What Years Were The Different Styles Of Fatigue Shirt Name Tape Used?

[32sbct]

Patches, that is exactly the type of tape I was issued in 1985 at Fort Benning. After graduation, most of us replaced the stamped type with embroidered tapes. They were all slightly different depending on which sew shop you brought them from. The cheaper versions faded very quickly. Fast forward to the late nineties. The shops around Fort Bragg used to sell a high quality embroidered version on a nylon based tape that did not fade. They were great. When we went to Iraq in 2004, all of our name tapes were embroidered but I can't remember where we got them from, I think it somewhere outside of Bragg.

[patches]

Patches, that is exactly the type of tape I was issued in 1985 at Fort Benning. After graduation, most of us replaced the stamped type with embroidered tapes. They were all slightly different depending on which sew shop you brought them from. The cheaper versions faded very quickly. Fast forward to the late nineties. The shops around Fort Bragg used to sell a high quality embroidered version on a nylon based tape that did not fade. They were great. When we went to Iraq in 2004, all of our name tapes were embroidered but I can't remember where we got them from, I think it somewhere outside of Bragg.

That's right same here, Fort Jackson reception Jan 1980 Phase 1 issue ( fatique and sundry items), these tapes were already sewn on the Shirts and the Field Jackets, just like in the old days starting in the late-ish 50s with the full color ones, done by the manufacturer, it was an Army procurment requirement that this be done. It was the Name Tapes that were made up for us, those Ribbed OD Nylon ones, stamped and sewn right then and there.

 

Later at Benning (OSUT ) well into AIT we were allowed one shirt to have Embroidered tapes done, plus the patch of the Division or Brigade (sep) if we definitely knew we were going to sewn on as well, plus a one full color on one coat, I think the light weight, since spring was approaching. All other items were to be done up with the embroidered tapes if we so choosed later when we got to our Permanent Party units, nearly everyone in them days did so.

[seanmc1114]

Even among the woven black on olive green tapes there was some variation, although not as much as among the cotton ones. Notice the top one looks greener while the bottom one looks grayer. I have seen both on fatigues and have never known if they were manufactured that way or if the use of starch on the fatigues turned them grayish.

[seanmc1114]

That's right same here, Fort Jackson reception Jan 1980 Phase 1 issue ( fatique and sundry items), these tapes were already sewn on the Shirts and the Field Jackets, just like in the old days starting in the late-ish 50s with the full color ones, done by the manufacturer, it was an Army procurment requirement that this be done. It was the Name Tapes that were made up for us, those Ribbed OD Nylon ones, stamped and sewn right then and there.

 

Later at Benning (OSUT ) well into AIT we were allowed one shirt to have Embroidered tapes done, plus the patch of the Division or Brigade (sep) if we definitely knew we were going to sewn on as well, plus a one full color on one coat, I think the light weight, since spring was approaching. All other items were to be done up with the embroidered tapes if we so choosed later when we got to our Permanent Party units, nearly everyone in them days did so.

 

Is this the style of nylon name tapes you were referring to? I assume these were meant to match the manufactured nylon U.S. Army tapes although I would imagine stamped U.S. Army tapes were also done in this style.

 

[seanmc1114]

Here is an unopened package of three of the woven tapes manufactured by, or at least sold by, Denmark's that I picked up at a local flea market a few years ago. I assume this is the way they would be sold in the PX or clothing sales store on or off base. From the other stuff I got with it, it probably dates from the early to mid-70s.

[seanmc1114]

I believe these plastic backed patches came into use in the mid to late-80s and probably lasted throughout the 90s. I also think they were synthetic and not cotton.

[seanmc1114]

This would have been worn on a DCU.

[seanmc1114]

I'm not sure I've ever seen another example like this, cotton letters embroidered on a nylon tape.

[patches]

 

Is this the style of nylon name tapes you were referring to? I assume these were meant to match the manufactured nylon U.S. Army tapes although I would imagine stamped U.S. Army tapes were also done in this style.

 

Yes, these are them, they came out in late-ish 1968 too, though I don't think I ever seen them with the U.S. ARMY stamped on them. Believe it or not like the Printed on Web Name and U.S. ARMY tapes of the 66-67, 68 period, these types were worn by alot of soldiers in Permanent Party units of all ranks, gotten cheaply at Clothing Sales Stores when they first came out, they can even be seen in Vietnam.

