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Patches in action: Photos of SSI being worn by the troops.


Teamski
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82nd Airborne Division with no AIRBORNE tab from the late 40s. Based on his ribbons, it looks like he served in the Pacific in World War II, including the Philippines. Yet he's only a PFC. I'm guessing he was discharged after the war then returned to active duty some time later and went airborne.

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82nd Airborne Division with no AIRBORNE tab from the late 40s. Based on his ribbons, it looks like he served in the Pacific in World War II, including the Philippines. Yet he's only a PFC. I'm guessing he was discharged after the war then returned to active duty some time later and went airborne.

Looks like there's a missing ribbon? Top row on our left.

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Cadre of an armor training unit at Fort Knox sometime in the late 60s or early 70s. Most appear to be wearing the unnumbered Armor SSI with USATC Armor tab. However, the soldier in the bottom right appears to be wearing a Pennsylvania Army National Guard SSI. Several of the soldiers are wearing combat patches from Vietnam and Combat Infantryman Badges. Note the Sergeant First Class standing second from right appears to have a CIB with a star.

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3rd Armored Division SSI worn by a soldier in Germany in 1968 with the unusual combination of full color SSI along with subdued sleeve rank insignia that was seldom seen outside of Vietnam.

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The colors in this photo are reversed from the ones in the insignia but I have seen this SSI identified as First Army Engineer

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The colors in this photo are reversed from the ones in the insignia but I have seen this SSI identified as First Army Engineer

 

It is for First Army Artillery units. The First Army Engineers SSI has a red castle below the cross bar of the "A."

 

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The same Corps of Engineers soldier, George J. Reece, wearing the Second Army SSI stateside prior to his deployment to Europe in World War II and the Third Army SSI after he returned from Europe and was discharged. In the first photo, he is with his brother who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.

 

He is wearing the same DUI in both photos but I don't know what it is.

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It is for First Army Artillery units. The First Army Engineers SSI has a red castle below the cross bar of the "A."

 

So are the patch worn by the soldier and the one in the color photo both artillery even though the positions of the red and white are reversed? and after looking closer at the soldier in the first picture, he does seem to be wearing an artillery branch disc on his cap.

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mysteriousoozlefinch

The same Corps of Engineers soldier, George J. Reece, wearing the Second Army SSI stateside prior to his deployment to Europe in World War II and the Third Army SSI after he returned from Europe and was discharged. In the first photo, he is with his brother who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.

 

He is wearing the same DUI in both photos but I don't know what it is.

 

Looks like the compass square of the 30th Engineer Battalion. Topographic map unit. It was a 3rd Army unit, but there may have been others with a similar DUI design.

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Looks like the compass square of the 30th Engineer Battalion. Topographic map unit. It was a 3rd Army unit, but there may have been others with a similar DUI design.

 

 

It has a wide border, so I doubt it is the 30th. Can we get a better shot at the DI?

 

-Ski

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The patch and tab combo were worn by Aviation Engineers, brought in on aircraft, to construct airbases, air fields, etc. The aircraft transportation resulted in the engineers being brought in by air, or "air borne" (two words).

 

Their basic and advanced training were under the auspices of the Air Force Technical Training Command, and it appears to be the DIs he is wearing. Angle is not the best for viewing.

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This looks to me like an AIRBORNE tab over the Air Corps SSI. Any thoughts on this and the DUI?

 

You will aslo see the blue and white airborne tab over the 5th AF patch in WW2 for the Aviation(Airborne)Engineers

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A pathfinder of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion wearing a subdued 1st Cavalry Division SSI with full color gold on black AIRBORNE tab on his ERDL uniform late in the war. His tour was from 1971 to 1972.

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