104th ID Special Forces BDU

[warbird15]

This BDU has a SF combat patch and on the other sleeve it has a 104th ID patch with a SF tab. Anyone know why that is?

Contract date for this jacket is 1988

 

Thanks

[warbird15]

closeup of patches

[doyler]

THe tab show he is Special Forces qualified

 

"Soldiers who are awarded the Special Forces Tab are authorized to wear it for the remainder of their military careers, even when not serving in a Special Forces command."

[ScottG]

He was a soldier that completed SF school and at some point deployed. Possibly Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Somalia, etc... Could have started out regular army and then transferred to reserves or just was a reservist who landed in the 104th. Scott

[ScottG]

The lack of the flag makes me think an earlier operation than OEF. Scott

[warbird15]

Interesting, thank you both for the information. Makes sense now

 

 

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[Martinjmpr]

The lack of the flag makes me think an earlier operation than OEF. Scott

I concur.

 

It could even be that the soldier served in SF in Vietnam. Even though the tab wasn't created until 1983 it was available to be retroactively awarded to those who had earned SF qualification prior to the introduction of the tab.

[Stretchman89]

I think you right about the active duty as SF, and then went into the reserves in the 1990s in the 104th ID. If he were SF in the reserves he would've had the SF patch vice the 104th.

[patches]

Just like to give the correct title for this division as it's currently constituted, this being the 104th Division (Training), has been since 1948, with being officially redesignated in 1959.

 

a period image of 104th Training Division of the Reserve, the old Infantry Division, seen worn here by a Cadre Instructor of the division at Ft Campbell Kentucky in September 1967 (Campbell ran a Basic Training course under 3rd Army during the Vietnam War, 1966 to I think sometime in 1970).