Army Driver and Mechanic Badge P12686

Army Driver and Mechanic Badge P12686.
The Army Driver and Mechanic Badge honors soldiers who have completed driver or mechanic MOS training and qualified as operators of military motor vehicles. It recognizes the skill and training behind keeping the Army's vehicles running and on the move.

What makes this badge distinctive is the set of metal qualification bars that hang below it. Each bar marks a specific type of vehicle or equipment the recipient is qualified to handle:

• Operator S — special mechanical equipment
• Mechanic — automotive or allied vehicles
• Driver A — amphibious vehicles
• Driver M — motorcycles
• Driver T — tracked vehicles
• Driver W — wheeled vehicles

Soldiers who earn more than one qualification suspend additional bars beneath the badge, forming a chain. The longer the chain, the broader the recipient's range of vehicle expertise—making each badge a personal record of the skills a soldier has mastered.