Jump to content

ROTC Insignia


AndrewA74
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello,

I got this at a military show from a prominent patrch collector for free. He said it was a pre-WWII ROTC star meant to be worn on the sleeve. He said they had different colors for athletics, acdemics, ETC. Can anyone please help me shed some light on this mystery patch?

Thanks,

Andrew

 

PS: It's pretty small

post-889-1202575939.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Andrew,

 

very good topic! I also have some of these little disks and never new exactly what they were made for. ROTC is a good hint! So maybe somebodey knows what the two small disks in the upper row are made for?

 

Andrew, I'm hooked on this ROTC stuff. Maybe you are willing to trade?

 

Lars

star1.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wore an identical star (like the red star, above) in high school junior ROTC, in the very early 60s. It designated an ROTC honor unit. We still wore Ike jackets and Pinks and Greens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Andrew,

 

very good topic! I also have some of these little disks and never new exactly what they were made for. ROTC is a good hint! So maybe somebodey knows what the two small disks in the upper row are made for?

 

Andrew, I'm hooked on this ROTC stuff. Maybe you are willing to trade?

 

Lars

Hmm...send me your trade list. Thanks for the info! By the make of my patch it appears post WWII, but what do I know?

Thanks again,

Andrew

 

I'd love to know more about these odd things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems to me that I recall seeing gold bullion stars too -- meaning the wearer was an honor studen/on Dean's List -- certainly this was true of stars on USMA cadet collars.

 

G

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also have one of these patches on felt in my collection, IDed as a ROTC Cadet Star. It looks pretty much the same as one of Lars' stars, but this one is red

 

Erik

post-999-1202582604.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only reference I can find to the wearing of a star in ROTC was in a 1920s or 30s copy of the Corps regulations for Purdue University. The only star referred to is a gold star. Below is the citation from the manual and a diagram of the wear.

post-203-1202585569.jpg

 

post-203-1202585577.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, that really would make sence! I have some of the ROTC shields with similar colors. Looks that this could be "sets". Would be great to see your ROTC variants here!

 

Lars

 

P.S. Erik, I like your red star disk too!!! :rolleyes:

1_ROTC.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, that really would make sence! I have some of the ROTC shields with similar colors. Looks that this could be "sets". Would be great to see your ROTC variants here!

 

Lars

 

P.S. Erik, I like your red star disk too!!! :rolleyes:

 

 

Lars,

 

I don't collect these ROTC shields, but here are a few that I have found in patch collections. It seems like every time one is found, it's a completely different variant.

 

The blue on OD wool is hand embroidered. The yellow is quite a bit larger than normal size and blue on blue has gold highlighting thread like yours on OD.

 

Gary

post-84-1202596743.jpg

post-84-1202596755.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...a pre-WWII ROTC star meant to be worn on the sleeve. He said they had different colors for athletics, acdemics, ETC. Can anyone please help me shed some light on this mystery patch?

Here is another explanation of the star:

 

 

AR 600-35 Prescribed Service Uniform, 31 March 1944.

 

Paragraph 29. Insignia to denote excellence, Army Specialized Training Program (see fig. 20-2). -- On an olive-drab disk, a blue star 1 inch in diameter.

 

AR 600-40 Wearing of Service Uniform, 31 March 1944.

 

Paragraph 63. Insignia to denote excellence, Army Specialized Training Program. -- Enlisted men who have been designated for scholastic excellence as trainees in the Army Specialized Training Program will wear the insignia to denote excellence, only during the term following that in which it was earned. If not redesignated as excellent, the insignia will be removed from the uniform. The insignia will be worn centered on the outside of the left sleeve of the service coat, with the lowest point 4 inches above the lower edge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is another explanation of the star:

AR 600-35 Prescribed Service Uniform, 31 March 1944.

 

Paragraph 29. Insignia to denote excellence, Army Specialized Training Program (see fig. 20-2). -- On an olive-drab disk, a blue star 1 inch in diameter.

 

AR 600-40 Wearing of Service Uniform, 31 March 1944.

 

Paragraph 63. Insignia to denote excellence, Army Specialized Training Program. -- Enlisted men who have been designated for scholastic excellence as trainees in the Army Specialized Training Program will wear the insignia to denote excellence, only during the term following that in which it was earned. If not redesignated as excellent, the insignia will be removed from the uniform. The insignia will be worn centered on the outside of the left sleeve of the service coat, with the lowest point 4 inches above the lower edge.

 

 

So if I understood it right, these stars were used by ROTC personell and ASTP personell? Or is a ROTC Cadet simultanesly a ASTP participant?

