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Vietnam era 9th Infantry Ranger Jacket - What do I have here?


lakenormanusa
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lakenormanusa

My thoughts are, this jacket is from the Vietnam era, but I've never seen anything like it.

All I can decipher is what I see from the patches, which is 9th Infantry with a Ranger tab.

It is named to McConnell. I would be interested to find out the jacket type, era, any unit information and possible identification of person it belonged to. (That's not asking too much is it? teehee! :)

 

If anyone has any info, I would love to know more about this piece.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Rick

 

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post-125711-0-75460900-1466997413.jpg

 

post-125711-0-49304900-1466997427.jpg

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This is a cold weather fatigue shirt. It was probably worn post Vietnam when the 9th was stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington.

 

These were typically worn as a layer between a field jacket and regular fatigues, or between a parka and regular fatigues. Some might

even wear them in place of a regular fatigue shirt.

 

In Germany, I typically worn mine with a so called "sleeping shirt" without a regular fatigue shirt.

 

It's not a bad find. Usually you do not find these with full insignia.

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It's not a bad find. Usually you do not find these with full insignia.

Agreed. I don't have any specific source for this info, but I seem to recall reading more than once these shirts were usually organizational issue rather than individual issue so it is rare to find one individually badged (Name tape, skill badges, combat patch, Ranger tab). But I would definitely concur with the ID that it was probably worn at Fort Lewis. It's not very likely these were issued in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

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It probably dates from the 1970s, I think the correct nomenclature is M-1951 Shirt, Field, Wool, 0G108. These soldiered on into the 1980s and they usually aren't found patched up as mentioned.

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Interesting!

 

I was stationed at Ft Lewis with the 9th ID from fall of 1973 to June1975, and again from August 1978 until June 1979.

 

I pulled out my clothing records and checked my organizational issue paperwork. We were not issued these shirts as personal clothing issue. We were not issued them as organizational issue except when we went to Alaska in January & February 1979. We went through CIF there, and among many other items, we were issued the wool shirts.

 

I was issued two wool shirts while assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany from August 1975 until June 1978. The shirts came with the U.S. Army tale already applied, and a large woven patch sewn over the right pocket. This allowed you to sew your name tape on, and remove it without tearing the wool.

 

Many officers and some NCOs would purchase a wool shirt at Clothing Sales and have everything sewn on as seen on the shirt in question. Most had a name tape, or were just left blank.

 

My guess is that this shirt belonged to an officer. Many, many officers went to Ranger school, but very few Enlisted Men did. Plus, officers purchased their own uniforms, but EM were issued theirs.

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lakenormanusa

post-125711-0-90078800-1467076960.jpg

 

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and information!

Can the era of this shirt be determined by the style of

the embroidered name tapes?

The original owner was speculated to have served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam.

 

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The name and US Army tapes look like typical US PX/ Clothing Sales embroidery of the 1970's. I am afraid that is as close as you will get.

 

I would also guess this was worn by an officer. He may have worn pin on rank and branch of service on the collars.

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One of mine that I picked up from one of the brigades in Alaska.

 

 

171st Infantry Brigade, stationed at Ft. Wainwright. Disbanded about 1970 (maybe earlier).

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My thoughts are, this jacket is from the Vietnam era, but I've never seen anything like it.

All I can decipher is what I see from the patches, which is 9th Infantry with a Ranger tab.

It is named to McConnell. I would be interested to find out the jacket type, era, any unit information and possible identification of person it belonged to. (That's not asking too much is it? teehee! :)

 

If anyone has any info, I would love to know more about this piece.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Rick

 

attachicon.gifJacket1_opt (1).jpg

 

attachicon.gifJacket3_opt.jpg

 

attachicon.gifJacket2_opt (2).jpg

In the 1970s, when the 9th Division returned from RVN to Ft. Lewis they established a mountain training camp in a place called Huckleberry Creek, not far from Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. To be an instructor there you had to be Ranger/ Special Forces qualified or a graduate of Alaska Northern Warfare Course. It went away in the early 80s. Their standard uniform was the OG cold weather shirt and field trousers with a green patrol cap.

 

It could also be an issue shirt for an exercise in Alaska such Operation Brim Frost in which the 9th ID participated in regularly.

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I was an instructor at Huckleberry Creek from May to October of 1974.

 

We taught basic mountaineering including knots, rock climbing, rappelling, rope bridges, etc.

 

Our commander was a former SF 1LT who was promoted to Captain while there. Our NCOIC was an artilleryman who had served on a mountain rescue team in Ft Carson. We had one Ranger qualified instructor, and one current member of B Company, 75th Rangers, and got another later in the summer. The other two of us were straight leg infantrymen with civilian mountaineering experience.

 

We wore the old Olive green fatigues or olive green jungle fatigues ( our choice, but we had to buy our own jungle fatigues). We wore black baseball caps, except for the two Rangers who wore their black berets.

 

I was not selected to be an instructor for the winter course because although I had snow-shoeing & snow climbing experience, I couldn't ski. My unit also told me they wouldn't release me to go play in the snow for six months!

 

That was the best job I had during my time in the Army!

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My platoon went through the last summer class in 1976.Since I was attending an NCO of the month board I was authorized to drive my POV to the course. On the last night of the course, sInce we had a vehicle, all the platoon NCOs met the instructors in the Green River Tavern for a night of swapping lies.

 

I almost got a job there also.The OIC found out that I had just finished several years in in the 172nd Bde in Alaska and he wanted me to come and instruct for their winter course but my CO wouldn't let me go. Looked it would have been fun.

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Rolf- you would have loved it. Like I said, best job I ever had!

 

We went to that tavern almost every night.

 

The tavern had some rooms out back that they rented to skiers in the winter. We'd go there about once a week for a shower.

 

We had pit toilets and no showers when I was there.

 

My unit went back in November or December of 1979 to get some snow training before we went to Jack Frost in January 1979. By then they had a permanent building with running water and showers. It just didn't seem the same.

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Yep, they had quonset huts when I was there. They had one that was used for equipment (and a deer hanging up). Good times

 

When I went back in 1984 I believe it was shutdown. Ft. Lewis wasn't fun in those days.

 

Well, I may not have been an instructor there but 2 years later I was a Pathfinder instructor at the school at Ft. Benning. Three best years of my career.

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post-34986-0-77478600-1374374710.jpg

 

And Here me with one on July 81, Black Rapids Alaska for Glacier Training.

 

It was a TA-50 issue item, but these could be bought at Clothing Sales, in fact I mentioned a couple of times, these where in a rack I seen when we had to march by company to buy the new BDUs in very early May 82, all these OG Wools were from the 60s hanging there as they had the old and very obsolete Yellow on Black woven rayon U.S. ARMY tapes sewn on them.

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On the last night of the course, sInce we had a vehicle, all the platoon NCOs met the instructors in the Green River Tavern for a night of swapping lies.

 

My mistake, that's Greenwater Tavern. Green River is infamous for something else.

 

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