Weird colonel jacket, theater made? Korea-Vietnam era

[thetrenchman1918]

Picked this up today along with the beret and a field jacket, I think this is really cool, looks kind of like a copy of a tanker jacket to me, any info would be great.

[thetrenchman1918]

Pic

[vintageproductions]

Korean made copy of a tanker jacket

[doyler]

Nice

 

I recently picked one up with a Tour patch on the reverse,name tape and 8th Army patch.

[thetrenchman1918]

What vintage are the patches? Any idea also this obviously dose t have the value of a ww2 tanker but any ideas?

[doyler]

Would say the patches are late 60s or 70s era.

 

Im thinking the jacket dates a little earlier.Hard to say how long it was in use unless you got it right from the vet.

[B229]

Fully subdued sew-on insignia didn't really start showing up Army-wide until the early-mid 70's, so I would say it dates from no earlier than then. These custom tanker jackets were actually worn well into the 1980's. I used to own from an Armor officer who had his made up in the mid 1980's.

[doyler]

Looks like there is another rank outline above the Cols emblem.May have used it through severa; promotions.

[MattS]

Mid-70s to mid-80s, he probably swapped out his LTC insignia for full bird. Neat jacket!

[thetrenchman1918]

Only think I have for age is what the picker told me, he was in from Korea to the mid 70's

[patches]

Most odd that he has his Jump Wings sewn on the bottom of the U.S. ARMY tape. Was there once other cloth qualification badges sewn above the tape? these would be the Combat Infantryman's Badge and Aviator Badge.

 

Also the shoulder patch that's removed, looks round, so it could be either the 7th Inf Div or EYE Corps he was in then.

[mvmhm]

Maybe this is him:

 

Name Richard E Moakley Jr Birth Date August 18, 1928 Death Date September 05, 2012

Military Branch

US ARMY

Military Rank

COL

War(s)

Korea

 

 

Mark sends

[MattS]

Could be, here's his obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fitchburg/obituary.aspx?pid=159686658

[thetrenchman1918]

I know he served in Korea and lived in mass according to the picker, and just passed away in the last few years so i would say it is him.

[Rakkasan187]

I checked my 187th Rosters and did not see any Moakley among the names, but that doesn't mean he wasn't with them. Looking at the obituary it really doesn't shed any light as far as service. It states he made a career as a Colonel in the Army Reserves. Maybe a family member could shed some more light on his history.

 

Here is another possible hit.

 

I checked my West Point registers and I found this man:

 

Geoffrey Smith Moakley, born in Connecticut June 30, 1941, branch of service: Armor, 1-66 Armor, 2nd Armored Division 64-68, 2-17 Cav & Troop Co 2/11 ACR RVN 66-68.(2 BSMv,2 BSM, PH, Combat Infantry Badge, 1/63 Arm 68 (CM) Commendation medal, AdC Aide de Camp CG 24th Div. 69 (CM) TIS (The Infantry Center) 70, MBA, Tulane 72, CDEC Combat Development Command, Ft Ord, CA 72-75, NMASS CGSC, Command General Staff College 76, OMI, Office of Military Instruction USMA 76, MAJ.

 

There are some indicators that the jacket could belong to this man, The Colonel was in the Armor branch and this is a possible foreign made tanker jacket, he was assigned to 2/17 Cav which was with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, He was in country with the 2-17 Cav for the campaign at hill 937, aka Dong Ap Bi Mountain, aka Hamburger Hill, He was also in the A Shau Valley which was the 101st Airborne's stomping grounds.

 

In the write up this Moakley was awarded the CIB, and possibly was with a Rakkasan unit and that would explain the subdued 187th Combat patch which was worn in Vietnam, but was never authorized. There is no mention in the West Point Register about parachutist wings or Ranger school, but it doesn't mean he didn't attend, there is limited space for bios in the registers..

 

A lot of what if's but I have seen stranger combinations on uniforms. I like this jacket, and the New England connection is still close, the member stated that the picker said the man was from Massachusetts and served in Korea, but Connecticut is right down the street and perhaps this is another lead to follow.

 

I will continue to search through the 187th rosters but my 1950 rosters and books do not indicate he was with them in Korea..

 

Perhaps the families of both the Massachusetts and Connecticut Moakley's can fill the gaps??

 

Leigh

[TrenchfootJoe66]

Could I possibly see a better pic of the 187th patch ?

[patches]

Old Topic I commented on, and don't know if member still has jacket. but it peaked my curiosity, and here he is, it will be a late-sh 70s or so worn one, but the oddest thing is he doesn't show in any of the officer registers for the late 60s as a lower ranking officer, either active or reserve, unless I'm just stoned and missed it  .

 

No Company or Rank Given as we see, servied in The Rakkasans in 1950-1951.

Moakley, Richard E. RHQ-187th 09-05-12( Yrs 50-51) 22 W. Main St, Ashby, MA 01431

 

And this photo of him RANGER Tab and all from an article he wrote in the January-February 1980 INFANTRY JOURNAL, as we see he was an EM in the Korean War, and at this time, 1979, we see he's in the 76th Training Division in Connecticut and that a little earlier he was Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Reserves 187th Infantry Brigade (Sep), and that's perhaps the patch or one of the patches that was there, rather than a round one it would seem.