294 replies to this topic

[patches]

Thought this will be a good topic, the Patch Type Crest being actually worn on a uniform. I know it will be a tough one, as it would seen that very few soldiers, whether Officers or Enlistedmen alike took advantage of this seemingly semi autherized application of insignia to their uniforms, but it will be fun and interesting to see what we all can find and add here. All posts must be one wear a Patch Type Crest is being worn, no others, this will be portraits of actual uniforms or Garrision Caps or the 1950s Ridgeways Caps and the later 1960s Soft Caps, and of course any original uniform items in the hands of members from the forum or any uniform online finds, remember only photos and uniform items with these type being worn on a uniform, not the posting of indivdual loose examples.

I will add two examples in a bit.

[patches]

First up, the patch type crest being worn in the fashion of the WWII period ie on the lower lapels of a 3rd Infantry Division GI, Occupation Period, note he wears no Discharge Patch.


Next we see the patch type crest being worn by Lieutenant Colonel Robert McDade, 11th Air Assault Division, Fort Benning Georgia 1964. When this photo was taken in the summer of 1964 McDade was either a Divisional or Brigade Staff Officer in the 11th Air Assault Division. McDade in 1965 was giving the command of the 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry 1st Air Cavalry Division when the 11th AIr Assault Division was inactivated and it's personel merged with the Benning based 2nd Infantry Division, and took it over to South Vietnam. It was McDade's Battalion that was hit badly in the Battle of LZ Albany on 17 November 1965 during the Pleiku Campaign, The Lieutenant Colonel McDade, his staff, and Headquarters Company were in the lead when it was attacked by the NVA, the 2/7 Cav lost 155 KIA, 124 WIA, 4 MIA.

[Tonomachi]

I don't own any of these uniforms but I kept the photos for my reference. I believe I got most of these photos off of eBay so I don't know if these patch type DIs were added afterwards by the seller. First is 3rd Infantry Division DIs and 5th Army DIs.

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[Tonomachi]

Next is 7th Army DIs on two different uniforms.

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[patches]

The 81st Infantry Division PTC being worn only on the Garrision Cap of what is a Discharged 81st Inf Div Combat Inf vet, note he is assigned to a unit of the 8th Army, but has as far as I know, worn against regualations his former unit's unit crests, he oddly wears the PTC of 81st Inf Div rather than another Unit Crest on his cap.


And the type most likely being worn here.


Of note, this is the Grandfather of member Tredway17, and was posted in an earlier topic.

Edited by patches, 23 March 2013 - 08:54 PM.

[Tonomachi]

Next is 9th Engineer Command DIs.

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Edited by Tonomachi, 23 March 2013 - 08:54 PM.

[Tonomachi]

Next is China Burma India DIs.

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[Tonomachi]

Next is ETO Advance Base DIs

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[Tonomachi]

Full uniform

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[Tonomachi]

Forgot to show more of the uniform for Post 7

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[patches]

Found this gem, it's too good to pass up and not post this photo of a Manhattan Project Master Sergeant, the photo has been floating around here on the Forum in two separate topic, lets now add him here.

 

Here we see this Wartime GI wearing the Patch Type Crest for the Manhattan Project.

 

 

 

Edited by patches, 19 April 2013 - 08:15 PM.

[seanmc1114]

Here is an odd one. A soldier wearing the 90th Infantry Division SSI with 94th Infantry Division DUI's on his lapel. He could be a high point man from the 94th who transferred to the 90th for demobilization and discharge. However, I don't believe the 94th had enough time overseas in WWII for any of its soldiers to have earned three overseas stripes. Also note his U.S. and Infantry collar brass are worn on the wrong lapels.

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[seanmc1114]

Command Sergeant Major LaMarquis Knowles of the 82nd Airborne

 

 

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[seanmc1114]

Command Sergeant Major Isaia T. Vimoto of the XVIII Airborne Corps

 

 

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[seanmc1114]

The Infantry School. While the DUI is the officially the same as the SSI, I'm pretty sure the wearing on the the beret is unofficial.

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[patches]

Curious, those two modern soldiers in ACUs are wearing the autherized Non Color Bearing insignia of these two unit's, the metal copy of their shoulder patches, ie a Patch Type Crest, it's ashame as the 82nd and the XVII Abn Corps had as their NCBU Crests designed way back, two distictive designed crests, these were dropped sometime ago, in 1990 and now they just use this PTC instead, but it curious, according to TIOH this old one for the 82nd was reinstated in 1998, but we see it is not being worn, why?

