Naval Support Activity Bahrain Patch

Long before the Fifth Fleet came back to life in 1995, the ground under NSA Bahrain was HMS Juffair, a Royal Navy station that opened on 13 April 1935. The U.S. Navy kept a small detachment in Bahrain after World War II, and the Middle East Force was posted there from 1948. When Bahrain became independent in 1971 and the permanent Royal Navy presence ended, the U.S. government took over the site, about 10 acres at the time. Today Naval Support Activity Bahrain sits in Juffair, next to Manama. This patch is for the sailors who served at the Navy's shore headquarters in the Gulf.

The base was named Administrative Support Unit Bahrain in 1979 and became ASU Southwest Asia in 1992. Before the Gulf War, Navy operations in the Persian Gulf were directed by Commander, Middle East Force. On 1 July 1995 the Fifth Fleet was reactivated with Vice Admiral John Scott Redd as its first commander since World War II, sharing a commander and headquarters with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, NAVCENT. Military construction starting in 1997 built the Juffair facilities into the base it is now. A five-year, $580 million expansion that began in 2010 set out to roughly double the 62-acre installation, and its final phase added a flyover bridge to the port at Mina Salman.

The patch is 4 by 4 inches with a cut edge and light blue borders. A gold scroll across the top reads "BAHRAIN" in blue, and a gold band sweeps around the bottom with "NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY" in red. In the light blue center the island of Bahrain is stitched in tan with "BAHRAIN" in red down its length, a red star near its northern end and a smaller island off the tip. "NSA" sits above in red, the U.S. flag flies on the left and the red and white Bahraini flag with its serrated edge on the right. "GULF OF BAHRAIN" curves around the lower edge of the disc in blue.

Duty at NSA Bahrain put a sailor at the center of every Navy operation in the region, on a fleet staff, on the piers at Mina Salman or in the commands that kept the base and the ships alongside it running. Deploying ships came through for fuel, repairs and supplies, and their crews got a few days ashore before heading back out. The Navy Exchange expansion and food court that opened in 2006 mattered to people far from home on long tours. The base grew from a 10-acre former Royal Navy station into a major installation over the years many of its veterans served there. Anyone who did a tour in Juffair will recognize the map, the two flags and the name on this patch.

Put it in a shadow box with your orders and a few photos from the tour, or on the jacket you wear to Navy reunions. It is also a good gift for a shipmate or a family member who spent time at the Fifth Fleet headquarters. Measures 4 x 4 inches with a cut edge and iron-on backing, and it can also be sewn on. A Bahrain tour belongs somewhere you can see it.