His First Patch
46" x 36"
Oil on Canvas
4th Infantry Division, Fort
Lewis, Washington
July, 1965
Private John T. Floyd – Los Angeles, California
Private First Class Alfred L. King – Sacramento, California
A memorable event in the
career of a soldier is his first assignment into a regular unit.
It is
then that his real soldiering begins.
He is part of a team that has a specific job to do.
After basic training, a
soldier is given advanced infantry training, technical training,
or
on-the-job training.
When this is completed he is a
full-fledged
member
of a working unit.
He is then entitled to wear its distinguishing patch
and any awards or
citations
it may have acquired in past campaigns.
When Private Floyd
arrived at the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis
it was being built up for overseas assignment.
Prepared by basic and
advanced training,
he became an integral part of
Headquarters Company, First Battalion,
Second Brigade;
an organization with a mission to perform.
Private Floyd was met by
Private First Class Alfred King, whose duty it was to bring records
of new
arrivals up to date,
issue necessary equipment,
and send them to their new
units.
PFC King guided Private
Floyd through the record work, then presented him with new supplies
and
equipment,
including his first patch.