[seanmc1114]

Yes, these are them, they came out in late-ish 1968 too, though I don't think I ever seen them with the U.S. ARMY stamped on them. Believe it or not like the Printed on Web Name and U.S. ARMY tapes of the 66-67, 68 period, these types were worn by alot of soldiers in Permanent Party units of all ranks, gotten cheaply at Clothing Sales Stores when they first came out, they can even be seen in Vietnam.

Somewhere I have a Vietnam jungle jacket with the black on olive green nylon Army tape on the left side and a blank nylon olive green tape like this sewn on the right side, both parallel to the ground and not the tops of the pockets. I always assumed that it came like that from the factory and when issued all that would be necessary is to stamp the recipient's last name in black letters. If so, that seems to be a very efficient way to handle it.

 

Also, in a former unit yearbook I had for one of the engineer battalions operating with the 101st Airborne Division around Phu Bai in 1968, there was a picture of one of the platoon sergeants wearing both a nylon name tape and nylon black on olive green Army tape. I may still have a copy of the picture somewhere on my computer.

 

[63 RECON]

Resurrecting an old thread but any chance someone could tie together all the above info with pics of the tapes and dates into one picture?

 

much appreciated

 

cheers

[patches]

Resurrecting an old thread but any chance someone could tie together all the above info with pics of the tapes and dates into one picture?

 

much appreciated

 

cheers

Way to complex and diverse for all that as you noticed.

[63 RECON]

yeah i know, all good then. I'm mainly looking for the date these started to appear, was it roughly '67?

 

Between the subdued embroidered tapes with merrowed edge and the stenciled version?

[patches]

yeah i know, all good then. I'm mainly looking for the date these started to appear, was it roughly '67?

 

Between the subdued embroidered tapes with merrowed edge and the stenciled version?

Right I got you.

 

So Army in Vietnam starts to wear either OD and or similar DRAB dyed White NAME Tapes, either of the stamped or embroidered types as early as 1965, maybe in rare cases 1964, U.S. ARM tapes usually left as they were, or dyed, the Rayon Woven U.S. ARMY tapes didn't take to dye that well, the embroidered PX/Army Navy Store types, a little better, that's just the issue tapes were talking about, because at the very same time, South Vietnamese made subdued U.S. ARMY and NAME tapes start to be made, these were made during the course of our involvement there on a variety of materials and in a variety of Black threads and fonts, hand made and machine embroidered.

 

In July 1966, the Army decides to do away with the White NAME tapes, and use OD subdued tapes while leaving the full color U.S. ARMY tape, This is Army Wide, and the first issue type, and the type available at Clothing Sales stores are the OD Web Stamped type, at the very same time, PX tailors start to do machine embroidered types, these being on a variety of materials, to include the materials that could be seen in South Vietnam, cut up fatique shirts commonly used as well as OD Web, OD Web being now a common material used with the issue stamped NAME tape, PX tailors I guess just ordered rolls of blank OD Web tape to use,

 

The ones you posted from the topic of all these U.S. ARMY tapes are on OD Web , machine embroidered, most can be dated from 1966 to the current period, depends on certain things if they are really current, like in example Poly thread being used is one etc. Usually when one sees these there is a tendency to just say there from the 70s-90s etc, because they're on web, but web ones were used in the 60s, it's just because after a certain point in the 70s the web ones became the standard and thee common materiel the tapes were seen made on, so it's assumed they have to be 70s-90s, but that's not the case in every example.

 

The following year, July 1967, Army Wide, the full color U.S. ARMY tape is done away with, now subdued U.S. ARMY tape must be worn, again the same principles with the subdued NAME tape already in use apply, around 1967 PX/Army Navy Store types in subdued start to became available too, just like the full color embroidered one, these now being subdued with an OD broder but there are photgrafic evidence that there was a mix of stuff for a bit in the late 66-1968 period IE White tapes still being worn with full color U.S. ARMY tapes, OD NAME tapes still being worn with full color U.S. ARMY tapes.

[digi-shots]

Patches, thanks for the post... I was not aware both gold and od were in use at the same time.

 

Which of these two gold tapes would have been used in 1966 with this od name tape?

 

Thanks!

[patches]

Patches, thanks for the post... I was not aware both gold and od were in use at the same time.

