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My West Point Patches


maddog1129
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One of my main areas of interest is US Service Academies. Here are my West Point patches.

 

These are three full-color cadet SSI, used on class/athletic jackets

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more ... these show much more green/OD in real life. The subdued patches were used on fatigues or woodland camo BDUs

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more ... these are subdued in the tan color, may have been used on BDUs or summer khaki uniform shirts

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This subdued color is gray, probably for the current ACU uniform. It has a velcro back.

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here's another ACU SSI

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these SSI were worn by cadre, i.e., non-cadets. The full-color patch is used on dress uniforms, and subdued on BDUs or other utility uniforms.

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this is another cadre SSI. This one dates from the 1950's or earlier.

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USMA airborne detachment beret flash and jump oval

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USMA jump ovals. Some West Point cadets qualified for air training in WWII and the early 1950's, but not after the USAFA was established in 1955. These ovals don't appear to me to date from the WWII era, so may be replicas. I'm not certain.

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USMA "A" athletic award. I'm given to understand that the gold letters are for cheerleading squad.

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black "A" award is, iirc, for mule riders or intramurals

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This gold letter was for baseball or softball (cheerleading). Sorry, I'm just learning how to size the images properly for posting. The actual size of this letter is a full 8 inches. the earlier one was about 6 inches. The black award letter is about 8 inches.

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These monogram athletic awards are, I believe, for Brigade championships

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The USCC (US Corps of Cadets) athletic award is for intramural sports

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This is an oversize patch. I've never seen another like it and don't know what it was used for. The form of the patch is the same as the cadre SSI insignia. Maybe it was used at USMAPS? or maybe a jacket patch for athletic coaching staff?

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Next week I'll try to post some pix of the patches as they look when worn (from a Howitzer yearbook).

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This gold letter was for baseball or softball (cheerleading). Sorry, I'm just learning how to size the images properly for posting. The actual size of this letter is a full 8 inches. the earlier one was about 6 inches. The black award letter is about 8 inches.

 

One program you could try is Picasa. Picasa photo editing software

It's a free program from Google that allows you to organize and edit your pictures more easily. I use it for cropping my pictures(removing the extra space on the outside) and adding captions.

 

For resizing I just right click on the image from Picasa and Open With > Paint program, then I go to the top menus in Paint click on Image - Stretch/Skew and do horizontal 20% and vertical 20%. This usually brings the image to a postable size without losing too much detail. If you want to save your original file to keep the detail in the original image , just go to File - Save As... - and rename the image, this creates a new file, I just use the original title and add an M to the end, for mini, so it's easier to find when posting.

 

In Paint you can also use the top drop down menu to Image - Flip/Rotate the image to make it right side up.

 

I hope this helps.

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Nice collection! :thumbsup: If you don't mind, I'm adding some more USMA variants.

 

Lars

 

Thanks!

Appreciate your additions.

I also have Recondo badges in a couple of different colors, and USMAPS. I don't have any USMA Band tabs, though, and your USMAPS tab in the red and blue is really nice. The patch with the black on black embroidered Greek sword is an interesting variant. I've seen one before like that, and am angling to acquire one myself.

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One program you could try is Picasa. Picasa photo editing software

It's a free program from Google that allows you to organize and edit your pictures more easily. I use it for cropping my pictures(removing the extra space on the outside) and adding captions.

...

I hope this helps.

 

thanks so much Jimm, appreciate it.

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FYI: On the sports letters there are large (major) and small (minor) "A's." I don't exactly remember the requirements for each, but I think it was basically time playing type of requirements. Also if you had consecutive years you lettered you would receive a stripe to be placed next to the sports logo. And if you beat Air Force or Navy in your respective sport you would receive a different colored star (gold for Navy and Blue for Air Force - I think).

 

I have a few I can add, but I'd have to pull them out. Very cool stuff.

 

You can always take a try at Cadet Rank and collar insignia.

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Cobrahistorian

Interesting thread. Anyone know this one? It is silkscreened on felt. I've been told by a couple people that it is WWII era, but I haven't been able to confirm it.

 

P4072839.jpg

P4072840.jpg

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Interesting thread. Anyone know this one? It is silkscreened on felt. I've been told by a couple people that it is WWII era, but I haven't been able to confirm it.

 

P4072839.jpg

P4072840.jpg

My suspicion about this is that it is not exactly USMA issue. I think it's more likely a souvenir patch or possibly a BSA WP invitational camporee patch.

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FYI: On the sports letters there are large (major) and small (minor) "A's." I don't exactly remember the requirements for each, but I think it was basically time playing type of requirements. Also if you had consecutive years you lettered you would receive a stripe to be placed next to the sports logo.
Interesting, thanks. I know there are also requirements for winning one's class numerals, but I don't know what those requirements are. Can you confirm what the differences are for the gold, black and gray letters?
And if you beat Air Force or Navy in your respective sport you would receive a different colored star (gold for Navy and Blue for Air Force - I think).
I think that's right. And now a red one for beating RMC Canada.

 

I have a few I can add, but I'd have to pull them out. Very cool stuff.
Great! love to see them if you can find them!

