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Ruptured duck pins


pattyd82ab
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Can any one tell me if the button hole duck pins were issued in WWII, and if so where were they placed. Most of my family's discharge paperwork says that they were issued pins and not patches. The problem I am seeing is that there is no slot in the lapel for the pin in either the 4 pocket or the Ike's. Were the slots added when they were issued, or should I be looking for clutch backs?

 

Thanks!

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In that case, to do their uniforms correctly should I be getting the patches, or nothing at all?

 

Depends. If any of your family members was an officer, then nothing at all. Officers didn't wear ruptured ducks.

 

For EMs, patches over their right breast pocket.

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My grandfather was a 2nd Lt....his 214 lists a pin....so we're they given them, but not worn? Just confused......

 

I think he means officers did not wear them on their uniforms. The lapel buttons were for wear on civilian clothing.

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Can any one tell me if the button hole duck pins were issued in WWII, and if so where were they placed. Most of my family's discharge paperwork says that they were issued pins and not patches. The problem I am seeing is that there is no slot in the lapel for the pin in either the 4 pocket or the Ike's. Were the slots added when they were issued, or should I be looking for clutch backs?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi,

 

Without going into all of the details, the ruptured duck was issued to discharged Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines and was used to indicate that individual had served in the Armed Forces and had been discharged. When on a uniform it allowed the discharged soldier to wear his military uniform for 30 days after discharge since there was a shortage of civilain clothes.

 

The device came with a variety of attachment methods - lapel button, pin back, clutchback and cloth (bullion, embroidered, screen print). Lapel versions were to be worn on the male suit in the lapel button hole, pinback versions were worn on woman's clothes (since woman's clothing did not have a button hole). The cloth versions were sewn on the military uniform above the right breast pocket.

 

Ducks were made in many different substances to incluse plastic, brass, sterling silver, gold etc.

 

Gary B

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  • 2 months later...

Ducks were issued to all military personnel upon discharge.

Regulations stated that veterans were allowed to wear their uniforms and sundry equipment for up to 30 days AFTER discharge and a great many guys did so. One guy i interviewed was from a poor family and wore his uniform for 6 months! The War Department was conscious of the 30 day regs and the Secretary stated he didn't want "thousand of conquering heros wandering around". (A reference to the USMC movie:"Hail, Hail the Conquering hero" of 1943).

Initially HEALTHY military personnel were discharged according to an accumulated point system (after VE day).

The first ruptured ducks were issued in plastic (!) as a cost saving measure, but these easily broke and the War Department was swamped within weeks by thousands of complaints from veterans whose plastic duck had broken and some were then were harassed/arrested by local police as deserters. In one notorious case several purple heart wearing African American NCOs were actually put in jail for over a week in Alabama (?) because their ducks were broken/not worn and the local police claimed their paperwork was falsified at a train station.

The War Dept. quickly made brass and copper RDs and sent them on a daily basis to discharge centers from the factories that made them.

Gold RDs (14K) were often (almost always) private purchase and subject to ration controls. They are VERY rare.

Cloth RDs were also made and to be sewn to uniform items at the Discharge Center. In some cases, guys I interviewed said the last thing they did was sew on their RDs, get their cash and walk out to the train station.

Interestingly, the guy who designed the RD was an Italian, who studied in New York City under the German artist who had created the WW1 bronze discharge pin. He initially designed the Ruptured Duck as the Federal ROTC badge in 1936 and the War Department hauled his design out in 1944 for the discharge pins. He also designed the Texas Cavalry medal.

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Military-Memorabilia

Without going into all of the details, the ruptured duck was issued to discharged Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines and was used to indicate that individual had served in the Armed Forces and had been discharged.

 

Gary B

 

Another purpose of the Ruptured Duck for discharged personnel is that it relieved them from the protocol of saluting while in stateside camps awaiting transportation home, thus avoiding charges of disrespect from overzelous officers.

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  • 10 years later...
militarycross

Does anyone have an idea of what one of these is worth? Thanks very much.

 

phil

 

image.png.7991faec6ebda37769c1ea1f14c73055.png

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