gsmilligan Posted December 17, 2010 Share #1 Posted December 17, 2010 I bought this portrait because of the 27th Division Patch the Lieutenant was wearing. I didn't look too closely at it in the aution since I didn't expect to win, but I did. Good for me! When I got around to seeing the fellow's uniform in detail, I noticed he is wearing the branch insignia of the 15th New York Infantry Regiment, an African-American unit that became the 369th Infantry Regiment. The 369th is famously known as the Harlem Hellfighters and less famously known as the Black Rattlers. The reptile was chosen for their Distinctive Unit Insignia and is still in use today in the 369th Sustainment Brigade, the direct decending unit of the 369th Infantry and still part of the New York Army National Guard. The DUI this unidentified Lieutenant is wearing is that of the 369th and tentatively dates the photograph to after 1923, when the DUI was adopted. (I say tentatively since it would not be unusual to wear insignia before official Heraldry approval.)A very exiting piece. I don't know why he is wearing the 27th shoulder patch. From his ribbons, he was a veteran of the Mexican Border and WWI. Possibly he served with the 27th through WWI, then became an officer with the 369th? The 27th also sent huge numbers of Soldiers to OCS during the WWI mobilization, perhaps he was one of these. I won't know unitl I figure out who he was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linedoggie Posted December 17, 2010 Share #2 Posted December 17, 2010 Wasn't the 27th the major NY formation during this time frame as the 42nd wasnt reformed until 1942-43? would seem to make sense to have all the combat formations in the div. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsmilligan Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share #3 Posted December 17, 2010 Wasn't the 27th the major NY formation during this time frame as the 42nd wasnt reformed until 1942-43? would seem to make sense to have all the combat formations in the div. I have never seen anything to indicate the 369th was part of the 27th at any time. Perhaps he wore it to indicate his combat service with the 27th? Perhaps he moved from the 369th to a 27th unit and just hadn't replaced his DUI's yet? His ribbon rack seems to me more indicitive of overseas service with the 369th than with the 27th- I don't see anything British there, perhaps some are French? I haven't identified them all yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1st Sgt CES Posted April 10, 2011 Share #4 Posted April 10, 2011 Great Photo---what I find interesting is that he does not have any overseas stripes on his uniform ------Blue Skies 1st Sgt CES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted September 9, 2023 Share #5 Posted September 9, 2023 BUMP Did see that the 15th New York/369th Infantry was Attached to the 87th Infantry Brigade from June 1922 but this brigade was in the 44th Division, and then from 1927 assigned to the 93rd Infantry Brigade (Separate), which wore if anything the 1st Army patch, source also says was still Attached to the 87th Inf Bde too, so the mystery remains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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