The Ram’s Head lives, but it’s a little different.
The Army revealed the new design for its forthcoming Mariner and Mountaineer Badges, the latter of which will retain the look of a Ram’s Head that has long been issued for completing a rigorous mountain warfare course in Vermont.
Although Army officials confirmed the designs had been approved for the two awards, no timeline was provided for when they would be available in Army & Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, stores.
The Army’s LinkedIn account posted illustrations of both badges on Tuesday. The Mariner Badge’s design includes an anchor and a ship’s helm surrounding a winged wheel that — there’s no better way to say this — resembles the logo of the NHL Detroit Red Wings. The Mountaineering Badge looks very similar to the current Rams Head Device, which only Vermont National Guardsmen are approved to wear.
The Army recently approved the designs for both badges, Maj. Travis Shaw, an Army spokesman, told Task & Purpose on Wednesday.
Barring any unexpected delays, soldiers should be able to purchase the Mountaineering Badge and Mariner Badges later this year, according to the Army.
When Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael R. Weimer announced in October that the Army had the two badges, he said the new Mountaineering Badge would look different than the coveted Ram’s Head Device.
“Who remembers the goat head for the mountain [badge]?” Weimer asked during the 2024 Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington, D.C. “Yeah, that’s not going to be the badge. Just so you know, for the record. They’re in the process of redesigning the badge that will come up for approval. But I didn’t want the process to slow down the righteous reason the badge was requested.”
Yet the picture of the Mountaineering Badge that the Army shared on LinkedIn is strikingly similar to Ram’s Head Device, complete with the golden horns, which soldiers have dubbed “the Princess Leia sew-on” for actress Carrie Fisher’s cinnamon bun hairstyle in the “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” an instructor at the Army Mountain Warfare School Basic Mountaineering Course told Task & Purpose for a previous story.
The Mountaineering Badge will be awarded to soldiers who complete Army Mountain Warfare School courses, according to a recent All Army Activities message, or ALARACT. The message was shared on the unofficial Army subredit.
“The badge highlights the importance of mountain warfare training in preparing soldiers for combat operations,” the March 13 ALARACT reads.
Weimer said in October that he decided to recommend the Army approve the Mariner Badge after he met with the 7th Transportation Brigade, which operated a floating pier as part of efforts under the previous administration to provide food and other emergency supplies to Gaza.
“Any of you that worked with our Army mariners before, you know exactly what I’m talking about – the way that they get after it,” Weimer said at the time. “And that is a badge they earned.”
Starting on or about Friday, soldiers are expected to be able to purchase the Master Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Combat Medical Badge, and the Master Combat Action Badge in AAFES stores.
The master-level badge was one of Weimer’s biggest announcements during October’s AUSA conference. The badge is designed for infantry and Special Forces soldiers to signify they had received both the Combat Infantryman Badge and Expert Infantryman Badge. Since those two badges are worn in the same place on Army uniforms, soldiers who qualify for both have typically worn just one.
Two other versions of the badge will be awarded to medics and soldiers in all other military occupational specialties who have earned both a combat and expert badge in their respective fields.
The latest on Task & Purpose
- Arlington Cemetery website drops links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans
- The Army wants to get the load soldiers carry down to 55 pounds
- Here are the latest military units deploying to the U.S.-Mexico border
- Why Washington state used M60 tanks to prevent avalanches
- Historic ‘China Marines’ battalion converts into latest Littoral Combat Team