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RVN 1968: 101st ABN


pmanton
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I happened on an 8mm movie I had taken in Vietnam . It was taken in early 68 since 3 pronged flash hiders were on the M-16s. I was a WO with the 101st Abn Div. The shoulder patch was full color. name tape and US Army was black, as were the rank and branch insignia on the collar. The rank insignia on boonie and ball caps was shiny metal.

 

I just thought I'd pass this on should anyone be interested.

 

Paul

Salome, AZ

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Sounds right for the early war period. Even when the 101st adopted subdued insignia, they generally (with a few exceptions) continued to wear the full colour patches. Thanks for sharing.

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Sounds right for the early war period. Even when the 101st adopted subdued insignia, they generally (with a few exceptions) continued to wear the full colour patches. Thanks for sharing.

 

Notice that with 1st ID as well.

 

Heard these two divisions were allowed to wear full color due to the WW2 heritage.Never confirmed this

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Notice that with 1st ID as well.

 

Heard these two divisions were allowed to wear full color due to the WW2 heritage.Never confirmed this

 

During the early-to-mid 80's I recall that the only units that wore full color SSI's on their uniforms were the 101st, the 1st ID and the 5th ID.

 

In the case of the 101st, I think it may have been a holdover from their days of wearing RDF cammo when the rest of the Army was still wearing the green fatigue "pickle suits."

 

In the case of both the 1st ID and the 5th ID I think it was a lot simpler: The 1st ID patch is mostly OD green anyway and the "big red 1" doesn't really harm the "camouflage" effect. Ditto for the 5th ID and their small red diamond patch. I think it may have been more about those divisions "lobbying" big Army for an exception to policy than it did about any actual heritage they had.

 

Either way, I'm pretty sure that by the early 1990's the 5th division was gone and the 1st ID and 101st were wearing subdued patches just like the rest of the Army.

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The shoulder sleeve insignia you mention the 1st, 5th, and 101st (also in the 101 in color worn on there ERDLs or RDF Camos in the 70s early 80s) were indeed worn in full color in the 70s, but with the advent of the BDUs in late 1981 they were swithched to subdued,no if ands or buts, subdued, the Big Red One did't like it at all, now being called the Big Black One. Sometime in the late 90s I think around the time of Bosnia? the 1st Div again wore their full color patch, not sure for how long.

 

In example, the "Black Diamond Division" patch, circa 1982-83

post-34986-0-02377900-1414122364.jpg

 

Lots of talk about this wearing of full color shoulder sleeve insignia in the 70s floating around in this forum. Like why in the post Vietnam Army, the 101 wore their patches in full color and NOT the 82nd, why a 1st Bde 5th Div, or a 101, or a 1st Div Vietnam vet serving again in the 70s in the same division he was in combat with could not wear the combat patch in full color, after all he had to wear it in full color on his organizational side,why not also his combat patch then.

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T

post-34986-0-02377900-1414122364.jpg

 

 

 

Whoa, you posted a picture of Gen Lloyd when he was a Col!

 

BG Herbert Lloyd was the ADC-M (assistant division commander, maneuver) for the 2nd ID in Korea when I was stationed there from 91-92. I worked in the Division G2 DTAC (Division Tactical Command post) where BG Lloyd also worked.

 

He was a character! Anybody who ever worked with him would verify that! He was always regaling the DTAC with stories - funny stories about things that had happened to him in his past. He had the intensity of a Southern Baptist preacher when he spoke.

 

Very interesting career, too: Enlisted as a buck private, worked his way all the way up to E-7, then went to OCS and got commissioned, and rose all the way to BG before he retired. He even served in Afghanistan as a civilian working for DynCorp and was nearly killed in a bomb attack.

 

BG Lloyd died in December 2015.

 

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Whoa, you posted a picture of Gen Lloyd when he was a Col!

 

BG Herbert Lloyd was the ADC-M (assistant division commander, maneuver) for the 2nd ID in Korea when I was stationed there from 91-92. I worked in the Division G2 DTAC (Division Tactical Command post) where BG Lloyd also worked.

 

He was a character! Anybody who ever worked with him would verify that! He was always regaling the DTAC with stories - funny stories about things that had happened to him in his past. He had the intensity of a Southern Baptist preacher when he spoke.

 

Very interesting career, too: Enlisted as a buck private, worked his way all the way up to E-7, then went to OCS and got commissioned, and rose all the way to BG before he retired. He even served in Afghanistan as a civilian working for DynCorp and was nearly killed in a bomb attack.

 

BG Lloyd died in December 2015.

 

Yes, here's more on him.

 

http://merrymadmonk.blogspot.com/2004/12/herbert-j-lloyd-real-man-from-hope.html

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The shoulder sleeve insignia you mention the 1st, 5th, and 101st (also in the 101 in color worn on there ERDLs or RDF Camos in the 70s early 80s) were indeed worn in full color in the 70s, but with the advent of the BDUs in late 1981 they were swithched to subdued,no if ands or buts, subdued, the Big Red One did't like it at all, now being called the Big Black One. Sometime in the late 90s I think around the time of Bosnia? the 1st Div again wore their full color patch, not sure for how long.

 

 

 

Well, the "rule" may have required subdued patches once BDUs were introduced but I was at Fort Riley in 1984 for Annual Training and I occasionally worked with some 1 ID (Forward) people in Germany in 1987 - 89 time frame and I do recall seeing some actual RED ONE patches. Maybe not "authorized" but certainly "tolerated." I suspect that the (forward) guys in Germany could probably get away with that stuff since they were halfway around the world from Division HQ in Kansas.

 

I know most of us who served can probably think of lots of examples of things that were "unauthorized" uniform-wise but that were tolerated to different degrees at various times and places.

 

That's one reason why I'm somewhat reluctant to jump into a thread and say "that's got to be a fake because XYZ wasn't authorized." It may not have been "authorized" but sometimes things were "tolerated" anyway. ;)

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