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Helicopter Pilot Jungle Jacket


hink441
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This is a 1969 contract jungle jacket named to a pilot with the 2/17th Cav. I believe these guys were with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. The rank has been removed, looks like it was a 1st Lt., 2nd Lt, or a WO bar. I like the theater made BOS patch (2/17Cav). I also think the wings might be theater made wings. Unable to find any info on the name. There are no indications that there were any patches on the sleeves.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

With the CAV bos, the rank was prob one of the LT ranks. If it was a Warrant Officer, it would have had the WO BOS on the collar. Its funny my fathers jungle jacket is also missing his rank. He was either in the process of changing over from the old CW-2 rank to the newer bar style or he yanked it off to be sewn on to another uniform over time.

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I also did a VHPA search, didn't find any Bradley with 2/17th. Saw a bunch of Bradley's that were in the 1st Cav and a couple other Cav units.

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Thanks for the updates and info. I have been unable to find much info on Bradley.

 

I did find this picture on the VHPA site that had this picture in the 2/17th Cav. section. The man on the far right is labeled as "Bradley". I have no idea if this is the same Bradley or not.

 

Chris

 

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Didn't see any BRADLEY in either the Active or Reserve Commissioned Officers Registry for 1969, this being As Of 1 January 1969. that fit the bill, ie a 2nd or 1st Lieutenant in AV, this last needs a bit of explaining right this AV, AV here as you would guess stands for Aviation, how can that be when there was no Aviation Branch till the 80s! Well it seems that the compilers of these registries in this time period do list WOs and Os that were Aviators as Aviators IE, AV, not known why other than to specifically identify them as such, conversely WOs that are non aviators and are of a specific technical/specialty do have the branch their MOS is in listed as such, IE, EN, AR, OC, SC, MSC etc etc.

 

Bradley, he don't show in the 1969 registry right, the last year the online registries are available for viewing, but, and if a legit coat, which we don't see a problem with so far, he may have come in after that year's registry was compiled, which is essentially the officers in in 1968, which would be sometime within 1969 or even 1970, so this Bradley may have served in the 2nd Sq 17th Cav after all, remembering that this unit left Vietnam in February 1972.

 

As to his actual branch? As we know aviation officers wore the BOS of the branch commissioned in, as this Bradley wears the unofficial Cavalry Crossed sabres with unit designation, he could of been from any branch really, take you pick, Trans, Inf, Arty, Eng, Sig, Ord etc etc.

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Hink, there was no Screaming Eagles patch there no ghosting?

Well upon a closer inspection, there appears to be a VERY faint stitch work hole pattern. I am unable to determine the complete shape of the original patch, but the top most part looks like the shape of of the "airborne" rocker part of the 101st SSI.

 

Chris

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Well upon a closer inspection, there appears to be a VERY faint stitch work hole pattern. I am unable to determine the complete shape of the original patch, but the top most part looks like the shape of of the "airborne" rocker part of the 101st SSI.

 

Chris

Alright!

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