Specialist rank on Army Ike jacket

[Bob Hudson]

This was at the thrift store today: an OD Ike jacket with 1946 pattern wool field trousers dated 1950. It has, as you can see, Specialist 3rd Class rank, which came out in, what, 1955? I had never before seen Specialist insignia on anything other than Army greens, which came out in 1956.

 

 

 

[Wailuna]

...I had never before seen Specialist insignia on anything other than Army greens...

Yes, this transition occurred in 1955/56: The 2-inch wide gold on green specialist chevron was introduced in 1955 and was worn on the OD Ike jacket, whereas PFC and NCO chevrons continued to be 3-inches wide with either OD stripes on dark blue or the new gold on green color scheme. The Army Green uniform came on-line September 1956, with a wear-out date of September 1961 for OD uniforms, with only the gold and green chevrons on the Army Green uniform (source: Emerson, Encyclopedia of U. S. Army Insignia and Uniforms and Emerson:, Chevrons.) Note: See Emerson, Chevrons, p. 199 for a picture of a West Point Band specialist first class wearing the OD Ike ca. 1957.

[Bob Hudson]

Yes, this transition occurred in 1955/56: The 2-inch wide gold on green specialist chevron was introduced in 1955 and was worn on the OD Ike jacket, whereas PFC and NCO chevrons continued to be 3-inches wide with either OD stripes on dark blue or the new gold on green color scheme. The Army Green uniform came on-line September 1956, with a wear-out date of September 1961 for OD uniforms, with only the gold and green chevrons on the Army Green uniform (source: Emerson, Encyclopedia of U. S. Army Insignia and Uniforms and Emerson:, Chevrons.) Note: See Emerson, Chevrons, p. 199 for a picture of a West Point Band specialist first class wearing the OD Ike ca. 1957.

 

 

Thanks for that info. Transitional items are always interesting. When I first saw this hanging on the rack, it just did not compute.

 

I assume this guy finished up his service with the Eighth Army Signal Corps in Korea.