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Uncommon and Obscure Combat Patches Being Worn.


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On 8/27/2016 at 6:05 PM, patches said:

post-34986-0-10273100-1472346305.jpg

An unusual sight I think, that of a sitting Secretary of the Army wearing official unit and qualifcation insignia on his fatiques during a Fact Finding Trip.

 

This is the one time Secretary of the Army, Howard Hollis Callaway how was SofA 15 May 1973 3 July 1975, photo taken sometime in 1974, on a trip to USAEUR. Note the 7th Inf Div combat patch AND Cloth subdued CIB, uncertain what patch if any he has on the left shoulder, Washington District??

 

Callaway was a Infantry Officer during the Korean Conflict and would be entitled to these insignia, but from photos I've seen from before Callaway, fatiques worn by SofAs was rare, think Resor (1965-1971) was the only one who wore them, in Vietnam, don't think it had tapes, might of, it was an unadorned look, with soft cap, and unbloused boots, most of the time he was in civvies stateside. So Callaway was justly proud of his service, and felt totally comfortable wearing a badged fatique uniform.

 

http://www.history.army.mil/books/sw-sa/callaway.htm

Here's another photo of Callaway showing the 7th Inf Div Combat patch during this USAEUR trip, Callaway receiving a hand salute from a 2nd Lt of 1st Infantry Division (Forward)

callaway.jpg

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A Screaming Eagles Combat patch interestingly being worn by an ROTC Cadet a Cadet Major, September 1973. Cadet Major Ronald W.White, University of Kentucky We can only assume he was prior EM service, and after discharge went to college and joined the ROTC, can not find any info more on him.

rotc0004.jpg

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II Field Force Vietnam with an AIRBORNE tab. Interestingly, the soldier was not a former LRRP as might be expected. He served with the 9th Transportation Company (Car)(Airborne Corps). I can't find much information on that unit other than that it provided motor vehicle transport to Headquarters II FFV.

Combat Patch.IIFFV.Airborne Tab.jpg

II Field Force Vietnam.Airborne Tab.9th AIrborne TC.jpg

II Field Force Vietnam.Airborne Tab.9th AIrborne TC.2.jpg

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5 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

II Field Force Vietnam with an AIRBORNE tab. Interestingly, the soldier was not a former LRRP as might be expected. He served with the 9th Transportation Company (Car)(Airborne Corps). I can't find much information on that unit other than that it provided motor vehicle transport to Headquarters II FFV.

Combat Patch.IIFFV.Airborne Tab.jpg

II Field Force Vietnam.Airborne Tab.9th AIrborne TC.jpg

 

This Sarge did Three Tours by his Overseas Bars. No CIB, but wearing the Blue, he allso is not jump quilded, he's not wearing wings as we see typical of these support units of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Airborne in title only, and wearing the AIRBORNE Tab, but without any real airborne capability. this was were this unit was under before it was sent to Nam, an  XVIII Airborne Corps Troop Unit, was this taken at Ft Benning in the mid 70s?

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53 minutes ago, patches said:

This Sarge did Three Tours by his Overseas Bars. No CIB, but wearing the Blue, he allso is not jump quilded, he's not wearing wings as we see typical of these support units of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Airborne in title only, and wearing the AIRBORNE Tab, but without any real airborne capability. this was were this unit was under before it was sent to Nam, an  XVIII Airborne Corps Troop Unit, was this taken at Ft Benning in the mid 70s?

Here is his profile on Togetherweserved.com. It shows he served from 1966 to 1973. On both the profile and the the attached photo he is shown wearing a silver and three bronze campaign stars on his Vietnam Service Medal and third award of the Army Good Conduct Medal. Apparently he was a truck driver in Vietnam and switched branches to Infantry at some point and became a drill instructor. 

 

Also note in the picture he is wearing an oak leaf cluster on his National Defense Service Medal, which would definitely not be correct unless he had prior active service between 1950 and 1954.

Lyles.James.TWS.jpg

Shoulder Cord.Infantry.DI.No CIB.jpg

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The Engineer Command Vietnam worn as a combat Patch, a CSM Hal R. Avery (Can't find info on Avery) in West Germany early 1973, he;s with BG Richard Eaton V Corps CofS (Eaton. a 3 CIB holder)

eaton  hal r. every0003.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

LTC John Scott Cunningham, commanding officer of the 1st Squadron 221st Cavalry, a Nevada National Guard unit that serves as a round out unit for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, wearing the 8th Infantry Division SSI as a combat patch. Four battalions of the 8th deployed for Operation Desert Storm where they were attached to the 3rd Armored Division and 42nd Field Artillery Brigade. 

