These days there is a lot of talk among soldiers about the right sleeve on their uniform — specifically about a patch, or lack of one. When a soldier deploys to a combat zone for more than 30 days, he or she is authorized to wear a combat patch on their right sleeve.

You might think that EVERY soldier these days has deployed and earned the right to wear that patch, but the truth is that there are still many soldiers who have not. Take me, for instance. Until I was chosen to deploy with the 314th PAOC in October, I had never deployed to a combat zone in my nearly 28 years of service. I was not hiding out…I just never did.

I try not to judge people without combat patches, since it’s tough to know all the reasons why someone might not have one. I know plenty of good soldiers who just have not been in the right place at the right time to get the chance — and they do their job very well. However, I do hope that all soldiers have the chance.

It seems to me that any soldier who has trained to a job would want to test their abilities under realistic conditions. For me, it was more than that. In my position at the Army Reserve Command, I am responsible for overseeing the deployment of all of the enlisted soldiers in the Army Reserve’s 34 Public Affairs units (and others who serve in commands and other varied locations). That has posed two challenges for me.

The first challenge is that I wanted soldiers to listen to me and take my advice seriously. I’ve talked to many people who have been deployed, read about the latest Public Affairs challenges, and attended plenty of conferences where the topic was front and center. I had always hoped that was enough to grab the attention of those I was chosen to serve — and impress upon them the information that would make them better at their job, or possibly save their life.

I don’t think you need to have a combat patch to get a soldier’s attention as he or she heads out on the tarmac to get onto a charter flight to Iraq, but it sure helps.

It comes down to a credibility issue, especially when you are talking to a specialist who is deploying for her second time, or a staff sergeant on his third trip to CENTCOM.

The second challenge is that I was not sure all that advice was correct. No matter how much I heard second hand, I need to be able to speak with my own voice. I felt that I had to deploy to be able to understand on some deeper level what I was asking all these young soldier to do — to put their lives on hold, put themselves in harm’s way, and tell the story of service members to the American public and the rest of the world.

For the 16 months I had served at the Army Reserve Command, I had that voice in the back of my head. But, that changed today — our 31st day in CENTCOM. Today our soldiers assembled and LTC Perez and I led a ceremony that is a right of passage for soldiers — placing a combat patch on the right sleeve.

For some, the event was a repeat of one they had done before. 1SG Glassford is on his third deployment, and the commander as well. Several others are on their second. For me, however, it was a first. When the commander called me to post (come to the front of the formation and report to him), this was my moment. He took a Multi-National Forces - Iraq patch out of his packet and placed it on my right sleeve.

Did I feel any different at that exact moment? Not really. I think I felt different a couple months ago when I made the commitment to myself to learn all I could during the following year, and to pass on that information to Army Reserve soldiers with my own voice.

After my patch, the commander placed patches on more than a dozen other soldiers who were sharing this new experience with me. For some, there were smiles of happiness; for others, it was a solemn moment. For all, however, I think it was just another opportunity to know we were in this together. Thanks to PO2 Andre Rhoden from Armed Forces Network, we have photos of the event.