Uncommon and Obscure Combat Patches Being Worn.

[VALERY]

Hi,

First, let me apologize, I know it's a little bit far from the thread but have you noticed on the first picture of the Company D (Ranger) 151st of the Indiana National Guard, the soldier who does not watch in the same direction than the others, has a jungle expert pocket patch. I think it's the first time for me to see this patch on a jacket worn in Vietnam.

 

Cheers

 

Valery

[seanmc1114]

Hi,

First, let me apologize, I know it's a little bit far from the thread but have you noticed on the first picture of the Company D (Ranger) 151st of the Indiana National Guard, the soldier who does not watch in the same direction than the others, has a jungle expert pocket patch. I think it's the first time for me to see this patch on a jacket worn in Vietnam.

 

Cheers

 

Valery

Valery,

 

Check out this website for lots of photos of the Indiana Rangers before going to Vietnam, while there and coming home for all sorts of interesting insignia combinations including the Jungle Expert patch on the jungle jacket.

 

These guys were an Indiana National Guard unit called to active duty in 1968. Before going to Vietnam, they trained for several weeks at Fort Benning, Georgia and I believe something like 90% of the soldiers in the company attended the Jungle Training course in Panama before deploying to Vietnam.

 

http://www.ranger151.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=42

[firefighter]

Those are some really cool pic's of the 151st guys.I've never seen so many pictures of these guys and the different scroll combo's.Thank you for sharing.

[VALERY]

Thank you Sean, very useful website!

 

Cheers

 

Valery

[patches]

Good news guys, something I wanted to do from the time I started this topic, I will be getting my next door neighbor to scan some photos I have in Unit yearbooks, Basic Training yearbooks, and Army periodicals from the 50s and 60s, she, lives right next door in my building on the second floor from me, a longtime neighbor, she will do it as soon as I go though these books and get them ready, I think what happens is she will E-Mail me the scaned photos as attachments, right? Over the period of time I have had these items I have spied several uncommon combat patches and at least one obsure one in photos, I pratically have them memorized as to which book and which periodical I seen them in.

 

So please stand by, it will take a few days for all this to get done, If all works well, and I don't bother her too much, then maybe I can scan other stuff, like photos of ME, and Service photos from the time I was in, I have a ton

[quack]

Sorry, I didn't get the reference to the modern wearing of the patch. Were there subdued or desert subdued versions for wear on his BDU or Desert BDU?

 

Yes, there was a subdued version for wear on BDUs. I never saw a desert subdued one, but they may certainly exist-- Desert Cammies were not regularly worn in garrison when I saw it (1990-91), and most people in my unit wore flight suits or BDUs.

[seanmc1114]

This topic popped up under the Groupings forum:

 

http://www.usmilitar...r-gunnerranger/

 

The attached photo appears in Item #15 of the topic. Based on the guy's service record, I'm assuming the AIrborne tab worn with the U.S. Army, Vietnam SSI signifies a rigger unit assignment. It also looks to me like the Airborne tab is full color.

[Andrei]

This combat patch, USARV with Airborne tab is for an airborne QMC company attached to USARV. I had two jungle jackets that belonged to a SF officer, QMC and rigger qualified that have the same combat patch.

I did some research online and found info about this unit but can find them again for now.

 

Note that later in the war this combination of USARV and airborne tab was used for the SMAG.

[Andrei]

 

SMAG SSI worn on the active duty left sleeve of Medical Service officer who was later assigned to SF/SOG and FANK.

[patches]

These two photos are I believe important, there was a debate that's still open on the wear of 1st Logistical Command combat patches, whether in Vietnam or outside of Vietnam even to the point of years later into the 80s, here we see in the first photo Metzger when he was in the rigger unit, note here he wears as an organizational patch the 1st Logistical Command with Airborne tab, awhile later on his I presume second tour as an aircrewman we see that he is wearing the USAV with tab as a combat patch. That's interesting, it would seem that it may be true as MFT3 kept asserting that 1st Log Cmd vets wore USAV patches rather than for whatever reason the 1st Log Cmd.

 

I was in the camp that if one was in the 1st Log Cmd, than a 1st Log Cmd patch would be worn as a combat patch, after seeing this on not so sure and adamant about this, I'll split the differance and say that there must be some individuals that may be seen in the 70-80s with the 1st Log Cmd as a combat patch, but that for whatever reason the USAV was perhaps the prefered one and would be the more commonly seen.

 

 

[Andrei]

John Metzger picture with the 1st Log Com with Airborne tab is a first for me. I can't remember having seen one before this thread.

[468abnarm]

This combat patch, USARV with Airborne tab is for an airborne QMC company attached to USARV. I had two jungle jackets that belonged to a SF officer, QMC and rigger qualified that have the same combat patch.

I did some research online and found info about this unit but can find them again for now.

 

Note that later in the war this combination of USARV and airborne tab was used for the SMAG.

