mvmhm Posted December 17, 2014 Share #1 Posted December 17, 2014 I was contacted by the widow of a soldier who served in the 10th Mountain in WWII..prior to their deployment he played on their baseball team the "Mule Skinners". When she first called she said she had a jersey, but today she brought in the jersey AND the matching pants. They think they might have his hat and ball glove stored away as well as some other items. Here's she is with the jersey, along with her husband's obit (with an incorrect date, he died on the 12th). Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted December 17, 2014 ...and the uniform....there's no holes, but both pieces have some yellowing - the pants are relatively clean though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted December 17, 2014 ...and some of the details.....neck label (his name is written on either side of this), and the details of the mule's embroidery...along with "FA" for Field Artillery. I'm pondering if the 10th Mountain Div historian might have some pictures of the ball team in their archives? Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airman86 Posted December 17, 2014 Share #4 Posted December 17, 2014 Very cool, What a unique grouping! Not everyday you find military sports uniforms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellasilva Posted December 17, 2014 Share #5 Posted December 17, 2014 Awesome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted December 17, 2014 I was really happy to find the pants underneath the jersey....sure would be groovy if they cna find his hat and mitt. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan2243 Posted December 17, 2014 Share #7 Posted December 17, 2014 Sweet find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted December 17, 2014 Share #8 Posted December 17, 2014 Mark Thats a great uniform. Is the FA for Field Artillery? Seeing the Mule connection and the 10th used a lot of "pack" artillery I was thinking the vet was with an Artillery unit with in the 10th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted December 17, 2014 Yes, that's correct, he was an artilleryman..... Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookemhorns88 Posted December 17, 2014 Share #10 Posted December 17, 2014 Cool. Very cool. Hoping they do find the rest of the uni. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fstop61 Posted December 17, 2014 Share #11 Posted December 17, 2014 That's one fantastic uniform. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDC Posted December 18, 2014 Share #12 Posted December 18, 2014 You may want to contact Dennis Hagen at the Denver Public Library about this. He is the 10th Mtn archivist. HOWEVER ... Be quick as he retires at the end of the month. My father served in the WWII 10th and I am the current Descendant Association President but I've never heard about such a team (presumably there was more than one) so this is very interesting. Thanks for sharing this great bit of 10th history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matterhorn Posted December 18, 2014 Share #13 Posted December 18, 2014 The uniforms could be for Leadville Colorado which uses mules for a logo/mascot. Leadville is the closest big town to Camp Hale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted December 18, 2014 I'm sure it's a 10th Mountain team uniform...the guy was born and raised here in Ohio (although his obituary did say he loved sports and tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals - but didn't say if it was before or after the war). The only time he was in Colorado was when he was with the 10th Mountain Division. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share #15 Posted December 18, 2014 I sent an email to their archivist, but also found a link to a unit roster with about 32,000 names here: https://history.denverlibrary.org//sites/history/files/10th_mountain_index.pdf It shows that Private Baker was indeed an artilleryman, serving in the Headquarters Company, 605th Field Artillery Regiment. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share #16 Posted December 18, 2014 Oops...rank should be Technician 5th Class, not Private. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share #17 Posted December 18, 2014 The 10th Mountain archivist is Johnny on the spot! Here's what he sent....I'm hoping he has the Bronze Star citation available too: Hi Mark: A really great find, thanks for the info. Regrettably, I do not have much to add to what you already know. The Division was activated at Camp Hale, Colorado July 15, 1943. At this time it was organized as the 10th Light Division (Alpine). The Division was reorganized at Camp Swift, Texas and officially became the 10th Mountain Division November 6, 1944. Nevertheless, anyone who served with early units that eventually became part of the Division are all considered to be 10th Mountain Division veterans even if they transferred out before there was a 10th Mountain Division. Judson Baker was born in Ohio in 1924. He enlisted in the Army January 20, 1943 at Columbus, Ohio. His enlistment record says that he only had three years of high school, which was not unusual at that time. Only about 50% of World War II enlisted men finished the full four years of high school. He was single, working in some sort of unskilled job in printing and publishing. Since he was about 18 or 19 when he enlisted, I suspect any pro-baseball aspirations must have come after the war, but I can't confirm this. Baker served all the way through from Camp Carson to Camp Hale, Camp Swift and the Italian Campaign. He received a Bronze Star Medal for his actions near La Grande, Italy April 20-21, 1945. Baker was a member of the 605th Field Artillery Battalion (pack). This unit was at Camp Carson, Colorado prior to coming to Camp Hale. I don't have the exact date they arrived, but it was shortly after the Division was activated July 15. Most likely the Battalion arrived at Camp Hale before August 1, 1943. I suspect that the baseball team was organized at Camp Carson and played most of the 1943 season there. Most likely the team would have still been active at Camp Hale, too, but our records for the artillery units in 1943 are pretty sketchy and I don't really have anything about a baseball team. I am quite certain that our collection of Camp Hale Ski-Zette newspapers mentions baseball games among various units, but it would take some searching to come up with specific references. The "Muleskinners" makes perfect sense. The three artillery battalions attached to the 10th - 604th, 605th and 616th - were all designated "pack." Each gun could be broken down and transported by mule. It required twelve mules per gun, three guns per battery and a dozen per battalion. So each battalion had something like 150 mules. I believe Fort Carson was not designated a Fort until 1954. In the World War II period I have only seen the designation "Camp Carson." The Camp was opened in 1942, but I don't know the date. It is possible that 1943 was the first year for organized baseball at the camp, but again, I can't confirm this. Thanks for your service. I was an Air Force captain and Vietnam vet. It has taken a bit of gear shifting to learn about Army operations, but it has been a lot of fun. If I can be of further help, contact me any time. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted December 18, 2014 Man he's fast! He didn't have the citation but he did send a copy of the General Orders (#173) awarding the BSM. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted December 18, 2014 Share #19 Posted December 18, 2014 Thats awesome!....i can picture it displayed with hopefully his cap and glove and ive seen the US baseballs come up for sale from time to time that would go perfectly with it too!......mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotalus358 Posted December 18, 2014 Share #20 Posted December 18, 2014 Great find and awesome research presented herein! Thanks for posting! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted December 18, 2014 Share #21 Posted December 18, 2014 that's really cool.. we make athletic uniforms so I've seen some old ones like this! I saw a "US" baseball on ebay the other day... went for a good amount. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David D Posted December 18, 2014 Share #22 Posted December 18, 2014 Amazing find! I love old WWII athletic equipment. -Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share #23 Posted December 18, 2014 I built a mannequin for it yesterday and I have to say, it's pretty eye-catching! If I can find a decent full body mannequin for it I'd like to do the mitt/bat thing...but space remains a scarce commodity. Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fstop61 Posted December 19, 2014 Share #24 Posted December 19, 2014 I guess you can call that uniform "kick-ask"..........pun intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle5036 Posted December 20, 2014 Share #25 Posted December 20, 2014 Very nice WWII baseball shirt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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