How to earn the US Army’s Jungle tab in Panama — and lose 10lbs

BASE AERONAVAL CRISTÓBAL COLÓN, Panama — Though many service members venture into the hot, humid terrain of the U.S. Army’s jungle school in Panama , not all leave with the newly authorized-for-wear Jungle tab. The Panama course, back after a decades-long hiatus, resumed in 2025 as the U.S. military shifted its focus to the Western Hemisphere. In August, the Army confirmed it had approved the small arch-shaped patch — emblazoned with the word “Jungle” — for service-wide wear on the left shoulder. It joins the Special Forces, Sapper and Ranger tabs as wearable markers of additional skill…