AEF Service Coat, 81st Div., Spec. 1285

[USMCRECON]

Here are a couple pictures of my only (so far) enlisted WW-I tunic. It's dated 3 Jul 1918 and is in very nice shape and it may well be the uniform he wore on his return to the States.

 

I got it directly from the veteran in the late 1950s. He belonged to the same VFW post as my uncle and we used to go the VFW hall for a fish fry every Friday evening. That's where my uncle introduced me to him and, one of those evenings he took me out to his car and gave this lot as you see it. Back in my pre-teen days it used to fit me (loosely even) and I would wear it around the house playing Army sometimes for as long as I could stand the scratchy wool collar against my neck.

 

It has what I assume is a 1st SGT chevron on one sleeve (assuming the diamond meant the same thing then as it does now). It looks like it had a short ribbon bar on it at one time but it was long gone before I got it. It only has a rank chevron on one sleeve as it has a red honorable discharge chevron where the other one would go.

 

He also gave me the web gear you see on the mannequin with the coat. There are matching breeches as well but they are not in the photos. If I had thought about it before taking the pictures, I would have stuffed some paper in the pack to fill it out a bit.

 

[solcarlus]

hello.

 

 

Sol.

[KurtA]

Having just one chevron is correct. They didn't wear them in pairs in WW1. Very nice jacket!

Kurt

[USMCRECON]

Having just one chevron is correct. They didn't wear them in pairs in WW1. Very nice jacket!

Kurt

 

I didn't know about the single checron in WW-I. Thanks for that info, Kurt. Thank you, also, for the kind words.