Napoleon is said to have stated his men would march and fight a mile for an inch of ribbon. Maybe but that did not apply in the Vietnam I knew. Where I was men fought and sometimes died for the respect of those they worked and lived with each day. "I cannot let my buddies down" was the driving force. Given that, the groupings or units became the key to morale. The squad and the platoon were most important but the company and battalion were also key. Squads and platoons had private nicknames, companies had special Infantry insignia and guidons. Battalions (and some separate companies) had heraldic type crests that were reproduced in embroidered cloth and enameled metal. Worn on hats, on shoulder straps and on shirt pockets, these crests were visible proof of one's unit and therefore one's credentials. To this day serious arguments are generated by the appearance of men wearing different crests at the same place and at the same time.