's shoulder
sleeve patch and are worn by a soldier only while they belong to that unit. The
Jungle Expert Tab is unique in that while it is awarded to recognize an
individual soldier's skill, it is only worn by soldiers while they belong to
certain units. Similarly, tabs awarded at the state level by the US Army
National Guard can only be worn by soldiers while they are on state-level
orders. Individual tabs
There are currently four permanent individual skill/marksmanship tabs
authorized for wear by the U.S. Army. In order of precedence, they are the
Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, the Sapper Tab, and the President's Hundred
Tab. --The Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab and Sapper Tab are all considered
group 4 skill badges while the President's Hundred Tab is defined as a
marksmanship badge/award.-- Only three skill tabs may be worn at one time.
= Special Forces= The Special Forces Tab is a service
school qualification tab of the United States Army, awarded to any soldier
completing either the Special Forces Qualification Course, or the Special
Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course. Soldiers who are awarded the
Special Forces Tab are authorized to wear it for the remainder of their
military careers, even when not serving in a Special Forces command. The Special
Forces Tab can be revoked by the Chain of Command, for example DUI, or
misconduct as a Special Forces Soldier. The Special Forces Tab was created in
1983 and is an embroidered quadrant patch worn on the upper left sleeve of a
military uniform. The cloth tab is 3¼ inches wide and is teal blue with yellow
embroidered letters. = Ranger=
The Ranger Tab is a qualification tab authorized upon completion of the U.S.
Army's Ranger School by a member of the U.S. military, civilian personnel, or
non-U.S. military personnel. The Ranger Tab was approved by the Chief of Staff,
Army, on October 30, 1950. The Ranger Tab can be revoked IAW AR 600-8-22,
Section 1-31, para. 13. The full color tab is worn 1/2 inch
below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of the Army green coat. The
subdued tab is worn 1/2 inch below the shoulder seam on the left sleeve of
utility uniforms, field jackets and the desert battle dress uniform. The full
color tab is 2⅜ inches long, 11/16 inch wide, with a 1/8 inch yellow border and
the word "RANGER" inscribed in yellow letters 5/16 inch high. The subdued tab
is identical, except the background is olive drab and the word "RANGER" is in
black letters. = Sapper=
The Sapper Tab is a qualification tab which is authorized for graduates of the
U.S. Army's Sapper School. The Sapper Tab was approved by the Chief of Staff,
Army, on June 28, 2004. The Sapper tab can be revoked by the Engineer
Commanding Officer of Ft. Leonard Wood, MO for misconduct, or not upholding the
standard as an Engineer. Any requests will be processed thru USASC.
The full color tab is worn 1/2 inch below the shoulder seam on the left
sleeve of the Army green coat. The subdued tab is worn 1/2 inch below the
shoulder seam on the left sleeve of utility uniforms, field jackets and the
desert battle dress uniform. The full color tab is 2⅜ inches long, 11/16 inch
wide, with a 1/8 inch red border and the word "SAPPER" inscribed in white letters
5/16 inch high. The woodland subdued tab is identical, except the background is
olive drab and the word "SAPPER" is in black letters and the desert subdued tab
has a khaki background with the word "SAPPER" in spice brown letters.
= President's Hundred= The President's Hundred Tab is a
marksmanship tab which is authorized for soldiers who qualify among the top 100
scoring competitors in the President's Match held annually at the National
Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. This is a permanent award which will stay
with the individual, there is no annual requirement to maintain the President's
Hundred Tab. Most competitors will compete each year to ensure that less
qualified individuals do not receive the tab.
On May 27, 1958, The National Rifle Association requested the Deputy Chief
of Staff for Personnel's approval of a tab for presentation to each member of
the "President's Hundred." NRA's plan was to award the cloth tab together with
a metal tab during the 1958 National Matches. The cloth tab was of high level
interest and approved for wear on the uniform on March 3, 1958.
The President's Hundred Tab is worn 1/2 inch below the shoulder seam on the left
sleeve of the male and female Army green uniform coats. The tab is available in a
subdued version for wear on the Battle Dress Uniform. The tab is covered in
paragraph 29-16c, AR 670-1 and paragraph 8-53, AR 600-8-22. A full-color
embroidered tab of yellow 4¼ inches long and 5/8 inch high, with the word
"President's Hundred" centered in 1/4 inch high green letters. The metal
replica is 2 inches wide. = National Guard - Governor's Twenty,
Twelve, and Ten= The Governor's Twenty Tab is a
state-level National Guard award, created in the 1968, that is awarded to
the top 20 shooters in a state. However, award criteria vary from state-to-state.
For example, within the Texas Military Forces, only eight guardsmen are
presented this award for rifle, eight for pistol, two for sniper, and two for
machine gun each year. Texas guardsmen compete against other Texas guardsman
who have already received the award; thus, there may be one or two new
recipients of this award each year. As of July 2014, 14 states have authorized
the awarding of the Governor's Twenty Tab.
