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Forum Home > S2, Intelligence, FSSF HQ > The Crossed Arrow Insignia of the First Special Service Force

papajoad
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Posts: 22 		The Crossed Arrow Insignia of the First Special Service Force
by Bill Story
1990 First Special Service Force Association

   In the formative days of the First Special Service Force, it was the fancy of some of the planners to give the organization an "Indian motif" calling the troops "Braves" and naming its Regiments and Battalions after Indian tribes.  One supposes this goes back to the "Geronimo" cry adopted initially by the U.S. Army Test Platoon as they made their training exits from the old C-46's in 1940.  Fortunately, this childish and embarrassing approach to an intensely combative unit made up of double, even triple volunteers from the U.S. and Canadian Armies, went largely by the wayside, except for some of the rear-echelon types.

   But, this initial motif-seeking resulted in two very positive pieces of insignia:  the Force Crossed Arrows, and the Force Red Spearhead, with its striking USA/CANADA embroidery.

   In the United States, such things as insignia were handled by the Heraldry people in the Services of Supply, as it was called then.  When a Force Supply Officer went to the S.O.S., and described the unit and the Indian motif concept, a Colonel suggested using the Crossed Arrows which had been the insignia of the Indian Scouts.  The Scouts unit had recently been deactivated, there being only eight Cherokee Braves still living - the youngest 84 years old.  The idea was accepted, and the Force was granted the Crossed Arrows.  With it came the establishment of the First Special Service Force as a separate Branch of the U.S. Army.  Men of the Force, instead of wearing Infantry, Artillery, Engineer or other similar types of Branch insignia would wear the Force Crossed Arrows, regardless of what Branch they came from.

   For 1942, this was a most unusual step.  Only in the past two years or so have the U.S. Army Special Forces been granted Branch status, and that, after much effort over many years.  With their Branch status came the FSSF Crossed Arrows, revived again, after having fallen into disuse between December, 1944, when the Force was deactivated and the granting of Branch status to the Green Berets.  Today, Special Forces personnel wear their Crossed Arrows with the pride of inheritance from two organizations which have had a storied past in the U. S Army.  It would be nice to be able to say that the Canadian Army had made a similar move.  but, the Crossed Arrows are worn only by the pipe band of Canada's Special Service Force.  The Canadian Airborne Regiment, which, like the U.S. Special Forces, carries the Force battle honors on its colors, has its own collar insignia, dating back to 1942 and the establishment of the Canadian Parachute Corps.  Incidentally, that Parachute Corps consisted primarily of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, and the First Canadian Special Service Battalion.

   As for the Red Spearhead shoulder insignia, it developed from the Crossed Arrows and the Indian motif.  Pine trees, buffalo heads, coonskin caps, arrow heads and tomahawks were all considered and dropped, until finally, someone came up with an approvable Spearhead design on which could be superimposed the white USA/CANADA lettering - the former across the top and the latter down the spine.  Certainly, nothing could be more distinctive in a unit which would serve entirely with the U.S. Army than a shoulder patch in which the word Canada, because of its length, took up the eye catching position.  For the Canadians of the Force, this was some consolation for the fact theire own government refused to make their pay scales equal to those of the men from the U.S. Army, next to whom they would fight and die on the battlefield.   
March 16, 2009 at 9:57 PM Flag Quote & Reply

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