Air Assault/1st Cavalry Uniform

[MFT3]

Just find this OG-107 jacket in a thrift store and thought I would post it. I have never seen anything like this. The name tape and Air Assault wing look to be Asian made. If the man had been with the 11th Air Assault before it changed to 1st Cavalry, why would he have his old patch sewn to his pocket? I know that the Air Assault badge was awarded but I have never seen it actually wore, especially overseas. Would like to hear what others have to say.

[hawk3370]

MTF3

I have some problem with this uniform. You are right in assuming that he would not wear the 11th Air Assault patch on the pocket. As for the Air Assault badge, it did not become approved until 18 January 1978. It was retroactive for all personnel that completed the Air Assault course after 1 April 1974. The army went subdued in 1965 so this white air assault badge never existed. Having all the color name tags and patches would indicate a uniform worn prior to 1965. Actually nothing about this jacket looks right.

Terry

[doyler]

Im thinking he was an original member of the 11th when Air Assault was concieved.Upon the unit being designated/assigned as 1st Cav(correct term?)was it worn as a pokcet patch by the unit or senior NCOs ??Several of the early 60s units started to wear pocket patches on reactivation of the units I can recall seeing the 501st and 508th patches in pictures.I like it and with the source you found it through no worries on this one.Great shirt.THe color decked out ones are a favorite and looked great in my opinion

 

RD

[memphismeister]

Im thinking he was an original member of the 11th when Air Assault was concieved.Upon the unit being designated/assigned as 1st Cav(correct term?)was it worn as a pokcet patch by the unit or senior NCOs ??Several of the early 60s units started to wear pocket patches on reactivation of the units I can recall seeing the 501st and 508th patches in pictures.I like it and with the source you found it through no worries on this one.Great shirt.THe color decked out ones are a favorite and looked great in my opinion

 

RD

 

I coud not find the link I was looking for but wiki does a fair job describing it.

 

On 7 February 1963 the colors of the 11th Airborne Division were reactivated at Fort Benning, GA, as the 11th Air Assault Division (Test). The 11th was a small unit, never intended for deployable status, used to test the airmobile concept then under development. Units of the 2nd Infantry Division, also located at Fort Benning, were “borrowed” for large-scale airmobile tests and maneuvers.

 

An earlier Air Assault Badge[6], pictured on the right, was worn in the early 1960s by troops of 11th who qualified for it by making three helicopter rappels from 60 feet (18 m) and three from 120 feet (37 m). Soldiers were also required to be knowledgeable of aircraft safety procedures; familiar with aircraft orientation; proficient in hand and arm signals and combat assault operations; able to prepare, inspect and rig equipment for external sling loads; and able to lash down equipment inside helicopters. The badge was first awarded in early 1964 and was only authorized for wear by soldiers within the 11th.

 

On 30 June 1965 the colors of the 11th Air Assault Division were inactivated and its assets merged with the 2nd Infantry Division to become the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). The colors of the 2nd Infantry Division were sent to Korea, where the existing 1st Cavalry Division was reflagged as 2nd Infantry Division and the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division sent to Fort Benning. Shortly thereafter the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was sent to Vietnam

[hawk3370]

MTF3

I have some problem with this uniform. You are right in assuming that he would not wear the 11th Air Assault patch on the pocket. As for the Air Assault badge, it did not become approved until 18 January 1978. It was retroactive for all personnel that completed the Air Assault course after 1 April 1974. The army went subdued in 1965 so this white air assault badge never existed. Having all the color name tags and patches would indicate a uniform worn prior to 1965. Actually nothing about this jacket looks right.

Terry

 

MTF3,

I stand corrected on the Air Assault badge, thats what happens when you get old and senile. The Air Assault mentioned above is the current badge with the helicopter and wings, not the old one on your uniform. When I graduated from jump school in 63 I was initially assigned to the 11th Air Assault but my orders were changed the next day sending me to the 82nd (a big relief as I didn't want to have anything to do with that unit). At that time the 11th was a "test" unit and as I recall was never activated as a combat division. I still have some problems with the color insignia and the 11th patch on the pocket, I spent 25 years in the army and never saw a "pocket" patch from a previous division worn in this manner. Especially when you were sporting the SSI from your current division.

Terry

[gwb123]

For all of the reasons above, I think you've got a winner.

 

If nothing else, it just looks right.