In the Missouri National Guard, the top twelve guardsmans selected to represent
the Missouri National Guard at the Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol
Championships are awarded the Governor's Twelve Tab. These tabs are worn on the
upper-left sleeve of the Army Combat Uniform below individual tabs and above
unit and honor guard tabs. The Missouri National Guard also award a Governor's
Twelve Ribbon that accompanies the tab which is worn on dress uniforms; any
guardsman who earns the award more than once wear Hawthorn Cluster Devices on
top of the ribbon. In the Iowa National Guard, the top ten
rifle and/or pistol shooters from the state's Army and Air Force guard units,
as well as local Army Reserve units, that compete at the Iowa Governor’s 10
Shooting Competition are awarded the Governor's Ten Tab. Prior to 2008, the
Governor’s Ten Tab was awarded to the top five pistol shooters and top five
rifle shooters. Today, the rifle and pistol scores are combined so only the
best 10 overall shooters earn the tab. Because this award is a state-level
award, soldiers and airman in the National Guard under federal status are
not authorized to wear these awards. Unit tabs
= Airborne= The Airborne Tab is a part of the
shoulder sleeve patch of U.S. Airborne units. Airborne forces are military
units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into
battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to
deploy almost anywhere with little warning. The tab is worn immediately
above and touching the shoulder sleeve insignia. The tabs are 2½ inches long
and 11/16 inch wide. The letters are 5/16 inch high.
= Mountain= The Mountain Tab is a part of the
shoulder sleeve patch of the 10th Mountain Division and the 86th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team. The 10th Mountain Division retains the Mountain Tab for
historical purposes, but is actually organized as a light infantry division.
The newly designated 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, is the only U.S.
Army conventional brigade that specializes in mountain warfare.
Although they do not wear the mountain tab, mountain warfare training is a
basic component of Ranger School and each Special Forces Group maintain
detachments that specialize in mountain warfare.
= Honor Guard= The Honor Guard Tab is a part of the
shoulder sleeve insignia of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and other selected
units with ceremonial duties. The tab had been worn by the Honor Guard Company
of the 1st Battle Group, 3d Infantry since early 1950. It was officially
approved for wear by the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel on October 14, 1959.
The 3rd Infantry's tab is ultramarine blue 3⅞ inches long and 11/16 inch high,
the designation "HONOR GUARD" in white letters 5/16 inch high. The subdued tab
is identical, except the background is olive drab and the letters are black.
On March 16, 1965, the DCSPER approved a white tab with ultramarine blue
lettering for wear by select Honor Guard units throughout the U.S. Army. Proposed
designs were submitted on March 26, 1965 and the color reversed version of The
Old Guard's tab was approved on April 19, 1965. A subdued tab is also
authorized. On December 31, 2012, the DCSPER
approved another Honor Guard Tab for wear by select Army National Guard
units. The new tab is an ultramarine blue embroidered tab with the
inscription "ARNG HONOR GUARD" in gold 5/16 inch letters, edged with a 1/8 inch
gold border. = Band=
Similar to the Honor Guard Tab for select units, the Band Tab is worn by an
Army band within a given unit. The exception to this is the U.S. Army Field
Band Tab which is an integral part of that unit's shoulder sleeve insignia,
much like the Mountain Tab worn by the 10th Mountain Division. Each Army unit
that has a band can have its own unique Band Tab, designed by the U.S. Army
Institute of Heraldry, and can only be worn with that unit's SSI. Once a band
member leaves the band to join another element of the same unit, they can no
longer wear the Band Tab but continue to wear their unit's SSI. Subdued versions
of each unit's Band Tab is authorized for wear with their unit's subdued SSI.
Unofficial and Obsolete = Jungle Expert=
Several tabs are widely worn unofficially by members of the U.S.
Army. Often these tabs were worn on the underside of pocket flaps so as not to
violate uniform regulations. Such tabs also appear on stickers, shirts, hats,
etc. that soldiers would wear with civilian attire. These include tabs
containing the words "SNIPER", "AIR ASSAULT", "FISTER", "SCOUT", and "RECON"
or "RECONDO." The "SAPPER" tab was one of these unofficial tabs until 2004 when
it became an official special skill badge/tab of the U.S. Army.
The Jungle Expert Patch was often worn by graduates of the Jungle Operations
Training Center until the school became inactive in 1999. The patch may have
been authorized for wear by soldiers assigned to U.S. Army South who graduate
from JOTC but the patch was never recognized Army wide; much like the
quasi-official status the Cavalry Stetson enjoys today.
In 2014, the JOTC was reopened in Hawaii and the Jungle Expert Patch was
revitalized as a tab which is authorized for wear by 25th Infantry Division
soldiers who complete the course while soldiers assigned to other units receive
the tab as a souvenir. = Pershing=
The Pershing tab was worn as part of the shoulder sleeve insignia for units
supporting the Pershing missile system. From 1970 to 1971 the 56th Artillery
Brigade wore the SSI of the Seventh Army with the Pershing tab. In 1971 the 56th
FA received their own SSI that included the Pershing tab, which continued
through redesignation as the 56th Field Artillery Command in 1986. The 3rd
Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment wore the Pershing tab with the SSI of
the 214th Field Artillery Brigade. The Pershing tab was discontinued with the
deactivation of units following the elimination of the Pershing missile
system in 1991. See also
Ranger Challenge Tab Badges of the United States Army
Military badges of the United States Uniforms of the United States Army
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia References
External links Army Regulation 600-8-22 paragraph 8-49:
Special Forces Tab - official information.
Pentagon Institute of Heraldry's Sapper Tab Page
About.com Sapper Tab Article