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Interesting WAC portrait. Does anyone recognize the patch?


Eric Queen
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Eric Queen

Got this in the mail today. Thought it was interesting for a number of reasons. I don't seem to recognize the patch. Can anyone help me out? Thanks.

WAC0002 x.jpg

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Eric do you make these great images in your basement or do they come to you in dreams.Great stuff always a pleasure to see.Scotty

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manayunkman

Is she wearing 2 GC ribbons ?

 

That is a reasonable facsimile of the Com-Z but it looks like it might have been cut out.

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Bodes posted the one I had in mind when I referred to Com-Z. I think it is also referred as ETO advance base.

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Hello,

 

Lovely photo. She is not wearing two Good Conduct Medals. The ribbon on her lower left is for the World War II Victory Medal. Sometimes black and white photograph distorts the colors.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce

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Thanks to all who responded. I appreciate it. I have to be honest though and say, that I am not really making the connection to the patch posted but as someone said that could just be due to the angle.

 

Either way I thought it was a nice image and worth sharing.

 

Thanks again

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Hello,

 

Lovely photo. She is not wearing two Good Conduct Medals. The ribbon on her lower left is for the World War II Victory Medal. Sometimes black and white photograph distorts the colors.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce

 

Thanks Bruce. Just so everyone knows would it be possible to please identify all of her ribbons? I am terrible with this stuff. Thanks a lot.

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The jacket looks like a British made jacket could the patch be a British unit she was assigned too. I thought it was a pathfinder patch with another patch of some kind underneath it.

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The jacket looks like a British made jacket could the patch be a British unit she was assigned too. I thought it was a pathfinder patch with another patch of some kind underneath it.

 

You know it's strange but that was also my first impression. It had the feel of one of those large multi-construction British patches.

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Thanks Bob. Yeah, I just do not think that is the patch. I am currently searching through images of British patches but do not see anything close yet.

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Hello Eric,

 

The top row of her ribbons are the Army Good Conduct Medal and the WAC Servce Medal. The bottom row looks like the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

 

Bruce

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I can't imagine a huge amount of African American WAACs qualified for the EAME medal. Could she have been with the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion?

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Thanks Bruce. Much appreciated.

 

The more I stare at the patch (and perhaps this is coming from staring at it too long) but now I do see how when bent at just the right angle this could indeed by the Com-Z patch. I see it now (or I am just really tired).

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I have never heard of any WACS assigned to British units.

 

I believe this WAC served with the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion which was an all black battalion.

 

Look at the first picture in this website about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in WWII. I have not been able to find a picture of the patch worn by this Postal Battalion but the patch in this picture has the same shape as yours.

 

http://www.history.army.mil/html/topics/afam/6888thPBn/index.html

 

 

In February 1945 a battalion of black WACs received its long awaited overseas assignment. Organized as the 6888th Central Postal Battalion and commanded by Maj. (later Lt. Col.) Charity Adams, these 800 women were stationed in Birmingham, England, for three months, moved to Rouen, France, and finally settled in Paris. The battalion was responsible for the redirection of mail to all U.S. personnel in the European Theater of Operations (including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, civilians, and Red Cross workers), a total of over seven million people. When mail could not be delivered to the address on the face of the envelope, it was sent to the Postal Directory to be redirected. The 6888th kept an updated information card on each person in the theater. Some personnel at the front moved frequently, often requiring several information updates per month. The WACs worked three eight-hour shifts seven days a week to clear out the tremendous backlog of Christmas mail.

 

 

Members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion were awarded the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal during their service

 

Edit to add the picture from the above website.

 

6888th.jpg

 

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