Which insignia do you wear on your 'Class A' and/or 'Ike' - jacket ?

[pfarber]

The wearing of the fruit salad (OMG!! POST WAR LINGO!) as long as appropriate is OK with me. I served in DS/Gulf War I whatever you call it, and if in 50 years someone wants to wear the uniform and ribbons of a Petty Officer 3rd Class Submarines then let them. 'Dolphins' are earned awards that mean something. If I saw a reenactor in a poopie suit and silver dolphins I would not mind. As long as they did it right.

 

Ditto for WWII CIB and theater ribbons. No, they are not earned, but (at least my) purpose for being a reenactor is to relive the period. To do that without the infantry mans awards would be like no wearing the proper shoes. Its part of the uniform. How can you reenact a sojer of the Big Red One without all the ribbons of the Bloody Red One?

 

Now if ppl showed up with silver stars, CMOH and the like, then yes, they should get a beat down for being an idiot.

[hbtcoveralls]

Hi Gang,

I think it needs to be a personal matter of what you wear but one of the funniest things I've seen in re-enacting put me in mind of this topic. We had a guy named Richie in our First Division unit and I have to say that Richie looked far younger than you would imagine. Well we were at an event in about 1995 and Richie puts on his class A jacket and a couple of guys start giving him a hard time about it. With that, Richie pulls up his pants leg and shows these guys from another outfit just where the bullet went through while serving with you guessed it the Big Red One. Later I told him that it's a good thing he wasn't shot in the behind!

T. Bowers

[hbtcoveralls]

I shouuld also say that Richie didn't wear the CIB only his purple heart medal because when he was in the First Division in Vietnam he was an MP and they're not eligible for the CIB. This can also be a problem for some people who like to wear awards and decoraions which wouldn't be appropriate for their impression. Once again research and then dress like the soldiers not like other re-enactors and you can't go wrong.

T.Bowers

[VAWARMEMORIAL]

My two cents...... I only wear campaign ribbons, CIB and Jump wings if doing a paratrooper, as a rule our unit does not allow the wearing of purple hearts, bronze or silver stars, MOH or any other medals of the sort unless you have earned it, we have guys in our unit that have, not in WWII but in other conflicts earned the right to wear a purple hearts, and others, and if they want to wear them I have no problem with it. I do have a problem with people wearing medals that they have not earned, it is disrespectful to those who have earned them. The jump wings and CIB are the only exception and if anyone has a problem with that in reenacting community then they should un-blouse their jump boots, take off their rank and uniform and go as a civilian.

[cgutierrez]

First off I want to say that I have found this a very interesting thread primarily because it has caused me to think about my own situation. While I am not a reenactor I do collect WWII memorabilia and have an M-43 field jacket in excellent condition that actually fits well. On the left side I have sewn a WWII period 9th Armored Division patch and managed to find an early REMAGEN tab to sew beneath that. On the right side I have sewn a 17th Airborne tab and patch. Below the patches I have sewn original WWII ear E-7 stripes. Above the upper right pocket I have sewn on the "ruptured duck" to designate honorable discharge. I only wear the jacket on Memorial day or at militaria shows. I am thinking of sewing on a cloth CIB and pin on a WWII era set of jump wings on top of that. What has stopped me is that I feel somewhat uncomfortable about the CIB as I am not reenacting.

 

The reason I chose the 9th Armored and 17th Airborne patches is because my father was in the 9th Armored and my Father-in-Law was in the 17th Airborne. Both won CIBs. Although my father was honorably discharged from the Army as a PFC my Father-in-Law was honorably discharged as an E-7. The wings and CIB I propose to sew on would be in honor of those two men but still feel somewhat uncomfortable about going through with it. I was an infantryman in the Army and left an E-7 wth jumb wings so I do not feel squemish at all about putting those two on my jacket. Of course I was never in the 9th Armored or 17th Airborne either so if I am going to wear those to items in honor and memory why not the CIB?

 

Anyone else have a similar problem or opinion as to whether I should go ahead with the CIB. TIA

 

Regards,

Charles

[Jeeper704]

Personally, I wouldn't do it.

You did not earn it and some people would take offence.

 

The few times I wore a WWII uniform, I did not put any ribbons or CIB on it.

Only a 4th AD and a TD patch and a rank (2nd LT and I felt a bit uncomfortable about that).

 

In short (and this is my opinion); if I see a Veteran with a Bronze Star ribbon, I look with respect .... if I see a re-enactor with the same ribbon I ask myself where in hell he got that one.

If this is offending for some re-enactors here, sorry but that is my opinion on the matter.

 

Erwin

[Bill in VA]

Personally, I wouldn't do it.

You did not earn it and some people would take offence.

 

The few times I wore a WWII uniform, I did not put any ribbons or CIB on it.

Only a 4th AD and a TD patch and a rank (2nd LT and I felt a bit uncomfortable about that).

 

In short (and this is my opinion); if I see a Veteran with a Bronze Star ribbon, I look with respect .... if I see a re-enactor with the same ribbon I ask myself where in hell he got that one.

If this is offending for some re-enactors here, sorry but that is my opinion on the matter.

 

Erwin

 

 

A couple of comments, no flames intended...

 

If you're going to be a reenactor, you're re-enacting. And since few of re-enact a specific persona (ex., George S Patton) we are instead re-enacting the typical US soldier. If you are making an honest attempt at a correct impression of the typical soldier from a particular unit, and the typical soldier from that particular unit earned the CIB or jump wings, you should wear them.

 

To argue "I didn't earn a CIB so I ain't wearing one!", while at the same time wearing jump boots, a set of lieutenant's bars or corporal's stripes, or to wear a particular uniform when you haven't earned the right to any of them is sheer hypocrasy. (And yes, the priviledge of wearing the uniform is also earned...it is not a right. Ask any vet.)