 

The old 82nd Abn Div NCBU DI.

http://www.tioh.hqda...nit.aspx?u=2846

 

 

Now the XVIII Abn Corps, TIOH does not give much info as to why if at all these were replaced with the PTC, but we see here clearly the one below, the NCBU DI is not being worn, just the PTC.

 

http://www.tioh.hqda...nit.aspx?u=2844

 

 

 

 

[seanmc1114]

Curious, those two modern soldiers in ACUs are wearing the autherized Non Color Bearing insignia of these two unit's, the metal copy of their shoulder patches, ie a Patch Type Crest, it's ashame as the 82nd and the XVII Abn Corps had as their NCBU Crests designed way back, two distictive designed crests, these were dropped sometime ago, in 1990 and now they just use this PTC instead, but it curious, according to TIOH this old one for the 82nd was reinstated in 1998, but we see it is not being worn, why?

 

The old 82nd Abn Div NCBU DI.

82_ABD_DUI.png

http://www.tioh.hqda...nit.aspx?u=2846

 

 

Now the XVIII Abn Corps, TIOH does not give much info as to why if at all these were replaced with the PTC, but we see here clearly the one below, the NCBU DI is not being worn, just the PTC.

 

ImageProxy.jpg

http://www.tioh.hqda...nit.aspx?u=2844

 

 

 

 

I just assumed that the Division or Corps Command Sergeant Major wore the patch crest instead of the NCBU DUI. I have an old 82nd yearbook that I think is from 1982 with the same insignia. I'll try to scan it for comparison.

[patches]

That would be odd as all Divisional CSMs are in the the Divisional HQ,like wise Armies and Corps. One of the main reasons for the Army allowing the new NCBU DIs to be designed and adopted there back in the mid 1960s was to give Divisions, and Brigades within Divisions a DI of there own, the overwhelming majority of which had none, same with Armies and Corps, prior to this, if a DI was worn at all in these units it would be the Patch Type Crest as witnessed by that 1964 photo of Lt Col Bob Mc Dade of the 11th Air Assault Divsion (test).

[lovmilinsig]

Thanks for posting these very interesting photos . For me , the Forum is like going to a museum .

 

Ed

[seanmc1114]

Here is a picture of Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. wearing the 101st Airborne Division crest on his boonie hat.

 

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[seanmc1114]

1st Armored Division

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[seanmc1114]

49th Armored Division

 

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[patches]

Sgt Charles Fleek 1/27th Inf 25th Inf Div, MOH Posth

 

Kinda grainy, but the Tropic Lighting is seen on his boonie, like Sabo with the 101st PTC, these type of PTCs were more than likely Beercans, and were really worn as an embelishment rather than the way they used to be worn, worn on the shoulder loops of uniforms, to include field jacket shoulder loops, garrison and Ridgeway/soft caps by Troops of Commands, Armies, Corps, and Divisions who lacked a unit DI of their own.

 

Good find on those two Armd Div officers Sean.

Edited by patches, 14 May 2013 - 07:35 PM.

[seanmc1114]

Here's a couple - almost! The officially authorized DUI for the HHC 1st Cavalry Division is the shoulder sleeve insignia with the addition of two gold stars on the diagonal stripe.

 

Here's pictures of two of the 1st Cav's Vietnam commanders, MG Harry W. O. Kinnard and MG John J. Tolson, wearing the DUI on their jungle jackets.

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[seanmc1114]

Curious, those two modern soldiers in ACUs are wearing the autherized Non Color Bearing insignia of these two unit's, the metal copy of their shoulder patches, ie a Patch Type Crest, it's ashame as the 82nd and the XVII Abn Corps had as their NCBU Crests designed way back, two distictive designed crests, these were dropped sometime ago, in 1990 and now they just use this PTC instead, but it curious, according to TIOH this old one for the 82nd was reinstated in 1998, but we see it is not being worn, why?

 

The old 82nd Abn Div NCBU DI.

82_ABD_DUI.png

http://www.tioh.hqda...nit.aspx?u=2846

Here's a picture of the 82nd Airborne Division's Command Sergeant Major from the 1982 yearbook wearing the the patch crest on his beret. So this practice for the 82nd is at least 30 years old.

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