 

Which of these two gold tapes would have been used in 1966 with this od name tape?

 

Thanks!9F4B2795-E17C-4181-A13D-994F4F705BD5.jpeg

Both of them, the one on the top is the issue Rayon Woven type from 1954 till 1967, the one on the diagonal is the PX/Army-Navy store embroidered on Black Twill W/ Black Border private purchase type, this type starts to be made in the 50s as well, say 1955/56. The Issue type though being the most common.

[digi-shots]

Thanks!

 

I also have the nylon looking US ARMY tape - od background with black lettering.

 

In re-reading this thread, I ‘m not sure when it as used... mid 60’s or later 80’s 90’s.

[patches]

digi, here's an excellent topic to view the wide variety of tapes of the 50s-60s, it'll give you a look in seeing the tapes on actual period fatique shirts.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/256148-fatigue-uniforms-part-1-us-army-color-insignia/

[patches]

Whoops, and these two topics, parts 2 and 3.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/256856-fatigue-uniforms-part-2-us-army-vietn

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/256042-fatigue-uniforms-part-3-us-army-subdued/

[digi-shots]

Patches, thanks!

 

Some great reference photos there!

[patches]

Thanks!

 

I also have the nylon looking US ARMY tape - od background with black lettering.

 

In re-reading this thread, I ‘m not sure when it as used... mid 60’s or later 80’s 90’s.

This one, this started to be worn in like the early summer of 1968 and like the Yellow on black rayon one became the issue U.S. ARMY tape.

[patches]

As an important note, these two, the Yellow on Black Rayon Woven and the later Subdued Nylon Woven U.S. ARMY tapes were regulated by the QM to be sewn on Fatique Shirts and Field Jackets and OG Wool shirts by government manufacturers, the color one around 1957, the subdued one, sometime in 1968, this aperantly only those items procured by the Army, items not for the Army, did not have to have this done, IE the Air Force, and Navy, and after 1963 or 64, the Marine Corps (They start to have the Army shirts issued, they doing away with their specially Designed Utility shirt, the so called by collectors, The Gomer Pyle here, and here.

 

Here's a late 50s-mid 60s example of what we're talking about, this a first Pattern OG 107 Shirt, and a 3rd Pattern one, interestingly the 3rd Pattern doesn't seem to have had the tape sewn on when seen in unissued condition, perhaps because this pattern wasn't issued or available for purchase for that long before the new 3rd Pattern came out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[patches]

As an important note, these two, the Yellow on Black Rayon Woven and the later Subdued Nylon Woven U.S. ARMY tapes were regulated by the QM to be sewn on Fatique Shirts and Field Jackets and OG Wool shirts by government manufacturers, the color one around 1957, the subdued one, sometime in 1968, this aperantly only those items procured by the Army, items not for the Army, did not have to have this done, IE the Air Force, and Navy, and after 1963 or 64, the Marine Corps (They start to have the Army shirts issued, they doing away with their specially Designed Utility shirt, the so called by collectors, The Gomer Pyle here, and here.

 

Here's a late 50s-mid 60s example of what we're talking about, this a first Pattern OG 107 Shirt, and a 3rd Pattern one, interestingly the 3rd Pattern doesn't seem to have had the tape sewn on when seen in unissued condition, perhaps because this pattern wasn't issued or available for purchase for that long before the new 3rd Pattern came out.

 

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A bad TYPO on my part I notice now.

 

"interestingly the 3rd Pattern doesn't seem to have had the tape sewn on when seen in unissued condition, perhaps because this pattern wasn't issued or available for purchase for that long before the new 3rd Pattern came out."

 

3rd Pattern should read 2nd Pattern, as with this unissued example below, for some reason U.S. ARMY tapes are not found sewn on this type, possibly as mentioned, wasn't issued or available for purchase for that long before the new 3rd Pattern came out. or it wasn't required cause it was with the idea of this 2nd Pattern being a standard Armed Forces issue item, ach who knows .

 

[USARV72]

 

Heres name tapes from early Vietnam to the end.

[USARV72]

Here a few more, last small one at bottom was used on 2 piece Nomex flight jacket used by rotor wing crews along with the hard to find all leather boots. Wish had picked up a pair but we could only bring 1 pair of boots home. Should have mailed stuff home...