 

Lars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lars,

 

I don't collect these ROTC shields, but here are a few that I have found in patch collections. It seems like every time one is found, it's a completely different variant.

 

The blue on OD wool is hand embroidered. The yellow is quite a bit larger than normal size and blue on blue has gold highlighting thread like yours on OD.

 

Gary

 

Gary

 

great examples! Maybe "I don't collect these ROTC shields" means you would trade some of them? w00t.gif

Did you ask me for the UNRRA tab once?

 

Lars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen these on ROTC uniforms from pre-WW2 but am not sure of the meaning.

 

Here are some photos of an Ohio State University coat that I think is from the later 1930s. Just dug it out of my storage closet to get ready to put it on eBay. It appears to be black or extremely dark blue, very little in the way of insignia other than the OSU SSI and the star and ROTC sleeve insignia. It has Ohio State buttons. Anyone know for sure if this is of the late 1930s as I suspect. The name tag seems to read Edgar Thornley or Thornly (not clear).

 

COAT.jpg

 

SSI.jpg

 

ROTC.jpg

 

STAR.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...is a ROTC Cadet simultanesly a ASTP participant?

No, ASTP was a short-lived scheme for acquiring large numbers of technically educated officers by enrolling high-aptitude enlisted men in civilian colleges and universities. The idea was to push these students through accelerated 2- and 4-year programs in the sciences, mathematics, engineering, languages, etc., leading eventually to commissioning and service in these fields. Something like 200,000 ASTP students were enrolled in less than a year after the program was launched. A manpower crisis in Army Ground Forces in 1943 forced a massive curtailment in ASTP. All but about 30,000 of these soldier-scholars were abruptly terminated from the program early in 1944 to be sent to combat divisions, most as infantry riflemen (link here.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Wailuna stated, ASTP was a program to provide a technical college degree to enlisted soldiers. Particpants attended most major universities, but were actually on active duty and lived in barracks on campus. They wore uniforms 24/7; and marched to classes as units. In other words, their soldier job was to attend college. The ASTP program was created by the fears (gained by France and Britain's losses of college grads in WWI) that an entire generation of college grads might be lost in WWII. As WWII continued (and US casualties soared), most ASTP participants were pulled from campuses and thrust into line combat units. My father was one such unlucky soul. In 1943 (after 2 years of ASTP at Texas A&M); my dad was pulled from A&M and dropped into the stark tar-paper shack world of the 103d Infantry Division of Camp Howze, TX. He once reflected that the old Army corporals truly hated the "college boys"; and their treatment of the ASTP troops verged on sadism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for these background informations! thumbsup.gif

 

Very nice ROTC uniform with a patch I have never seen before. So did I get it right, the small stars are a kind of "excellence in..." insignia? Obviously they are worn on the same sleeve, like mentioned in the manual before and on the different sleeve than the ROTC shield.

 

Thanks for learning so much here!

 

Lars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gary

 

great examples! Maybe "I don't collect these ROTC shields" means you would trade some of them? w00t.gif

Did you ask me for the UNRRA tab once?

 

Lars

 

Hello Lars,

 

PM sent.

 

Gary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have my father's ROTC military school Ike jacket from the early 1950s and it has a white star on the lower right sleeve. He told me it was some sort of award, but I don't remember the details.

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Andrew,

 

very good topic! I also have some of these little disks and never new exactly what they were made for. ROTC is a good hint! So maybe somebodey knows what the two small disks in the upper row are made for?

 

Andrew, I'm hooked on this ROTC stuff. Maybe you are willing to trade?

 

Lars

The one at upper left (red on OD circle with arrow), is Canadian Army from the 50's to the mid sixties and was for "Trained Soldier". It was worn in place of any rank insignia until the soldier was promoted to Lance Corporal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

craig_pickrall

I apologize for the poor quality of the source material but with careful reading it may answer some of the questions.

 

post-5-1202753170.jpg

post-5-1202753176.jpg

post-5-1202753182.jpg

post-5-1202753189.jpg

post-5-1202753195.jpg

post-5-1202753200.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

craig_pickrall

I can not read the original any better than what I posted. I'm not sure of the dates without additional research.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

post-5-1202753189.jpg

post-5-1202753195.jpg

post-5-1202753200.jpg

Here is a specimen of the insignia for Academic Achievement at R.O.T.C. honor schools "for Army Units of Junior Division at Class MS Institutions" (whatever that means.) Courtesy of ASMIC "Can-You-ID" Web page.

 

post-1963-1202796685.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...