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US Special Force & thailand badge


capt.maddog
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Different sewing pattern on thai wings vs US made patches.

 

Two foreign wings when regulation limits one.

 

You live in Thailand, you happened to find BDU with Thailand wings? Whoever sold it to you, added them

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Different sewing pattern on thai wings vs US made patches.

 

Two foreign wings when regulation limits one.

 

You live in Thailand, you happened to find BDU with Thailand wings? Whoever sold it to you, added them

 

Hi

this jacket is from Pakistan dealer second hand bail shop.

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Different sewing pattern on thai wings vs US made patches.

 

Two foreign wings when regulation limits one.

 

You live in Thailand, you happened to find BDU with Thailand wings? Whoever sold it to you, added them

 

That might be according to regulation, but I recall seeing it being violated, especially by the Vietnam generation.

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That might be according to regulation, but I recall seeing it being violated, especially by the Vietnam generation.

 

Have to agree with this. Note the patch on the left sleeve (current unit) is INSCOM - Intelligence and Security Command. These were typically "strategic" level intelligence or counterintelligence billets, usually located at small, out-of-the-way posts and not run-of-the-mill infantry or artillery units on big posts. Depending on where the soldier was stationed they could have had more "lax" uniform regs.

 

Any clue as to rank? Should be able to at least get an idea if it was officer or enlisted. What I'm thinking is this: Let's say it's some Sergeant Major or LTC who was a Vietnam SF veteran, and circa the mid 1980's he's closing out his career at a cushy INSCOM post somewhere. Maybe Field Station Kunia in Hawaii, or maybe in Turkey or even Key West (at least they used to have a listening post out there.)

 

Do you really think some young, hasn't-been-anywhere, hasn't-done-anything, straight-leg platoon sergeant or company commander is going to be the one to say "Uh, Sergeant Major, AR 670-1 says you can only have one foreign badge on your uniform" to a high ranking combat vet with an SF tab and a CIB (at a time and a place where both of those would be very rare decorations to have?) I doubt it.

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There is a few Boyd names listed on Raddix and in the green beret mags so may be possible to back track to see if he was Vietnam and rank will possibly help.

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Is it possible to get some close up pictures of the front and back of the qualification badges and the Thai badges, please.

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I wonder if Boyd was with the 46th SF CO in Thailand? They were there from 1968 until 1974.

 

The lower badge is the coveted "balloon wing." You had to parachute out of a balloon to get it. When I was in 3/1 SFG (we carried the lineage and honors of the 46th SF CO) the balloon wing was a very coveted badge because so few people got to qualify for it.

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Somewhere in the murkiness of my mind, I recall the Army sent out a directive in the 1980s limiting the wear of foreign wings to one at a time.

 

That strikes me as familiar as well.

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Is it possible to get some close up pictures of the front and back of the qualification badges and the Thai badges, please.

 

 

 

post-86610-0-21268000-1509161469_thumb.jpg

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The "one foreign jump wing" rule came about in the late 80s - I don't know the exact date. Prior to that time it was very common to see more than one. This shirt has an 82 contract date so I have no problem with that at all. As for the different thread, the wing could have simply been added when it was earned.

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