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Uncommon and Obscure Combat Patches Being Worn.


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Brigadier general of the Massachusetts National Guard's 26th Infantry Division in the early 1950's wearing the Americal Division SSI as a combat patch. He probably served in the 182nd Infantry Regiment prior to World War II.

 

The 26th Division, including the 182nd Infantry, was inducted into federal service on 16 January 1941 as for service in World War II. When the 26th was converted to a triangular division, the 182nd was relieved from the 26th Division and assigned to the Task Force 6814, on 14 January 1942, which was sent to Melbourne, Australia. In March 1942, Task Force 6814 travelled to New Caledonia and on 27 May 1942, Task Force 6814 was redesignated the Americal Division. 

Combat Patch.Americal Division.4.26th Infantry Division.General.jpg

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Major General Edward Sirois, commander of the Massachusetts National Guard's 26th Infantry Division from 1951 to 1956, wearing the China Combat Training Command SSI as a combat patch. When the 26th was federalized in 1941, General Sirois was commanding one of the division's field artillery battalion. However, he spent the last two years of the war in the China Burma India Theater and served at the General Staff School for Chinese officers.

Combat Patch.China Combat Training Command.jpg

China Combat Training Command.2.jpg

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mysteriousoozlefinch

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187th Regimental Combat Tram (Airborne) worn as a combat patch, 1958, in North Carolina. 

From ECU Digital Collections: http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/3382#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-302%2C353%2C2397%2C1836

 

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Visiting foreign military officers come to Pitt County, NC.  5th Regimental Combat Team worn as a combat patch by the Lieutenant Colonel (probably?) on the left.  1962.

From ECU Digital Collections: http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/1752#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=2270%2C475%2C2073%2C1588

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Lieutenant Andrew A. Best of Greenville, NC wearing the 92nd Infantry Division as a combat patch post-war in Italy.  Lt. Best later became a prominent physician in North Carolina and pioneered desegregation in medical services.
From ECU Digital Collections: http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/56822#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-739%2C-496%2C4319%2C4434

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  • 4 weeks later...
mysteriousoozlefinch

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Camp Wolters MP Detachment, January 1963.  Back row the two Staff Sergeants closest the camera are wearing China-Burma-India and US Army Forces, Western Pacific SSI as combat patches.  Occasion is an inspection by Lt. Gen. Carl H. Jark, CG of the 4th Army.
Source: The Portal to Texas History

 

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Capt. Wilbur G. Hobbs, S-4 of the 316th Army Security Agency Battalion wears the 35th Infantry Division SSI as a combat patch in October 1958.

Source: The Portal to Texas History

 

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Capt. Willis G. Powell, Commanding Officer, Enlisted Detachment, US Army Garrison Fort Wolters wears an "Airborne Ranger" tab as a combat patch with the non-CO side illegible due to the photo angle, in January 1964.

Source: The Portal to Texas History

 

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Major General Robert G. Gard sr, Commanding General of VIII Corps meets with Reserve officers at Fort Wolters in August 1958.  Gen. Gard commanded the 96th Infantry Division artillery from 1944 to 1945 including during the Okinawa campaign.

Source: The Portal to Texas History

 

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Brig. Gen. Gard on Okinawa, middle.

Source: August 1945 Field Artillery Journal

 

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Officers of the Fort Wolters Hospital gather around the 58th birthday cake for the Army Nurse Corps in February 1959.  At far left, Capt. Eleanor M. Helmann wears a Trieste United States Troops/TRUST SSI as a former overseas patch and Maj. Edna L. Johnson wears a Communications Zone European former overseas patch.

 

 

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mysteriousoozlefinch

Missed this one.

 

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Major Hendri Sumrall, Student Company Commander at the US Army Primary Helicopter School, Fort Wolters, wearing a KMAG and rocker as a combat patch.

Source: The Portal to Texas History

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I believe the lieutenant in the center is wearing the SSI of the 46th Infantry Division as a combat patch. The soldiers belong to Company B 148th Infantry of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division and the photo was taken in 1950, probably at summer camp which would have been right around the outbreak of the Korean War. The 46th was a unit of the Michigan National Guard between 1947 and 1968 and as far as I can tell never deployed overseas, much less served in a combat zone.

 

 

 

Combat Patch.46th Infantry Division.B 148th Infantry.1950.3.jpg

46th Infantry Division.png

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The First Sergeant of Company G 148th Infantry Regiment of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division is wearing one of the Marine Air Wing patches as a combat patch in this 1950 photo. Note he is wearing the Navy Unit Commendation and Presidential Unit Citation ribbons per Navy/Marine Corps regulations among his other ribbons over his left breast pocket.

Combat Patch.Marine Air Wing.World War II.2.jpg

II Marine Air Wing.jpg

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Sergeant First Class of Company I 148th Infantry Regiment of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division is wearing a Navy Seabees patch as a combat patch in this 1950 photo. 

Combat Patch.Seabees.148th Infantry.1950.jpg

Seabees.Navy.jpg

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6 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

Combat Patch.46th Infantry Division.B 148th Infantry.1950.3.jpg

46th Infantry Division.png

A truly obscure one Sean, he seems to be wearing an A&P Ribbon, maybe he was in one of those two Michigan Regiments in the 32nd Infantry Division, and thought that as these are no longer in the 32nd, but in the 46th now, and as crazy as it would be, that this was the appropriate patch???

