A History of the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School Insignia

Although often not considered, military insignia usually reflect unit history and organizational changes over time. This is especially true for the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS). Each time an organization received a new name or was redesignated, the unit insignia had to be “redesignated” by the U.S. Army’s Institute of Heraldry. Often, this was not officially done until years afterwards and sometimes just to keep documentation straight. Typical of Army Special Operations, many insignia were worn before receiving official approval. This article will describe the progression of four USAJFKSWCS insignia; the Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI); the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI); the beret flashes; and the parachute badge background trimmings, or “ovals.” Because the records regarding the creation of these insignia are scant, the Veritas staff welcomes any further information that readers might be able to provide.

The U.S. Army Psychological Warfare (PSYWAR) Center was formally activated on 29 May 1952 at Fort Bragg, NC. The units initially assigned to the PSYWAR Center were the U.S. Army PSYWAR School, the 6th Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, the Psychological Warfare Board, and the 10th Special Forces Group. The mission of the PSYWAR Center was to “conduct individual training and supervise unit training in Psychological Warfare and Special Forces Operations; to develop and test Psychological Warfare and Special Operations doctrine, procedures, tactics, and techniques; [and] to test and evaluate equipment in Psychological Warfare and Special Forces Operations.”1 The PSYWAR School’s two instructional divisions, the Psychological Warfare Department and the Special Forces Department, were organized to prepare soldiers to “perform those psychological warfare and special forces duties which they may be called upon to perform in war.”2 The School had no insignia when it was activated on 22 October 1952 at Fort Bragg, NC.3 A brief attempt was made to distinguish PSYWAR from SF during parades; the PSYWAR soldiers wore green ascots and the SF personnel wore red ones during these “Christmas” reviews. However, they still needed their own insignia.4

The PSYWAR School insignia, approved on 28 November 1952, was originally designed for “stationery, diplomas, and mural decorations.” In a slightly modified form, it was also adopted for wear as a DUI.5 The white, gray, and black on the shield symbolized the “different phases of psychological warfare activities.” Black also signified Special Operations.6 The torch in the center stood for “light, learning, liberty, and truth.” The horse, which is “universally recognized as a symbol of subversive activity … represents the Knight in chess, the only piece capable of moving indirectly and of striking from and within the enemy territory.” The motto, Veritas et Libertas, means “Truth and Freedom.”7 Then Second Lieutenant Caesar J. Civitella, a WWII Office of Strategic Services veteran and one of the first instructors in the SF Department of the PSYWAR School, thought that the Trojan Horse represented “a cunning way to infiltrate an enemy.”8 Over the years, the PSYWAR Center was renamed several times; in 1956 as the U.S. Army Special Warfare School and in 1964 as the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center.

On 7 June 1965, the Secretary of the Army approved the DUI for wear, centered on the School’s beret flash.9 This meant that only those assigned to the Special Warfare School could wear the DUI on their flash. Personnel assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare were not permitted to wear the DUI on their beret flash.10 (The USASOC History Office does not know which DUI, if any, they did wear. We welcome additonal information on the subject. Please contact the author.) However, the DUI was still not enough to set the Schoolhouse soldiers apart.

The second school-specific insignia that is still worn by personnel assigned to USAJFKSWCS is the SSI, approved on 22 October 1962.11 It replaced the Continental Army Command (CONARC) SSI, worn with an airborne tab.12 Prior to the CONARC patch, the School personnel wore the Third U.S. Army SSI and an airborne tab. As befitting a school whose original purpose was Psychological Warfare before being expanded to Special Warfare, the SSI has considerable meaning. The lamp represents education while its outline, referring to psychology, is a rendition of the Greek letter “Psi” [ Ψ ]. The flames emitting from the lamp symbolize “the three prime areas of instruction for which the School is responsible: Psychological Operations, Counterinsurgency, and Unconventional Warfare.” The flames also imply “spoken and written words which are major tools of Psychological Warfare.” Their placement simulates the heraldic delineation for “embattled,” meaning ready for battle. The crossed arrows represent the “silence and stealth with which our early frontiersman fought … as well as the ingenuity, courage and survival by the usage of wasplike, yet devastating, attacks through the employment of irregular tactics, techniques and logistical support.” Even the colors have meaning: black symbolizes “wisdom and prudence,” white, “perfection and faith,” and yellow, “constancy and inspiration.”13

The final insignia worn by personnel assigned to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School are the beret flashes and associated parachute badge background ovals. Because the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) (1st SWTG (A)) is subordinate to the USAJFKSWCS, modifications of these insignia were difficult to unravel. The first official beret flash to be worn was that of the cadre of the Special Forces Training Group.14

Approved on 16 April 1962, white was chosen to represent the Special Forces Training Group because it was “representative of the singleness of purpose and the high standards required of the instructional personnel.”15 However, LTG William Yarborough said years later that the “SF School flash was to be White because the graduates were innocents who had not faced the realities of UW in real life situations.”16 Early flashes were often homemade from naugahyde or cut from Clorox bottles because they were easier to keep clean. The all-white flash was replaced on 26 November 1996 with that of the 1st SWTG (A).17 The parachute badge background trimming to accompany the new flash was approved for group wear on 19 November 2002. Prior to that, all 1st SWTG (A) training personnel wore the USAJFKSWCS parachute badge background trimming.18 A U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare flash came a few years after that of the Special Forces Training Group.

The beret flash for the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare was approved on 2 June 1965.19 Black, grey, and white were chosen to symbolize the phases of Special Warfare. The parachute badge background trimming to wear with this flash had been approved earlier on 7 January 1965.20 Both the flash and the parachute badge background trimming remain distinctive to USAJFKSWCS.

The insignia of an organization is a window into a unit’s history. The design, changes, and staffing associated with each symbol are often forgotten. However, like all insignia, the original intent has always been to instill pride in a unit and to set these soldiers apart from others. These Army SOF insignia, while developed for a new military organization, have painstakingly evolved over nearly six decades. And, they are still worn with pride.