Combat Patch.8th Infantry Division.jpg

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Officers and NCO's of the 3rd Battalion 503rd Infantry 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. Note captain second from left wearing an XVIII Airborne Corps combat patch, probably from the Dominican Republic.

Combat Patch.XVIII Airborne Corps.3-503rd Infantry.jpg

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USMA Airborne Detachment  a little tough to see

 

USMA SSI with Black and gold AIRBORNE tab

 

Worn by the Detachment Commander in this 1991 photo who was also the Executive Officer of the 1st Bn 1st INF Rgt  USMA

 

001 - Copy.jpg

001.jpg

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An interesting one, a photo I believe taken sometime in late 1948 maybe in Chicago new years???

 

Apart from the GI wearing the SEABEES Combat Patch, which is a real find, we see the Trieste United States Troops TRUST patch as a Combat patch, which would be Uncommon,this unit was not in the war, strange right as a 1st Sergeant surely he would of been in another unit in the war and would of worn that patch rather then the TRUST one, unless TRUST was his very first overseas assignment and he never left the states during the war how probable that might be.

 

I say late 1948 as the TRUST patch with tab only came out in August 1948, giving us a small window for this patch to appear, and as we see a 5th Army patch, on the Tech Sergeant in the upper right background we can give a good guess Chicago if not then just a whole bunch of GIs home on leave at the same time somewhere in America , 5th Army was assigned to Chicago post war in June 1946, and that they are not wearing as of yet the new 1948 Regulation Ranks as we see, they're still wearing the large ranks.

IMG_0421.jpeg.3a86f8abf554dbe3b66764b1040a3f5e.jpeg

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3 hours ago, patches said:

An interesting one, a photo I believe taken sometime in late 1948 maybe in Chicago, new years???,

 

Apart from the GI wearing the SEABEES Combat Patch, which is a real find, we see the Trieste United States Troops TRUST patch as a Combat patch, which would be Uncommon,this unit was not in the war, strange right as a 1st Sergeant surely he would of been in another unit in the war and would of worn that patch rather then the TRUST one, unless TRUST was his very first oveseas assigment and he never left the states during the war how probable that might be.

 

I say late 1948 as the TRUST patch with tab only came out in August 1948, giving us a small window for this patch to appear stateside as a combat patch, and as we see a 5th Army patch, on the Tech Sergeant in the upper right background we can give a good guess Chicago if not then just a whole bunch of GIs home on leave at the same time somewhere in America , 5th Army was assigned to Chicago post war in June 1946, and that they are not wearing as of yet the new 1948 Regulation Ranks as we see, they're still wearing the large ranks.

IMG_0421.jpeg.3a86f8abf554dbe3b66764b1040a3f5e.jpeg

Photo comes from new member Armygrandaughter's site.

 

https://armysignalmastersergeant.blogspot.com/

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

I'm not sure if this is meant to signify a combat patch, but this Signal Corps soldier served in Korea during the war.

Combat Patch.Signal Corps.jpg

Beaucoup colorized, maybe it was added????

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23 minutes ago, patches said:

Beaucoup colorized, maybe it was added????

It doesn't look added to me. If you look closely, you can just make out the stitching between the 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions on the patch, and what looks like a couple of loose threads at the 9 o'clock position. 

 

This is definitely an odd one. Hopefully someone can shed some light on why he's wearing what seems to be a generic Signal Corps patch in lieu of a unit patch.

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30 minutes ago, ItemCo16527 said:

It doesn't look added to me. If you look closely, you can just make out the stitching between the 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions on the patch, and what looks like a couple of loose threads at the 9 o'clock position. 

 

This is definitely an odd one. Hopefully someone can shed some light on why he's wearing what seems to be a generic Signal Corps patch in lieu of a unit patch.

Yes I see that now the stitches, maybe just hastily tack on for this portrait as it's unlikely he did this a combat patch, seems like a newly minted SC guy. As I'm beginning to think, is that certain Trainees in the Korean War period from certain MOSs, support MOSs, took there basic not with a training division like the 3rd Armored Division, 101st Airborne Division, 10th Infantry Division etc etc, but a a post specific to the branch, and under the auspices of the Technical and Administrative Services (The old Army Service Forces).

 

Here's a 1951 photo of NY Yankees great Whitey Ford in what I believe is his Basic Training, Camp Gordon?? Note the Technical and Administrative Services patch, Ford was drafted during the war, and after all his training was stationed at fort Monmouth NJimage.png.8bdaa1d10bb58ccdb3bb7a488b9ac7c3.png

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44 minutes ago, patches said:

Yes I see that now the stitches, maybe just hastily tack on for this portrait as it's unlikely he did this a combat patch, seems like a newly minted SC guy. As I'm beginning to think, is that certain Trainees in the Korean War period from certain MOSs, support MOSs, took there basic not with a training division like the 3rd Armored Division, 101st Airborne Division, 10th Infantry Division etc etc, but a a post specific to the branch, and under the auspices of the Technical and Administrative Services (The old Army Service Forces).

