WW II-2nd Armored in Normandy TB

This trackable is unusual for its longevity and movement. In the six-year period, 2010-15, the owner released a total of 2168 trackables in the United States (96%) and Europe (4%). This trackable is one of the 5% of the total that circulated for at least 5 years and had been moved at least 25 times.  That is a target rate of at least five drops per year for five years, or a drop every 73 days.  As of 7-Aug-21 this particular trackable had survived for 8.8 years and had been moved by 40 cachers, for an average release every 80 days. Keep it moving!

Please drop it in a Premium Member only OR a rural cache near a busy trail or road. Do not place it in an urban cache or abandon it at a caching event where there is no security.  Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; the bag keeps the trackable clean, protects the number and prevents tangling with other items.  Otherwise, take the trackable anywhere you wish.  No permission is needed to leave the U.S.

Replica Shoulder Patch. This travel bug is one of several made to recognize the US Army Divisions that fought in Normandy and elsewhere in France in 1944. In the summer of 2012 the travel bug owner activated, dipped, then, in October, took the travel bugs to Normandy beaches, towns, museums and the American cemetery above Omaha Beach. Some of the bugs were released in France, but most were brought back to the states to be put into circulation. 
  
The shoulder patch insignia for all of the armored divisions has the same basic pattern.    It is of three interlaced torques, no one of which would be sufficient without the other two.  Combined, they form a single triangle, a device indicating integrity and esprit de corps.  The colors yellow, red and blue, are those of the basic arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Infantry.  The super-imposed black symbols have a more modern meaning: the tank track for mobility and armor protection, the cannon for fire power, and the bolt of lightning to designate shock action.  The only differences between the division patches is the Arabic numeral in the yellow field designating the division and, when present, the division nickname on a yellow tab at the bottom of the triangle.
 
The 2nd Armored Division ("Hell on Wheels") played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France, Belgium, and Holland and the invasion of Germany.  The Division served with the First, Seventh, and Ninth Armies in Europe.  The 2nd Armored was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia on 15 July 1940, originally commanded by Major General Charles L. Scott, with Colonel George S. Patton in charge of training.  Scott was promoted to command the I Armored Corps in November of that year, which put Patton, now a brigadier general, in command of the division.