 

Use of unauthorized Airborne tabs was much more tolerated back in the RVN era then it is today.

[firefighter]

John Metzger picture with the 1st Log Com with Airborne tab is a first for me. I can't remember having seen one before this thread.

 

 

I have to agree.I have never seen that combo either.I'm really digging the helmet.

Very cool picture.

[WWII_GI]

Was told to post this here. My jacket.

[VolunteerArmoury]

Here a re a couple of shots of Company D (Ranger) 151st of the Indiana National Guard returning home in 1969 after its tour in Vietnam.

 

The first picture shows the wearing of a subdued II Field Force, Vietnam SSI with an Airborne tab and Long Range Patrol scroll as his combat patch.

 

In the second picture In the first picture, the soldier on the right is wearing a full color Vietnamese made company scroll. The guy in the center is wearing a subdued II Field Force, Vietnam SSI with an Airborne tab and Long Range Patrol scroll as his combat patch.

 

The third picture shows a full color II Field Force, Vietnam SSI with an Airborne tab and Long Range Patrol scroll as a combat patch.

 

The fourth picture also shows the wear of the subdued IIFFV SSI/Airborne tab/scroll combo as a combat patch.

 

The fifth picture shows a member of the same unit wearing a generic Ranger Infantry Company scroll as a combat patch.

 

Am I seeing correct that a couple of those field jackets have insignia but no name tapes?

[patches]

Was told to post this here. My jacket.

 

 

A Ports of Embarkation shoulder patch being worn as a combat patch or more correctly a Former Wartime Service, FWS, patch, now that's uncommon, I don't think the unit had elements overseas and was strictly a stateside command, Thank's for adding this.

[WWII_GI]

I got the jacket from a flea market it was in a normal WWII footlocker but there was also a wool shirt and a f-3 flight suit. All for 50.

[patches]

Lets see how this works, a friend took a digital photo of this one and more.

 

A rather uncommon for the date this was taken, the late spring, early summer of 1964, a 30th Division WWII combat patch worn by either a Major or a Lieutenant Colonel.

 

[patches]

This is Lieutenant Colonel Herald B Gallinger, CO of the 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron 9th Cavalry, 24th Infantry Division West Germany 1959, we see an obsure patch worn by Gallinger, after study, the only one I can find that matches this is the 115th Cavalry, in WWII the 115th Cavalry Wyoming National Guard was broken up, the only redesignated element to see action was the 115th Cavalry Group ( mecz) the other redesignated elements the 115th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron and the 126th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons seen no overseas service, So what were seeing is a 1950s pocket patch for the 115th Cavalry being worn by Gallinger as a combat patch, Gallinger most assuredly serving as a staff officer with the 115th Cav Gp during WWII, he appears to have Korean War service ribbons as well as more overseas bars than would of been allowed for service in WWII as the 115th Cav Gp was only in the ETO from January 1945 to October 1945, so another case of a soldier prefering his WWII unit as a combat patch rather then the one he was in during the Korean War.

 

 

The pocket patch of the 115th Cavalry.

 

[patches]

Here are three examples of the 1st Logistical Command patch worn as a combat patch, they as we see are all In Country worn.

 

 

 

 

I actually found this by accident while looking for an Image of the 1st Type 1st Service Command patch that I just posted a few minutes ago. These three examples are actually from the Forum and were found in this old Topic.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24458-vn-1st-log-command-uniform-group/

[firefighter]

Nice 2nd pattern field jackets.

[hink441]

Here is one you don't see often, a 29th combat patch from Afghanistan. This one was worn by an old High School buddy in 2005 in the Zabul province in Afghanistan. These guys were the first combat 29ners since WW II.

 

[patches]

The Philippine Division being worn by a Lietenant Colonel, sure wish the officer in the photo was mentioned, he was not, taken from the Army Info Digest of October 1963. Again a so so image, I apologize, I am at a great disadvantage and have to rely on others to either scan or in this case digtally photograph these, as they are doing it as a favor and it is an impostion, their heart is not in like if I were to do it, I of course would do it over and over again till I was satisfied with the way it looked.

 

[Baron3-6]

 

"Lafayette Pool (right) is greeted at a special ceremony at Ft. Knox, KY, on Sept. 19, 1949 upon his rejoining the 3rd Armored Division and, at the same time, becoming a faculty member of the Army Armor School. Doing the honors is Maj. Gen. Roderick R. Allen, Division Commander during 1948-50. Pool had returned to active duty in July, 1948 with an assignment in South Carolina following his medical discharge in June, 1946 from the war injuries."

 

That appears to be a "FRANCE" shoulder patch being worn by Pool on his sleeve....any one ever seen that before?

[patches]

The Labrador-North East Command worn by a AF transport crewman during the Berlin Airlift.

Photo from earlier posting credited to Proud Kraut.

 

And the South Atlantic Forces.

Photo from earlier posting credited to Teamski.