Red Patchers

[USMC Chuter]

Any Air Delivery or Shore Party Marines on deck? Sound off for the red patch! A lot of people have no idea what it's all about..

[Field_Sailor]

So what is it about?

[Grimmy]

FSSG type folk have a red tab sown onto thier cammies. This is so that during a beach landing they are not mistaken for slackers and press ganged into the fighting.

They need to be left on the beach to do their jobs.

[Field_Sailor]

Thanks for the info.

[Vulture6]

The red patch is for the folks in Landing Support Battalion - LSB

[sand flea001]

Went To Rigger School At Ft. Lee With A Few In My Class , And Had A Master Gunnery Sgt. Over The Maintance Section Of The School .

[Vulture6]

Red patches denote support Marines, ease confusion on battlefield
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 200492820475
Story by Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan — Motor vehicle operator Lance Cpl. Christopher Tandoc secures the top of a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle at 3rd Transportation Support Battalion’s motor pool here Sept. 27. Red patches, like the one on Tandoc’s camouflage trousers, have been a part of the Marine Corps’ landing support battalions, now called transportation support battalions, for more than 60 years. The patch was adopted after the battle of Tarawa in 1943 to distinguish landing support Marines from infantry Marines in order to eliminate confusion in the heat of battle. Tandoc is with 3rd TSB’s motor transportation company. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris


CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan — (Sept. 27, 2004) -- You see them everywhere on Marine Corps installations -- Marines with small, red patches uniformly stitched to their camouflage trousers and covers. But what many may not know is that these Marines, with their distinctive, red patches, are symbolic of a uniform change that dates back to the bloody beaches of World War II.

Support Marines first adopted the red patch because of confusion between infantry Marines and landing support Marines during the World War II island-hopping campaign. Commanders were having trouble distinguishing between combat and support Marines, often leading commanders to send landing support Marines into front-line action.

When a lieutenant from the infantry ran up to a support Marine and said, “Grab your rifle, you’re coming with me,” the Marine had no way to prove that he was a support Marine. The support Marine grabbed his rifle and went, which led to serious breakdowns in the flow of supplies and gear, explained 1st Sgt. Stephen A. Bell, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group.

This problem was addressed at a 2nd Marine Division planners’ conference, which was held after the battle of Tarawa in 1943. The division planners decided to have a red patch sewn on the support Marines’ covers, or hats, and trousers, setting them apart from infantry Marines, according to retired Marine Col. James A. Donovan, former editor of “Leatherneck Magazine.”

The new patch not only helped the landing specialists, but it also worked in reverse order, preventing “gung ho” support Marines’ from moving into combat areas, Bell explained.

The sense of pride and responsibility within the current day 3rd TSB is no different from that of the landing support Marines of 1943. The battalion assists III Marine Expeditionary Force units during every exercise, explained Lt. Col. Christopher B. Snyder, executive officer for the battalion.

“We are the mechanism that provides the arrival and assembly for III MEF,” Snyder said. “We load and unload all the ships and aircraft and also run any beachhead or railroad operations.”

The support battalion’s red patch is known worldwide. They recently had the opportunity to be ambassadors to the Thai Army while taking part in cross-training exercises during Cobra Gold ’04 in Thailand.

“After carrying out our duties as the landing party, we cross trained with the Thai military by performing (high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle) maintenance and medical training,” Snyder said. “Any time we get to interact with another nation’s military, it’s a great opportunity to learn not only about the professional differences between us, but also the cultural differences.”

The red patch is a sign of tradition and responsibility, explained 3rd TSB Sergeant Major Billy R. Hawkins.

“To my Marines, the red patch warrants a sense of respect and defines them as ‘the Marines in charge,’” Hawkins said. “Marines getting on or off a ship can see a red patch and know they can ask that red-patcher (Marine) for directions to find their gear or basically anything
else that Marine needs.”

[USMC Chuter]

Decent article. The Marines of the Landing Support Battalions (now Transportation Support Bns) have unique missions. The battalions are an interesting mix of logistics, motor transport, and engineer Marines. The mission is to fascilitate the landing of amphibious or air-landed Marine forces into the battle area, and to support the movement of follow-on forces and supplies.

Landing Support Marines are generally considered those with an MOS in the 0400 (Logistics) field. They are the backbone of the LSB/TSB. Landing Support Specialists, or "Shore Party" Marines, are prevalent. They are field savvy, capable Marines who specialize in rigging external helicoptor loads, controlling helicoptor landing zones, controlling beachheads, coordinating amphibious landings, and controlling airfield arivals/departures of military equipment to a conflict area.

Receiving/Shipping Marines are primarily responsible for the control/coordination of Maritime Prepositioned Shipping (MPS) assets as they pertain to deployments in a theater of operations. R/S Marines are something of a "product control" element, ensuring that the right gear gets to the right units in the right places.

Landing Support Equipment (LSE) Marines are the combat engineers and motor transport specialists of the LSB/TSB. They operate heavy engineer equipment and transportation assets to support the assault landing or fascilitate the movement of equipment from the beachhead or airhead.

The final operational element of such units is the Air Delivery asset. AD is primarily comprised of parachute riggers. AD rigs combat equipment and supplies destined for the assault force, for parachute delivery. AD controls the parachute drop zone, rigs the gear for delivery, "kicks" it out of the aircraft, jumps into the dz, and secures the area and equipment for the assault force..

LSB/TSB is probably the most field-heavy unit you'll find in the FSSG. There are only 4 such battalions in the Corps, one of which is reserve. The "red patch" battalions are exciting, challenging units to serve with. I've served in grunt units, comm units, an LSB unit, and a tank unit.. LSB ranks among the highest in my list of favorable, challenging assignments.

[Vulture6]

Good info Chuter, Thanks!

[0311Marine]

We always called those guys "Red tag Fags". or for you politically correct folks " Scarlet Homosexuals".

Semper Fi

[USMC Chuter]

Talk all you want, legs.. I put more miles on my feet and slept on the ground more during my time in LSB than I did in my time with 3/5...Spend a little more time learning about the different aspects of our Corps and a little less time shitting on good Marines. There are people who come to this site to learn, and they shouldn't have to filter through bootcamper bullshit to get to the info they want.

[Vulture6]

Napoleon once said something like: “Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics.”

Despite the politically correct version of the origin of the Red Patch that is in the article that I posted above, the Red Patch was essential during the island hopping campaign to differentiate the hard working Marines of Landing Support Battalion/Shore Party from the shirkers hiding from the front line by “volunteering” to help unload ships.