Every unit patch — officially the “shoulder sleeve insignia” — has a storied history behind it. It’s the hallmark of your newfound home in the Army and defines the mission you’ve been trained to do.

The soldiers who run the daily garrison details of nearly every Army base are swapping shoulder patches this week. In a series of “patching ceremonies,” garrison headquarters units at a wide range of ...

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- A box of patches and medals sits on a dusty shelf in the family study. A young man accepts the lieutenant’s bars placed on his shoulders, as an older man wearing a ...