 

Finally, the bit about "if I see a re-enactor with [decoration/medal of valor] I ask myself where in hell he got that one"... I've been inot WWII reenacting for quite some years now, and can honestly say that a fair number of veterans and active duty also reenact. In my own unit, we have one US Army retired, two active duty US Army, one active duty USN aviator, one active duty USCG, and two prior-service (not retirees) US Army. Of those men, one is a graduate of the USMA and former 7thSF combat vet, one has one tour in Afghanistan and is on his second in Iraq, and another is also currently in Iraq. Our retiree is VN veteran. Who am I to question what they wear? (And for the record, every single one of them has stated they don't care if a reenactor wears a CIB, for the exact reason I stated above.) Perhaps it's best to not try and assume that whatever ribbon or awards a fellow is wearing are not possibly earned by the man wearing them. One never knows who's done what.

[Jeeper704]

That is why I said I felt a bit uncomfortable wearing 2nd Lt. bars.

And I might add I only wore the uniform on two occasions, one was a marriage of a fellow collector and a friend.

As for Jump Boots ..... I was an Lt. in a TD unit so the common leggings and field shoes here.

This brings me to the next thing; Jump Boots were part of the Combat Jump Uniform like the jacket, trousers, overseas cap with parachute oval.

Jump Wings, CIB, medals, etc are not part of that .... I mean that you do not automatically get them when you receive your uniform.

 

If wearing a uniform (Civil War, WWI, WWII, whatever) as re-enactor the way I see it is hyprocracy then we better disband all re-enactment groups right now.

 

Of course I know that there are re-enactors who earned particular awards and medals.

But how about a 15-year-old kid with SS, BS, CIB, Jump Wings etc????

 

I have been a numerous events, commemorations, and alike and on several occasions I saw Veterans taking offense to young kids and even older men wearing those awards and medals and showing off with them.

At a few occasions, a Veteran even went to that guy and asked him what he was wearing and in what Campaign he earned it.

It was shocking to know that sometimes that guy couldn't even tell what the ribbon was for!

Mind you, I am talking about the 1980s till the 1990s.

Maybe things have changed now.

 

Well, I'm off my soap box and gone to lunch now.

 

Erwin

[Guest BigX506th]

Greeting Jan,

I also reenact the 101st Airborne, I do Easy 506th out of New England, yeah, we're THOSE guys.... anyway, there has been much talk over the years amoungst ourselves in Easy about this topic, and it goes like this, yes, we all kind of feel weird about wearing ribbons and C.I.B.'s but, other than the C.I.B. , we don't wear any ribbons or medals for valor, unless you are proir service and earned them. However, we have asked the veterans that we portray, if they mind us wearing C.I.B.'s and jump wings and they, to a man, said, "no, we don't mind". Why? Their answer was; that if we are protraying them and wear 506th ovals under our jumpwings and "Currahee" D.U.I.'s then we should wear the other awards, such as jump wings, C.I.B.'s and theater ribbons with stars and arrowheads; because they wore them and since we're protaying them, then they want us to wear what they wore- to be authentic.

As for Good Conduct medals and ribbons, well, we use the D.C.M. as an award for doing something special for the company; like going above and beyond for your fellow reenactors. Only our Captain awards these and they are few and far in between.

I hope this sheds a little light and thought on to the subject.

-Big X

 

 

 

 

I thought it might be useful to make a seperate topic about wearing insignia during re-enactment. Personally i prefer not wearing to much insignia on my Class A during re-enactment. Why ? Simply , because i never earned one of those medals. I think it's kinda disgraceful towards veterans if you pin every medal available on your 'Class A' and/or 'Ike' - jacket. Since i re-enact Airborne i just sewed on the 502nd jumpwing oval with a jumwing pinned on it. As for the rest , i keep it simple with only EM collardiscs.

 

What do you guys think about this matter ?

 

Greetings,

Jan

[FRISCAN]

Well, all-in-all heres what three Class "A" Service uniforms that our unit wears are set up like...

 

I feel the wearing of awards is fine as long as when asked, you NEVER said you earned them and explain that their mainly complete the look of a GI riflemen for the purpose of WWII reenacting. For me I wear the CIB to pay respect to ALL combat riflemen, thats what it means to me. Its my way of honoring them. If your portraying a regiment like I do that served over 531 days in combat it looks a little retarded when you come to a Class "A" event and you don't have a CIB on.

 

Anyways, heres a few pics of three Service Blouses...

 

Model 1926 Service Blouse, ca. 1937....

 

Model 1938 Service Blouse, "Four Pocket", ca. 1940....

 

Model 1944 Service Blouse, "Eisenhower Jacket", ca. 1946....

 

*Note* These pics are NOT of me but a friend. We took these pics for our unit forums of the U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment. The upper most Service Coat is HIS but, I have one exactly like it with exception to the rank insignia and service hash marks. The other coats are mine though. The set up on my Eisenhower is still a work in progress BUT, it give you an idea of what we ear on our coats.

 

Kind Regards,

FRISCAN

[DOGFACE1944]

I agree with you James. Should we chastise people on TV or in the movies for wearing these insignias? We are after all re-enactors / living historians. This adds to the authenticity. We are walking displays in many cases and its important for the public to know what was worn and how it was worn. As for arguing the point of wearing a CIB or Jump wings we may as well argue the wearing of a uniform. I did not serve in WW2 but I am proud to teach people what I have learned so that this period in time will never be forgoten! Did I or anyone else who participates in WW2 living history earn the right to wear that uniform? Our Grandfathers and uncles and cousins earned the right for us to do what we do! Do it and do it right!

 

Mike