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Ports Of Embarkation worn as a combat patch in 1950 by a member of the 134th Field Artillery Battalion of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division

Combat Patch.Ports Of Embarkation.1950.jpg

Ports Of Embarkation.5.jpg

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Second Army SSI worn as a combat patch in 1955 by a member of the Service Battery of the 134th Field Artillery Battalion of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division.  

Combat Patch.Second Army.jpg

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Officer of the 1st Signal Brigade wearing what appears to be a theater made subdued on twill II Corps combat patch in Vietnam around 1970. I believe the officer is the brigade commander, Major General Hugh Franklin Foster, Jr., who served in the North African and Italian theaters in World War II, so the II Corps SSI would fit as a combat patch.

Combat Patch.II Corps.Theater Made.Vietnam.jpg

1st Signal Brigade.Foster.Hugh.jpg

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10 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

Officer of the 1st Signal Brigade wearing what appears to be a theater made subdued on twill II Corps combat patch in Vietnam around 1970. I believe the officer is the brigade commander, Major General Hugh Franklin Foster, Jr., who served in the North African and Italian theaters in World War II, so the II Corps SSI would fit as a combat patch.

Combat Patch.II Corps.Theater Made.Vietnam.jpg

1st Signal Brigade.Foster.Hugh.jpg

That's a great sighting with the II Corps patch.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cooks of the 82nd Airborne Division. The Staff Sergeant on the left appears to be wearing a subdued 173rd Airborne Brigade SSI as a combat patch on his white mess uniform.

Combat Patch.173rd Airborne Brigade.Mess Uniform.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

This American soldier in South Korea is wearing the ROK 1st Army patch on his right sleeve in 1958. I don't believe this was worn as a combat patch but rather was worn by some American units attached to the ROK Army. I can't make out the SSI on his left sleeve.

Combat Patch.1st Army.South Korea.1958.jpg

First Army.ROK.jpg

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4 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

This American soldier in South Korea is wearing the ROK 1st Army patch on his right sleeve in 1958. I don't believe this was worn as a combat patch but rather was worn by some American units attached to the ROK Army. I can't make out the SSI on his left sleeve.

Combat Patch.1st Army.South Korea.1958.jpg

First Army.ROK.jpg

 

Here is one explanation for right-sleeve FROKA patch wear by U.S. troops:   

 

 

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Captain Joseph G. Clemons, Jr. meeting with Gregory Peck, who portrayed Clemons in the 1959 film "Pork Chop Hill". It may just be how the picture was processed, but it appears that the colors on Clemon's 7th Infantry Division combat patch are reversed with a red hourglass on a black circle. Compare with the approved version.

Combat Patch.7th Infantry Division.Clemons.Reversed.jpg

7th Infantry Division.SSI.png

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 9/28/2019 at 9:36 PM, patches said:

Here's a close up of the 50s-60s DI, not sure if it's still in use

post-34986-0-32358300-1569724543.jpg

Active in the NY Reserves, they fell under II Corps, which was active from '58-'70. I suspect they wore the Corps patch, based on some newspaper articles ca. 1960.

 

Here's an article from 1960s Army Information Digest, specifically under the II Corps section:

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=Axr77tn3vxUC&lpg=PA29&ots=4quKXP47F_&dq=410th Engineer Command (Amphibious Support) new york&pg=PA30#v=onepage&q=410th Engineer Command (Amphibious Support) new york&f=false

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15 hours ago, Jimbo773 said:

Active in the NY Reserves, they fell under II Corps, which was active from '58-'70. I suspect they wore the Corps patch, based on some newspaper articles ca. 1960.

 

Here's an article from 1960s Army Information Digest, specifically under the II Corps section:

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=Axr77tn3vxUC&lpg=PA29&ots=4quKXP47F_&dq=410th Engineer Command (Amphibious Support) new york&pg=PA30#v=onepage&q=410th Engineer Command (Amphibious Support) new york&f=false

A very informative article there on II Corps of those days thanks for finding and linking it.

 

But on the patch it seems the Seahorse one was worn, at least by the early 60s.

 

The original Class A coat of one LT Col Alvin A. Lopyan, I just had to restore  few items,

 

I actually got a few of his items, it was saved from the dumpster by my upstairs neighbor who owns his own construction/renovation business, see how it went down was, the children of this gentleman, where selling the house, didn't want over half of what was laying around, it was simply to be tossed. my neighbor, knows I collect stuff like this. and kept it to give me.

 

Among the items were.

 

A AG44 uniform complete, IE Cap, Coat, Trousers, (Plus his WWII-50s OD Service Cap) most of the metal insignia to include both of the Special Amphibious Engineer Brigades DIs on the shoulder loops, (made by the somewhat rare maker Martin Kahn Bronx NY NY)  and both shoulder patches and OS bars was present, just needed a couple of odds and ends, like tracking down all his awards to restore his rack, which had been removed evidently, there was three fatigue shirts fully badged, to include the Seahorse patch on the shoulder and on two of them  the ETO Advance Base as a Combat patch, these items were his upon retirement as LTC in the Army Reserve in NYC in February 1964, at that time he was in the 410th  Engineer Command, He was only on active duty a bit after his commissioning in the AR, and of course in WWII, but for the balance of his career, Reserves.

post-34986-0-16998700-1458705053.jpg

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