Overseas Bars Missing?

[Austin R]

I have a uniform that I bought about a year ago. It is guaranteed authentic, but I am wondering why it does not have overseas Bars. It is an 8th AAF Ike Jacket. It has the EAME medal, but it has no overseas bars. Is this common? Where Ike jackets issued with nothing on it and soldiers added the patches to them?

[Captainofthe7th]

Yes, it was up to the wearer to add patches to any uniform. It is not uncommon to find uniforms with missing, 'incorrect,' unauthorized etc insignia. Many of these guys just wanted to get home and get on with life so they often lacked insignia.

 

Rob

[History Man]

i agree with Rob. i bought a uniform from the vets niece and the OS bars and service stripe were in the pocket and sitll in mint conditon :w00t:

 

Philip

[Paul70]

I can understand why a vet would strip his uniform so he could wear it as a jacket, but I have often wondered why some uniforms are missing just a few pieces.

 

Here are a few of my thoughts:

 

The family may have removed some insignia for a shadow box. Like just one Sergeant stripe or the SSI.

 

That piece may have been attacked by bugs. Different insignia attract bugs differently. Foriegn made insignia used vegatable dyes that bugs absolutely love. So it may have been cut off.

 

A dealer may have cut it off. I talked to several old dealers that told me Uniform collecting was limited, but insignia collecting has been popular. So if a uniform was bought with a group from a family. The dealer may have cut off a bullion insignia sold the jacket cheap and kept the other items for his table at the shows. Most dealers do what brings the most money.

 

The insignia may have been hastily installed and fell off years ago.

 

Any thoughts?

Paul

[erctut1]

The guy probably served overseas less than 6 months thus no stripe would be worn.

[elbertson]

No one was ever likely to do an inspection with an individual list of any authorized insignia that a soldier may be entitled to wear in hand to see if they may or may not be sewn on to a uniform...hence many soldiers just didn't bother to put them on in the first place. Many soldiers felt they didn't need to prove anything with visual presentation.

[Timberwolf]

My grandfather's Ike has no overseas bars,even though he was in Europe from September, but in his wedding photo where he is wearing his khaki's he has them on. I think it really had to do with personal preference.-Ben

[mayralphie]

My father was in the Navy from late 1943 till 1945. When he was discharged he still did not have all his decorations from his service. He said the Navy did not have these on hand to issue and most guys applied and received them after they were discharged. In my fathers case he never applied to have them sent to him. This could have been the case with the owner of your jacket.

[Austin R]

I can understand why a vet would strip his uniform so he could wear it as a jacket, but I have often wondered why some uniforms are missing just a few pieces.

 

Here are a few of my thoughts:

 

The family may have removed some insignia for a shadow box. Like just one Sergeant stripe or the SSI.

 

That piece may have been attacked by bugs. Different insignia attract bugs differently. Foriegn made insignia used vegatable dyes that bugs absolutely love. So it may have been cut off.

 

A dealer may have cut it off. I talked to several old dealers that told me Uniform collecting was limited, but insignia collecting has been popular. So if a uniform was bought with a group from a family. The dealer may have cut off a bullion insignia sold the jacket cheap and kept the other items for his table at the shows. Most dealers do what brings the most money.

 

The insignia may have been hastily installed and fell off years ago.

 

Any thoughts?

Paul

 

I don't think they were stripped because all the medals, the wings, bullion patch, and chervons where on.

[Austin R]

Thanks to everyone, I think he just never put them on. He must have been overseas for more than 6 months though because he did his 25 missions in the 8th AAF.

[hbtcoveralls]

The guy probably served overseas less than 6 months thus no stripe would be worn.

 

That's true, I corresponded with an 8th AF pilot, who served toward the end of the war. He completed all his required missions and was sent home in only 5 months overseas and never qualified for "hershey bars"

Tom Bowers