USAF Security Police jungle jacket

[craig_pickrall]

When SARGE posted his Air Police shirt from 1997 it reminded me of one I have that has almost the same insignia set up but from a war 30 years earlier. My shirt is dated 1968 and all insignia is theater made. It is a 3rd pattern shirt in rip stop material.

 

[craig_pickrall]

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...amp;#entry58108

 

Follow the link for a similar shirt from 1997.

[guillaume le ouf]

hello,

 

I have the same in first pattern jungle!

 

 

it's the same local made patchs, same unit?

 

bye

[gwb123]

A couple more to look at.... First up is a third pattern jungle jacket with the sleeves modified to short sleeve. The patch on the sleeve signifies "Royal Thai Guard/ Security Police Squadron". On overseas bases where the perimeter security was shared with the local forces it was common to see a reference to the allied forces. All of the patches are local made.

[gwb123]

Another one with the RTG/ SPS shoulder patch. Note that the rank chevrons are also made of the ERDL material.

[SARGE]

Gents,

 

Great Viet Nam era coats!

 

The in-country embroidery is great to see.

[gwb123]

Next... while not a Jungle Jacket, it is one of my all time favorite USAF fatigue uniforms. It is a heavily tailored OG-107 cotton fatigue shirt with local made insignia for the K-9 unit. Note the added pocket... typical of South Vietnamese uniform fashion of the time. The shield is for the ARVN QC or Military Police. In this case the patch would have been worn so that Vietnamese civilians and troops would have recognized the American wearing the patch as some form of Military Policeman.

[gwb123]

Lastly... a post Vietnam OG-107 shirt from the 70's or 80's... not all that remarkable except for the Korean made PACAF pocket patch. I honestly cannot remember if the SP pocket badge was foreign made or not. The sleeve rank and the specialist badge are US made, but the name and USAF tapes are fine examples of Korean hand guided sewing machine embroidery.

[ikar]

The official cloth police badge didn't show up until the late 70's. The local made cloth badge was first introduced at U-Tapao in 1972. The very first ones were sewn directly into the pocket which made the ocket all but useless except as a pen holder. Shortly after that the cloth badge was made from extra fatigue material from the tailoring done by the Sianese cat tailors across the street from the police barracks. All 635th police jungle and green fatigues were tailored and marked at the Siamese Cat.

 

The police qualification badge was not approved for use until about 1976 with the first unofficial ones arriving at Littlerock from Germany where they were made locally with the official ones showing up some months later.

 

I was there at both places when the changes occured and still nave the metal qual badge from Germany as well as the second series cloth badge. unfortunately the first series badge was lost when my brother raided my stockpile while on my second tour.