Is it really that rare?

[ReverendJake]

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=360690982804

 

I put a small bid in on this because I rarely see the 1st Filipino infantry regiment. I know it's rare, but $129 for an unnamed tunic? Is it really worth that much or is it another crazy eBay price?

[ReverendJake]

I hope this is the right section. It's my latest find, I guess.

[John Conway]

Well, at least the lucky winning bidder got a "bone pin"!

[dave nh]

I have a few questions on this patch?

If some one is up on the history of it

Thank You

David

[svt40]

I was watching the same one but it got far beyond what I wanting to pay.

[Mr.Jerry]

I never saw one on a tunic before. The Philippine soldiers that fought in WW2 do have a following, and not much turns up.

that being said, I would have expected the patch to be sewn more "straight" up & down ( it's a volcano) but again I have not seen one on a tunic.

[Sabrejet]

I'd also expect it to be a small size jacket as the average Filipino is not that big compared with the average American...and given the climate, more likely to be found in khakis.

[ReverendJake]

Well, the unit was a unit of Philippine Americans and it has army ground forces as the current assignment, and (correct me if I'm wrong) the army ground forces patch was only worn stateside. But I agree with you that I would expect to see a smaller size.

[cutiger83]

Well, at least the lucky winning bidder got a "bone pin"!

 

 

 

What is the pin on the sleeve? I have never seen one of those.

 

...Kat

[ReverendJake]

What is the pin on the sleeve? I have never seen one of those.

 

...Kat

It's a piece of civilian jewelry.

[cutiger83]

It's a piece of civilian jewelry.

 

 

Thanks. I couldn't figure out what it was.....Kat

[ColBob506]

As to size, from the few pictures I have seen of the Regt. a number of it's men are the same size as their white officers, and some of the men also appear to be Caucasian.

Most enlistedmen who were not married, hand sewed their patches rather than pay a seamstress (That's a whole weekend pass worth of drinking there!) to do it! Not trying to say anything about the piece, just mentioning some truthful "It could happen" statements.

Sparrow

[BILL THE PATCH]

i thought they trained in the us, or some parts of the unit, hence the ground forces patch,

[FriscoHare]

The patch is for the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment.

Originally only a battalion, it was formed on March 4, 1942 (Activated Apr. 1) at Camp San Luis Obispo, CA. Because so many Filipinos signed up, it was upgraded to a regiment on July 13, 1942.

All Filipino U.S. Army units created in the U.S. were designated "Filipino"… Whereas, the Filipino U.S. Army units created in the Philippines were designated "Philippine Scouts."

The source of personnel for the 1st Fil. Inf. Regt. came from the following:

1) U.S.-based Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who volunteered for assignment to the unit.

2) A number of wounded Philippine Army and Philippine Scout soldiers who escaped the Battle of Bataan via the USS Mactan. They first were brought to Australia and many received further medical treatment in the U.S. Once they were well, they were assigned to the 1st Filipino Infantry.

(Source: http://www.militarymuseum.org/Filipino.html)

Because the unit was Stateside, wool Ike jackets and even wool shirts were commonly used when they were based in the U.S. and when they returned home to the U.S.

[FriscoHare]

For example, I did a quick search of 1st Fil. images, and found the following from the Anaheim Public Library.

The caption says, "Portrait of Anacieto Soriano, Sr. (at right) and unidentified friend wearing their 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment uniforms from World War II."

Both are wearing wool jackets. Sgt. Soriano has the Army Ground Forces patch on his left shoulder, much like the jacket from the eBay auction.

 

 

So to answer the question, "is it really that rare?" I, personally, haven't seen very many 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment uniforms.