 

Flip the uniform inside out, look at the interior stitching and the impression marks from the patches. Do they look like something that have been there for a long time, or do they look fresh? Are they sewn with a synthetic thread, or cotton?

 

The fact that it showed up in a thrift shops speaks will for it. Most repro uniforms come from dealers, not off the rack of a thrift shop.

[bummer]

I had a 1st Sgt in Germany (85?) that wore this type air assault badge and was with the 11th Air Assault during its time at Ft Benning. I believe they were stationed at Harmony Church area of the post near what is the Ranger School

[mayralphie]

The shirt looks good to me. As far as cotton vs synthetic thread the first synthetic thread was used in sewing machines in 1963 so it could be either cotton or synthetic. Some were a a blend of cotton and nylon.

[MPage]

Most repro uniforms come from dealers, not off the rack of a thrift shop.

 

I agree that thrift store finds point in the "legit" direction, but I once found a humped-up piece in a store's warehouse full of right-as-rain BDU/DCU bundles that was so bad, people here laughed it off the forum. Things wind up in thrift stores from different sources.

[Teamski]

Wow, nice haul!!

 

-Ski

[Robswashashore]

Reminds me of the uniforms in "We were Soldiers-" all kinds of combinations of Angel Wings, Indianheads, and Horseheads...

[River Patrol]

MFT3,

 

Nice stuff!

 

Killer wing! That's the first jacket I've seen with the Air Assault wing!

To the right collector, that would be worth a pretty penny!

The 11th Air Assault is still odd on the pocket.

 

Steve

[MFT3]

Thanks to everyone that made comments! I like the uniform myself (especially for what I paid for it!) but the Air Assault patch on the pocket still has me wondering if this was done as a unit or if the soldier did this himself.

[seanmc1114]

I posted this topic a while back. The soldier is wearing the 11th Air Assault Division SSI as a pocket patch but unfortunately we can't see what SSI he is wearing on his left sleeve. However, it makes sense it would be the 1st Cavalry Division.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/149779-photo-of-11th-air-assault-soldier-in-fatigues/

 

[MFT3]

Great period photograph seanmc1114! It took awhile to find but I guess the patch was worn on the pocket.

[seanmc1114]

Notice the officer on the left is wearing the 11th SSI as a pocket patch and it looks like the officer on the right is wearing it as his current assignment SSI so I assume this picture predates the reflagging of the 11th as the 1st Cavalry Division.

 

http://www.cattrack6india.com/Clark.html

 

[seanmc1114]

And here's a link to orders awarding the Air Assault badge.

 

http://www.cattrack6india.com/AA%20orders1.pdf

[patches]

You will find that the patch worn will be will be the 2nd Infantry Division when one sees the 11th Air Assualt Division worn as a pocket patch. As mentioned a few times elements of the 2nd Inf Div trained with the 11th AASLT Div at Benning in 64-65, maybe earlier in 63, these elements served basically as a de facto part of the 11th AASLT Div, hence the 11th ASSLT Div patch. The shirt in he OP you can bet once had a 2nd Div patch, and was a early example of a shirt worn in the summer of 65, if no 2nd Div patch was there then it would be odd.

 

In the book We Where Soldiers Once there is a photo of this 11th ASSLT Div pocket patch and 2nd Inf Div shoulder patch

 

 

[patches]

Here's one Sergeant Paul LeMay, 1st Battalion 38th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Benning Georgia, circa 1964-early 1965. As we see, the 11th Air Assault Division as a pocket patch, as well as the original Air Assault badge, in what looks like it's metal form, probably pinned here for this portrait in fatiques, he would also be wearing the 2nd Inf Div patch on his shoulder.

 

When the 11th AASLT Div was inactivated with it's people being incorporated into the 2nd Inf Div and the whole affair Reflagged as the 1st Cavalry Division, the 1st of the 38th Inf became the 1st of the 5th Cav, LeMay was with the 1/5th Cav when he died in Vietnam from Non Hostile Causes on October 18 1965.

[firefighter]

Nice looking shirt and pictures.

