Martinjmpr Posted October 12, 2017 Share #1 Posted October 12, 2017 Wife likes to shop at antique and thrift stores and I sometimes come across uniform items . First up is what seems to me to be a very late Ike jacket. Patch is Army 2nd Missile Command from Ft Hood, TX. I actually can’t find a unit history for them but they seem to have existed from the mid 50’s to the early 60’s. Note the old style of Specialist patch. I believe this rank would have been called “SP/3” (specialist 3rd class) prior to 1958 and SP/4 after that. According to Stanton’s book, 1960 was the wear-out date for this uniform. I was able to find a unit yearbook for the 2nd Missile Command for 1958-59 and I suppose this uniform could be contemporary to that time frame. There were no other patches than what you see and no ribbons, badges or other accoutrements. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share #2 Posted October 12, 2017 Next up is my question . I found what appears to be a WWII style overseas cap. But it has no branch-colored piping. When did the branch colored piping get added to OS caps? Here’s a photo of the label with a 1942 date: Is this just an early OS cap or maybe some other service than the Army? Did the Navy have khaki caps like this? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted October 12, 2017 Share #3 Posted October 12, 2017 Yeah, too late. The 2nd was authorized it's patch from 1961 to 1962. By that time the new AG uniform and specialist ranks were already well in use by then. The older specialist ranks were already in use by the WAC by 1960...... -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted October 12, 2017 Share #4 Posted October 12, 2017 I seem to recall that the Ike was still within it's wear out date as late as 1960? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted October 12, 2017 Share #5 Posted October 12, 2017 Cool transition Ike, with the specialist rank of course but also the hashmark in the AG "Goldenlite" color. TIOH says the SSI was approved January 1958. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowlofRice Posted October 12, 2017 Share #6 Posted October 12, 2017 Awesome jacket! I've never seen the AG hashmark on an Ike before, especially on that of a Specialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted October 13, 2017 My theory is that he must have joined up some time before 1957 when they started issuing the AG uniform and was issued one of the last Ike jacket uniforms. By the time the wear-out date of the Ike was approaching he was nearing his separation date and saw no reason to spend money on a new uniform, so he just got an AG hashmark from the supply sergeant and had it sewn onto his ike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted October 13, 2017 Share #8 Posted October 13, 2017 Also, according to Shelby Stanton's Cold War book, for about a year '57-'58 recruits were issued one Ike and one AG, then two AG thereafter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted October 14, 2017 Share #9 Posted October 14, 2017 To show that IKEs could and were worn together with the new uniform in formation, I post this photo of Elvis' platoon in West Germany in late 1958 here we see two Spec 4s wearing them and with the old small rank. Indeed the small rank continued to be seen being worn by males for whatever reason well into the 60s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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