U.S. Army Officially Recognizes 10th Mountain Division Insignia
A historical piece of ski and military iconography is back: soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division can once again wear the "ski trooper" insignia on their garrison caps in a move that reflects the unit's ties to the past, military leaders say.
The metal insignia features a pair of crossed skis with "US" centered. These insignias were never officially recognized, but they were commonly worn in place of branch insignia. Decades ago, soldiers at Camp Hale, Colorado, had them custom-made by civilians before they deployed to the European theater during World War II.
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Major General Scott Naumann, commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division, officially authorized them for wear.
"The crossed skis are more than a symbol from our past," Naumann said, according to the U.S. Army. "They represent the toughness, adaptability, and spirit that define this division. Seeing them on our Soldiers' caps connects who we are today with the mountaineers who built our reputation."
Some soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division no longer fight and train on skis, but the unit's history is interwoven with skiing. It came about, in part, at the suggestion of Charles Minot Dole, the chairman of the National Ski Patrol Committee, who cited the effectiveness of Finland's ski troops.
"In this country, there are 2,000,000 skiers, equipped, intelligent, and able," he told President FDR. "I contend that it is more reasonable to make soldiers out of skiers than skiers out of soldiers."
Through a contract with the War Department, the National Ski Patrol went on to recruit thousands of volunteers for the burgeoning mountain division.
To that end, Dole created a system where the NSP got letters of recommendation testifying to a recruit's skiing or mountaineering ability. However, according to The National WWII Museum, manpower needs meant that many of the later recruits had never skied or even seen snow before they joined up.
In 1943, the 10th Light Division was constituted. One year later, it was renamed the 10th Mountain Division.
Those soldiers went on to fight in Italy's mountains, relying on their mountaineering training to break through Germany's defenses. When they returned home after the war, they became ski instructors and helped found mountain resorts across the country, like Vail, Arapahoe Basin, and Whiteface. Their work shaped and expanded the American ski industry.
After several inactivations and reactivations, the 10th Mountain Division became a light infantry unit in 1985.
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 1:28 PM.