BCT banishes combat patches, badges to boost morale

This is yet another example of the softening of the US Military. Spending hours and hours worrying about nonsense when it could better be spent on cross training with othe MOS's.

As an aside, what about the morale of those who are proud of earning those badges and patches. It seems to me that I would worry more about those experienced war fighters than those who have yet to see the elephant.

While I can understand and respect what they're doing here, I have to disagree with it. Soldiers work hard to earn the badges that they wear on their chest and have fought and earned the right to wear their respective combat patches. All Soldiers aren't created equally. Some have sacrificed and endured long deployments and gone to difficult schools to attain these badges and should wear them proudly. If anything, them wearing their badges should inspire others to want to go after those tough schools and get those badges as well. If I were a new Soldier i'd be somewhat comforted in knowing that my leader and been there and done that. Even though this article states that the uniform sanitation is only done during field time i still stand by my opinion. Again, I totally get it but respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree with it.

I don't understand this. I don't condone it. I will never understand the rationale behind it. We attempt to teach our soldiers to be tough hardened warriors but don't want them to feel left out? I see people wearing Ranger, Air Assault, Airborne, Special Forces, etc. all the time. I don't feel left out because I don't have one nor does it effect my morale. They earned the right to wear those items and so far I have not. How selfish is it of me to expect someone not to proudly display their accomplishments because it could possibly effect my morale? I understand it is simply in the field but I still disagree with the choice.

As for as making them welcome? Well, last I checked all of our uniforms of this particular branch said U.S. ARMY and that was enough of a welcome for me and I needed nothing further to integrate with my fellow soldiers.

I surely would love some statistics backed information that provides some shred of truth to this greatly improving training. When I am being trained by an individual I only care that he is an SME but if he can provide experienced context in one of my future operating environments, even better.