WW II-1st Armored in Italy TB

Please drop this item in rural OR Premium Member Only caches.  Do not place it in an urban cache or abandon it at a caching event.  Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; the bag keeps the trackable clean and prevents tangling with other items.  Otherwise, take the travel bug anywhere you wish.  No permission is needed to leave the U.S.

Photos in the travel bug logs are appreciated.  I will be re-post them here, where they can be seen by other cachers.

Replica Shoulder Patch. This travel bug is one of several made to recognize the US Army Divisions that fought in Sicily and mainland Italy in World War II.  In the Spring of 2014 the travel bug owner activated, dipped, then, in March and April, took the travel bugs to caches in Italy. Some of the bugs were released in Italy and some were brought back to the states to be put into circulation.

The 1st Armored Division is the standing armored division of the United States Army, with its base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas.  It was the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle in World War II.  The division was nicknamed "Old Ironsides", after frigate USS Constitution, which is also nicknamed "Old Ironsides".  The large "1" at the top of the insignia represents the numerical designation of the division, and the insignia is used as a basis for most other sub-unit insignias. The cannon represents fire power, the track represents mobility, and the lighting bolt represents speed and shock force.  The three colors, red, yellow, and blue represent the Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry Branches respectively, which are the colors of the three original combat arms which, when forged into one, created the field of Armor.

The unit's first contact with an enemy was as part of the Allied invasion of Northwest Africa, Operation Torch.  Elements of the division were part of the Northern Task Force and became the first American armored division to see combat in World War II.  After the fall of Sicily, the unit invaded mainland Italy. It took part in the attack on fortified line of defenses south of Rome.  It then flanked the Axis armies in the landings at Anzio, and then passed through the city of Rome and pursued the retreating enemy northward.  The division continued in combat to the Po Valley until the German forces in Italy surrendered on 2 May 1945.  In June, the Division moved to Germany as part of the occupation forces.