[Ritter]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum. Thanks for reading my post.

I'm a Marine infantryman with ten years in, some active and some reserve. Six months in Iraq, in the beginning. I have an army question.

Can someone who is bored enough this morning explain the Combat Infantry Badge? I understand there are several variations. I'm seeing wreaths and stars, and one badge with no devices on top at all. Also I'm hearing about a cord or rope that some or all grunts wear. Okay, lastly, how about the blue infanty disk? It's a plastic disk that's worn behind some kind of badge? To give it a blue rim?

I'd like to know who rates which. I'm thinking one version is for school-trained grunts, and then more senior badges are for grunts who have seen combat?

Thanks for your help. Marines don't rate a lot of badges, which is good and bad I guess. I'm still interested in my army counterparts, though.

Jim