[Eugene]

I have a slightly different situation. First pattern OG-107 shirt, with sewn

on the right sleeve (from the top):

 

AIRBORNE (blue arc, white letters)

AIRASSAULT (blue arc, red letters)

11th AIRBORNE DIV (classic shield 11 oval with wings)

 

 

on the left sleeve (from the top):

 

RANGER (black arc, yellow letters and hem)

101th AIRBORNE DIV (classic screaming eagle arc with shield)

[seanmc1114]

Here are some great pictures I found from an 11th Air Assault Division Artillery officer's scrapbook. These cover the period from 1963 through 1964. Note that the 11th Air Assault SSI is worn as the organizational insignia on the left sleeve and not on the right pocket of the with 2nd ID SSI on the right sleeve. A couple show Major General Harry W. O. Kinnard wearing the 11th Air Assault SSI on his left sleeve. Some also show the metal Air Assault Badge worn on the right pocket.

 

The 11th Air Assault Division (Test) was organized and activated in February 1963 from elements of the old 11th Airborne Division, hence the SSI. However, after some field tests, the division was expanded with elements of the 2nd Infantry Division then located at Fort Benning along with some non-divisional aviation units. 

 

My guess is that soldiers of the 11th Air Assault Division assigned to elements that came from the 11th Airborne Division (Division HHC, infantry units of the 1st Brigade, Division Artillery Headquarters and some subordinate artillery and some support units) wore the 11th Air Assault SSI on their left sleeves. On the other hand, it appears that units that came from the 2nd Infantry Division (units of the 2nd and 3rd Brigade, some subordinate artillery and support units) continued to wear the 2nd ID SSI on their left sleeves with the 11th Air Assault SSI on their right pockets.

 

In these photos, I believe all of the soldiers would have been assigned to units of the 11th Air Assault Division that had been organic to the old 11th Airborne Division. I have also attached an order of battle of the 1st Cavalry Division at the time of its reflagging at Fort Benning in July 1965. It shows the source of all of the subordinate units. As we know, the 1st Cav's 1st Brigade was airborne and remained on jump status for about a year after it deployed to Vietnam. These were the units that came from the 11th Airborne Division.

 

 

[seanmc1114]

In contrast with the previous post, here we see a couple of photos of LTC Hal Moore of "We Were Soldiers" fame at Fort Benning wearing the 2nd Infantry Division SSI on the left sleeve with the 11th Air Assault SSI on the right pocket. LTC Moore commanded the 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry which was assigned to the 2nd ID. 

 

The Center Of Military History's lineage and honors sheet for the 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry does not show any assignement to the 11th Airborne Division. On the other hand, the lineage and honors sheet for the 1st Battalion 187th Infantry shows that battalion was actually assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division.

 

My guess is that those units that came from the 11th Airborne Division were actually assigned as organic elements of the 11th Air Assault Division and their members wore the 11th SSI on their left sleeves. On the other hand, the units of the 2nd Infantry Division remained organic to the 2nd ID and were merely attached to the 11th Air Assault Division. Thus they continued to wear their 2nd ID SSI on their left sleeves and the 11th Air Assault SSI on their right pockets to show their attachment to that division.   

[seanmc1114]

As an additional comment regarding the original posted shirt, I have no actual knowledge of this, but my guess would be that soldiers who had served with the 11th Air Assault Division and earned the unofficial Air Assault Badge at For Benning prior to deploying to Vietnam preferred to show that status. The name tape on the shirt looks like it may have been Vietnamese made, so the shirt may have been legitimately worn by a 1st Cav soldier early in Vietnam and was configured to identify him as an original 11th AIr Assault man. There is nothing unusual at all about full color insignia being worn in 1965-1966.

 

The nickname of the 1st Cavalry Division has been "The First Team" since the end of World War II. I recall reading in Shelby Stanton's "Anatomy Of A Division" that in the summer of 1966 when most of the guys who deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Cav were going home and the division was being almost completely refilled with replacements who had not served at Benning with the 11th Air Assault Division, the division began to derisively refer to the replacements as "The Second Team". The book says commanders went to a lot of effort to stamp out this attitude.

 

As a final comment, I used to have this patch (long since sold on e-Bay) which I believe is an authentic worn example of the Air Assault Badge embroidered on cotton for wear on the fatigue uniform.  

[Eugene]

Great information Seanmc1114, I read it carefully and translated it thoroughly. I asked about my shirt because I don't know its origin or sellers can do terrible things to sell it at a good price.

I saw both arcs (tabs) together Airborne and Airassault and 11th, but it was on the left sleeve. Here is also the 101st.