Det 53/CLT

[Longhorn92]

Heres a patch Ive always liked which took me a while to find. I found this one at the 2015 SoS.

 

Its best known as the pocket patch worn by members of Detachment B53 at Camp Long Thanh, which ran various training courses for SOG personnel, including the Reconnaissance Team Leaders Course. The unit was later called the Long Thanh Training Detachment and then the Training Center Advisory Element. The South Vietnamese called it Camp Yen The. There may have been another name at some point.

 

However, Ive never really seen the patch described beyond the Det B53 or Long Thanh Training Detachment patch as worn by Americans. But its not a US patch so what exactly is it?

 

I think the patch is specifically for the RVNs Strategic Technical Directorates Training Division or command, which was also located at Camp Long Thanh. They and US personnel ran courses for STD so it would make sense that the US personnel would wear this patch as they wore LLDB pocket patches.

 

So while its always described as the B53 or LTTD patch, I think its more accurately the STDs Training Center patch.

 

Thats my guess anyway.

 

In any case, its a cool design.

[firefighter]

That is a great looking patch