Sapper Tab

The Sapper Tab is a military badge of the United States Army which was authorized on June 28, 2004 by the Army Chief of Staff, General Peter Schoomaker.

To be awarded the Sapper Tab, a service member may or may not hold the military occupation specialty code (MOS) designation as a Combat Engineer (Sapper), but must have graduated from the Sapper Leader Course (SLC), which is operated by the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The school falls under HHC, 35th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade. This award is retroactive back to the graduates of the first SLC on June 14, 1985.

The full color tab is 2 3/8 inches (6.03 cm) long, 11/16 inch (1.75 cm) wide, with a red background and a 1/8 inch (.32 cm) red border and the word "SAPPER" inscribed in white letters 5/16 inch (.79 cm) high. The woodland subdued tab is identical, except the background is olive drab and the word "SAPPER" is in black letters. The desert subdued tab has a khaki background with the word “SAPPER” in spice brown letters.

It is currently one of three permanent individual skill tabs authorized for wear by the U.S. Army. In order of precedence they are the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, and the Sapper Tab. However, only three tabs may be worn at one time (not including tabs that are part of the shoulder sleeve insignia such as Airborne or Mountain).

To wear the Sapper Tab, a soldier must graduate from the Sapper Leader Course (SLC) which is operated by the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day course designed to train joint-service leaders in small unit tactics, leadership skills, and tactics required to perform as part of a combined arms team. The course is open to enlisted soldiers in the grades of E-4 (P) (in the Army, specialist on the list for promotion to sergeant) E-5, and above, cadets, and officers O-3 (Army, captain) and below. Students can come from any combat or combat support branch of the service, but priority is given to engineering, cavalry, and infantry soldiers.