LTG. Robert Richardson authorized the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) patch on August 1st, 1944. This is a wartime patch with great significance!
The blue color of the patch represents the Pacific Ocean, covering both Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Reflecting off the surface of the water in the Southern Hemispheres are the four stars of the Southern Cross (the fifth star is not visible from Hawaii-we see it in our southern skies for only part of the year). The seven stars of Ursa Major (Big Dipper) are located on the upper right hand side and on the left in the Northern Hemisphere is the North Star (Polaris). If you add up the number of stars on the patch the total comes to Twelve, representing the month of December. The seven stars in the Big Dipper represent the seventh day of December, and the four stars of the Southern Cross and the North Star represent the number 41, or the year 1941. We see the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor in the stars, December 7th, 1941. 12/07/41.
The arrow in the center of the patch is a military map symbol;the Army calls this an "Axis of Advance". It shows the movement of troops across a battlefield. During WWII the entire Pacific Ocean was a battlefield. In this case the arrow extends from the first land victory in the Pacific (Guadalcanal) and extends to the final victory at Tokyo Bay in Japan where the surrender was signed. The arrow is painted red, symbolizing the blood shed and sacrifices made by American soldiers as they fought their way across the Pacific. The white outline of the arrow symbolizes the purity of the purpose and mission American soldiers were fighting for!
The USARPAC patch is still proudly work by our soldiers in the Pacific today!
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