The Ram’s Head Device has been the Army’s mountaineering badge for decades. But, not all soldiers who earned it were allowed to wear it. After months of rumors, soldiers finally received their answer on an Army-wide authorization for the mountaineering badge.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer announced a new mountaineering badge during the Association of the United States Army 2024 event, held from Oct. 14 to 16 in Washington, D.C. But, it’s not the traditional Ram’s Head Device.
“Who remembers the goat head for the mountain? Yeah, that’s not going to be the badge,” Weimer said. “They’re in the process of redesigning a badge that will come up for approval.”
Spokespeople for Weimer and the Army’s Institute of Heraldry did not respond to requests for more information about the device.
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Along with the mountaineering badge, Weimer said the Army would soon be issuing a mariner badge for those who serve on Army watercraft and STOL systems, as well as Master Combat Badges that would combine the combat and expert badges that soldiers earn within their specific fields.
But in announcing the mountaineering badge, Weimer said the Army would not use the Ram’s Head Device, a badge already awarded for decades.
What is the Ram’s Head Device?
Since 2003, any soldier who successfully completed the Army Mountain Warfare School’s Basic Mountaineering Course has been awarded the Skill Qualification Identifier – E “Military Mountaineer” and the Ram’s Head Device, which depicts a mountain goat’s head and curved horns. The course is two weeks long, and soldiers learn land navigation in extreme weather, high-angle marksmanship, first aid, casualty evacuation, and ascending and descending techniques.
However, the device was never approved for wear on Army uniforms except for soldiers assigned to the Vermont Army National Guard.
The Ram’s Head Device was first adopted in the 1950s by the Army Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command at Fort Carson and Camp Hale, Colorado. The badge was worn by their cadre, marking them as experts in mountain warfare. That tradition is still maintained by the cadre facilitating the Vermont-based course.
Sgt. 1st Class Max Archambault earned his Ram’s Head Device during the winter of 2014. He’s an instructor at the Mountain Warfare School and has long wondered why the Ram’s Head wasn’t authorized for course graduates, like jump wings, scuba bubbles, and Air Assault Badges — all devices earned by graduating from a school. Archambault said he’s long advocated to Army leaders for the Ram’s Head but has heard the look puts off some.
Army photo.
“I know a key hang up with the Ram’s Head being authorized is that a lot of the sergeant majors across the army just thought the badge looked ridiculous,” he said.
He’s heard it called “the Princess Leia sew-on” for the gold horns that resemble the “Star Wars” heroine’s bun-style haircut. He’s also heard that the all-black version of the badge “looks like a blob,” Archambault said.
Weimer specified that anyone who previously attended the Vermont course would be authorized to wear the new mountaineering badge, but further details were not released during his presentation at AUSA 2024.