 

You can always take a try at Cadet Rank and collar insignia.
Yes. There will be a different thread for that :w00t:
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Cobrahistorian
My suspicion about this is that it is not exactly USMA issue. I think it's more likely a souvenir patch or possibly a BSA WP invitational camporee patch.

 

 

Thanks! It didn't seem like an issue patch, but it came with a bunch of other WWII patches, so I wasn't sure.

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Not sure about the RMCP, could have been I'm sure. They did stuff like that. I think the year group numerals were for full participation in JV for a Corps Squad sport. For example third string football/scout team for the first string guys and then you play JV games on the side :crying: That's how I earned mine. :pinch:

 

Then you had Club Squad sports where you would earn a club squad patch. You could only wear one patch though on your gray jacket. Traditionally it was your letter, but when it came to someone who didn't letter and just had club it all was really your call. I think I had three or four in total. We tried to get a SCUBA Instructors Group made official, but we only had our unofficial patch. I'll have to dig it out and take pic. Perhaps later tonight.

 

Jeff

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Ok, Found my blanket (pictured) and will post individual shots of the patches.

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Individually, here you go.

 

This is my '93 patch for Football.

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This was for Cross Country Skiing

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This was for Track. Actually it was for Varsity Track, but I didn't letter.

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This was for the Sandhurst competition. I was one of four Regimental Sandhurst Officers and I sponsored a crew of the British cadets who came over (this had nothing to do with this patch). In effect the Regimental Officers and Brigade Officer were awarded this patch along with the winning team.

 

The Sandhurst competition takes place once a year in the Spring and it basically is an eight mile obstacle course with a series of task in addition to team obstacles. Kind of cool stuff to get you away from books.

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This is my Company patch. Unofficial and not authorized for wear. Not sure if F-1 are still the Friars. 1st Regt had a reputation as being rather hard on the underclassmen.

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And last but not least, my most favorite and another unofficial, though we tried to get it approved for wear (only 8 of us would have been able to wear it though). Kind of cool if you ask me.

 

We were the guys who came to school already SCUBA certified and worked training and certifying Cadets who were able to take SCUBA as one of their elective Gym classes. Basically our sport was SCUBA Diving and it really didn't get much better than that. Most of us earned a considerable number of civilian diving certifications while we were there.

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There are a few other things one can try to collect from USMA. One are Bugle notes and these were the little books of "knowledge" we all had to memorize during our first year. Each year produced their own. The other thing is each class had a bullion blazer crest. Of course this is in addition to Army Navy Football ticket stubs and Howitzer's (year books), but they get very heavy and take up a lot of space.

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Amazing, Ranger! I envy you those patches, though I certainly couldn't have done what it took to actually earn them. ;)

 

This photo is coincidentally of company F-1 first classmen in 1966. On the jackets you can see some cadets have their class numerals, some have the USCC intramural champ patch and two show a major A. Some also have additional diamond patches I can't read.

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I wondered where I'd seen it. Bugle Notes for 2006-2010 says: "insignia include the Major A and the Minor A. An athlete's award is gray in color while the awards for cadet assistant coaches, managers, assistant managers and photographers are black.... Victories over Navy entitle the Major A winner to wear a gold star beneath the A. Victories over Air Force earn a silver star, and hockey and women's volleyball victories over the Royal Military College earn a gold maple leaf." Monograms are for a Brigade championship, and competitive athletic clubs may award a device to cadets recommended by the officers in charge. (Bugle Notes p. 112.)

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This is my Company patch. Unofficial and not authorized for wear. Not sure if F-1 are still the Friars. 1st Regt had a reputation as being rather hard on the underclassmen.

The USAFA squadron patches have become a big deal in collecting, but not so much the West Point ones. Perhaps because the Air Force Cadets seem to be allowed to have their squadron patches on their casual jackets. On the other hand, finding any kind of official USAFA insignia is like hunting for a needle in a haystack. USAFA shoulder boards? good luck. Parade belt buckle or breastplate? not in a million years. Once in awhile you can get a USMA red sash, but I've never seen a USAFA gold one.

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Embroidered collar stars. The black bordered ones go on the dress gray tunic, and the gray bordered ones (to follow) go on the full dress gray coatee. They are for academic performance, top 5 percent of the class. These black ones show front and back. The bullion embroidery is a bit tarnished.

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more academic stars, both gray and black

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I think that about exhausts my West Point patches. :think: Unless somebody posts something that reminds me. :D Doesn't begin to exhaust what's out there, though, does it? Think of all the club patches, company patches, IOCT tabs, etc.

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Oh yes, and don't forget STAP stars. These were worn by those lucky few and usually on the inside of the gray jacket. They even used to sell these at the Cadet Store. Then some enterprising officer determined that they were counter productive and encouraged cadets to go to STAP. Cannot quite figure how that works, but that's how people think up there at times.

 

What's STAP?

 

S-ummer

T-erm

A-cademic

P-rogram

 

aka. Summer School :crying:

 

And there were a few of my friend who had Century Club patches made up as well. Those were earned for 100 hours on the area. I had one friend who was in the two century club :pinch:

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