Original Item: Only One Available. The 2nd Infantry Division patch has a long, proud, and honorable history. It is one of the most decorated units in the United States Army. 2nd Infantry Division combat history spans four wars, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and the Global War on Terrorism along with an important role in preemptive defense. In fact, there have been 40 Medal of Honor recipients, and over 20 campaign participation credits under the 2nd Infantry Division patch.

The design of the insignia such as the shape, colors, and background, varied depending on the type of unit the soldier served in; this was the result of a decision by Major General John A. LeJeune, one of two Marine Corps Generals to command the division. It wasn’t until 1933 that the current insignia was approved and authorized for wear. The eye-catching design led to the unit’s nickname as the “Indianhead” division, while its motto—“Second to None”—embodies the division’s commitment to excellence.

This 2nd ID patch is a green shield instead of the standard black shield, indicating the 2nd Supply Train of the 2nd Infantry Division. In military contexts, a train is the logistical transport element accompanying a military force. Often called a supply train or baggage train, it has the job of providing materiel for their associated combat forces when in the field. When focused on provision of field artillery and its ammunition, it may be termed an artillery train. For sieges, the addition of siege engines to an artillery train was called a siege train. These military terms predate, and do not imply a railway train, though railways are often employed for modern logistics, and can include armored trains.

For armies, this historically usually referred to forces employing wagons, horses, mules, oxen, camels, or even elephants. These can still be useful where difficult weather or topography limit use of railways, trucks, sealift, or airlift.

The patch is in unissued condition without any discrepancies or damage of any kind. All individual components are separate pieces stitched on with finesse.

This is a fantastic opportunity to add one of the most iconic military patch designs to your collections! Comes more than ready for display.

The History of the 2nd Infantry Division Patch
The Second Infantry Division patch, with its distinctive design, represents over a century of proud service by its “Warriors”. One can trace the origin of the patch all the way back to the earliest days of the division’s history. The story begins with an observation made by Colonel William F. Herringshaw, a Distinguished Service Medal recipient, during training with the French in 1917. Colonel Herringshaw was in command of the service and support supply units of the Second Infantry Division when he noticed that the vehicles that the French used were marked with symbols that represented the unit to which each belonged.

Colonel Herringshaw concluded that this form of identification was an excellent idea. He soon sponsored a contest among his men to design a symbol for his trucks. The resulting design became the foundation for the 2nd Infantry Division patch. According to the accounts of the event, there were three winning ideas:

• One design featured an Indian head
• Another design featured a plain white star
• The third design is a mystery as it has been lost to history.

Having not been completely satisfied with any one concept, Colonel Herringshaw reportedly decided that the Indian head and star designs should be combined into one design. The Indian head within the star design was born.

The design concept was sent to command headquarters for approval. Brigadier General Omar Bundy was the Division Commander at that time. He served on the American frontier and participated in the Indian Wars campaigns against the Crow and Sioux Indians. He also fought during the Spanish–American War with the 5th Army Corps in Cuba, receiving the Silver Star for gallantry at the Battle of El Caney. General Bundy not only approved the design but he took it one step further. He ordered that the design be put on his staff car!

In October of 1918, the 2nd Infantry Division received a new commander, Major General John A LeJeune. A little known fact is that, at this time, a Marine Corps General was assigned to command an Army division. General LeJeune ordered that size and shape of the 2nd Infantry Division patch be changed to include a background color that represented the different divisional units. He also directed that the Indianhead design be modeled after the Indian on the $10 gold piece.