 

Here's a 1951 photo of NY Yankees great Whitey Ford in what I believe is his Basic Training, Camp Gordon?? Note the Technical and Administrative Services patch, Ford was drafted during the war, and after all his training was stationed at fort Monmouth NJimage.png.8bdaa1d10bb58ccdb3bb7a488b9ac7c3.png

That makes sense. If that was the case, I just hope his Sergeant didn't catch him wearing an unauthorized combat patch, or he'd have been doing push-ups for the rest of his enlistment 😆

 

I never knew Whitey Ford had been in the Army. Learned something new today!

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27 minutes ago, ItemCo16527 said:

That makes sense. If that was the case, I just hope his Sergeant didn't catch him wearing an unauthorized combat patch, or he'd have been doing push-ups for the rest of his enlistment 😆

 

I never knew Whitey Ford had been in the Army. Learned something new today!

Yeah Ford is the one with the rifle 1339085995_emoticonsmile.png.60e150cc0736a2b30fde183014695aa7.png, that they both wear the now basically obsolete OD Wool overcoats is indicative that they are more than likely trainees, this item seen issuance to trainees in the late 40s early 50s rather than the new OD Poplin overcoat for some reason.

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Found this Ike with the new Blue SHAEF patch as a "Combat" patch, in this case I would be inclined to think this VI Corps vet wore it in the manner of those other higher command types, 3rd Army, Allied Airborne Army, HQ ETO etc etc,The Blue one comes out in August 1945 for United States Forces in the European Theater or USFET, USFET will be redesignated as Headquarters, European Command or HQ EUCOM, then shortly afterwards United States Army Europe in 1947.

 

image.png.364cee9d7178fe4f61292e55e919ada1.png

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Here's an interesting one. These soldiers belong to the New York State Guard, so it's possible they did not follow uniform regulations as closely as active duty soldiers or even National Guardsman. But notice that the soldier in the rear is wearing a 2nd Service Command SSI as a combat patch. Also note the First Sergeant on the left is wearing the Hawaiian Coast Artillery Brigade SSI as a combat patch.

Combat Patch.Hawaiian Coast Artillery Brigade.jpg

New York State Guard.3.jpg

2nd Service Command.1.png

Hawaiian Coast Artillery Brigade.jpg

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101st Airborne Division SSI worn as a combat patch on the short sleeve khaki shirt of an OCS student at the Artillery And Missile School in 1970. According to the photo description: "It is not a ritual ceremony. At some point in time, it was said that there was a CONARC First Candidate that was the highest-ranking candidate in the entire Army. He outranked the BDE First Candidate at each OCS, etc. I even drew a picture of what I thought he would be wearing as far as Pips, etc. and sent it home when I was a candidate. The legend spread and this was simply that particular class 5-70 having some fun with it. during some spare time one evening, after word got out that this imaginary person was in the area. Imaginations run wild at times. I knew right away what the guy in the center represented when I saw the pictures."

Combat Patch.101st Airborne Division.Khaki Shirt.OCS.jpg

Combat Patch.101st Airborne Division.Khaki Shirt.OCS.2.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

1973 photo of a Recruiting Command officer wearing an Engineer Command Vietnam combat patch along with an Expert Infantryman Badge, Air Defense Artillery branch insignia and ribbon for the Air Force Commendation Medal. He must have had an interesting career.

Combat Patch.Engineer Command Vietnam.png

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Just now, seanmc1114 said:

1973 photo of a Recruiting Command officer wearing an Engineer Command Vietnam combat patch along with an Expert Infantryman Badge, Air Defense Artillery branch insignia and ribbon for the Air Force Commendation Medal. He must have had an interesting career.

Combat Patch.Engineer Command Vietnam.png

Belive this is Howard Hazlett III. West Point 1953.

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Just now, patches said:

Believe this is Howard Hazlett III. West Point 1953.

He was commissioned in Infantry out of the Point and switched to Artillery in 57. Has him at the Ft Levenworth C&GS school as 1 Jan 69, but he's not listed with either classes of 67 or 68.

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On 12/18/2020 at 8:02 AM, patches said:

He was commissioned in Infantry out of the Point and switched to Artillery in 57. Has him at the Ft Levenworth C&GS school as 1 Jan 69, but he's not listed with either classes of 67 or 68.

I guess E Command stands for Engineer Command Vietnam.

1953_Hazlett III, Howard_LIEUTENANT COLONEL-page-001.jpg

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