Jump to content

36th division, Darwin D. Niles, my dad


Dan Niles
 Share

Recommended Posts

Robswashashore

Family history is the best. Thank you for sharing these and thank you for honoring your father.

 

Jean

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rakkasan187

This is a great tribute to your father.

 

Thank you very much for sharing these items with us..

 

Leigh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

respectingthesacrifice

That's great that all of this remained in the familly, far too often it is just lost. Interesting to see the places where he has ffought. As I grew up in the South of France, I know these places and am really thanksfull to people like your Dad for what they did.

 

Do you know why he was wearing a French badge on his jacket? I tought it was for French personnels only?

 

Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Timberwolf

What a great display of your dad's items. Interesting placement of the 7th Army patch on the cuff. Did you dad mention why this was done?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the kind remarks and fortunately my mom saved everything from dad's time in the service and all has been passed onto me.

 

I do not have a good answer to why he has the French SSI on his jacket. You are correct that it was for French personnel serving with the US. I know, from pictures, these were added to the jacket after he returned from overseas, as was the 7th army patch on the sleeve. He may have added it right at or shortly after he was discharged. What I can tell you is the only time he mentioned it, all he said was that he had served in France and pointed to the patch. I also know he served with and spoke quite often of serving with French troops while in France so this could have been something that was given him by one of them as I know it meant a lot to him. This is one of those examples of a uniform that appears to be embellished but has been this way since 1945 as mom originally moth balled it shortly after dad was discharged until I pulled it out and cased it a few years back for display. I know I wouldn't change a thing on it as this is the way he had it! It is a good example of soldiers not always wearing the proper insignia, I think that toward the end of the war and their service time there was certain liberties taken that certainly wouldn't fly in basic. If you will also note that the piping on dad's last garrison hat is medical unlike his previous hats that were infantry piped. He also wore his combat infantry badge on his pocket flap other than above his ribbon bar. Another oddity was he has one ribbon bar with two bronze battle stars as opposed to one. We all have to remember these were just kids and young men in the service and something's never change, as kids we all bent the rules from time to time.

 

Thanks,

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very outstanding grouping from the 36th and tribute to your father! My grandfather and his 2 brothers were also in K Company probably during the same time period in Gonzales, TX prior to deploying. Please see the attached photo with the K CO sign in the background.

 

I just happen to also be serving currently in the 36th and was really shocked to find out that the Museum and State Records office still has a lot of original documents dating back to WWII. I was able to obtain a large stack of copies and their staff was really friendly, it appears that you have a lot of original documents for you father but it may be worth checking it out.

 

V/R,

James

post-118190-0-74371000-1400777220.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

respectingthesacrifice

Thanks Dan for explanation, you are right we tend to forget that men, especially young soldiers, will always turn around any regulation and adapt it. That will also make the joy of many collectors!

Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Theorywolf

Wonderful to have a collection from your father! It would be the ultimate collection in my opinion. How much more meaningful could it get! Thanks for sharing!

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dan

 

I also saw the French and 7th Army patches.Very nice.

 

Wasnt uncommon for the boys to put a 3rd patch on the cuff.I have never heard how or when this practice was started but over the years I have seen a great many set up with a 3rd patch on the right cuff.Never heard of any of them being told not to wear the 3rd patch either.One patch commonly worn on the cuff is the Red Ball Express/MTC patch.You will also see the 1st Marine Division patch worn on the right cuff by the 23rd infantry as one group of men were attached/served with them.Examples have been posted on the forum.These uniforms often dont make sense to collectors but are a great study of what was done by the young veterans and often only have meaning or purpose known to these men.

 

I have a Force uniform and it came right out of the vets closet in 1978-79 and it looks like he had a run in with the Mad Hatter.If it was posted on line there would ne more negative comments than you could imagine.He wore it this way either home or later but not after the 1950s as he returned from Korea and had a different uniform.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dan

 

I also saw the French and 7th Army patches.Very nice.

 

Wasnt uncommon for the boys to put a 3rd patch on the cuff.I have never heard how or when this practice was started but over the years I have seen a great many set up with a 3rd patch on the right cuff.Never heard of any of them being told not to wear the 3rd patch either.One patch commonly worn on the cuff is the Red Ball Express/MTC patch.You will also see the 1st Marine Division patch worn on the right cuff by the 23rd infantry as one group of men were attached/served with them.Examples have been posted on the forum.These uniforms often dont make sense to collectors but are a great study of what was done by the young veterans and often only have meaning or purpose known to these men.

 

I have a Force uniform and it came right out of the vets closet in 1978-79 and it looks like he had a run in with the Mad Hatter.If it was posted on line there would ne more negative comments than you could imagine.He wore it this way either home or later but not after the 1950s as he returned from Korea and had a different uniform.

Glad to hear that and you are right on the variations you will see on these uniforms. I have thought that many times when we as collectors start analyzing certain uniforms. I know, as well as you do, if I had this up for sale folks would tear it apart for the additional insignia but it is the way dad had it and I would like to say it actually gives it a lot of character. He never said why he had it this way but my dad was one that wouldn't have done it unless there was true meaning there as he was a simple guy. A note about the uniform is the 7th and French patch were machine done, the 36th patch was hand sewn by my mom. She always complained about the job she done on it, really glad it was left this way as it is a constant reminder to me of the two of them living in that time period and the things they did to be together till dad was shipped overseas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to thank all of you for the kind comments on this thread. To the folks in France that have pm'd me and commented here I truly appreciate you remembering my dad and the 36th, he truly would have appreciated everyone's sincerity. I will add a couple of pics of dads grave-site this weekend and a better pic of his dog tags and medals.

 

James (James39) thank you for posting the pic of company K in Texas. I know dad did much of his training at Camp Howze in Texas along with Camp Claiborne in Louisiana. I once asked my dad what part of his service time he hated the most, his answer was the maneuvers in Louisiana!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BigDogMilitaria

Really great thread, one of the coolest I have ever seen on the forum to be honest. I think its great how you were able to keep it all together over the years and the displays are great. I like how you have the mannequin heads on stands like that too. It really classes them up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

bellasilva

Incredible grouping and tribute to your father. I may not have been the first to notice but his facial expression in the picture of the radio show after being wounded and returning home seems all too familiar, just plain weariness. Tragic that so many of these boys came home with the same expressions. Thank you for taking the time to show everything and I am sure we would all love to see any updates you may have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple more pics of dad, this one is just boys being boys in the barracks! It is actually one of my favorites!

 

post-10305-0-15037300-1400995360.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With some of his friends from the Third infantry division. Dad is the is one on the right in both pics.

 

 

post-10305-0-68089900-1400995601.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is one that you might find interesting as you don't see them often. This is a pass to the Camp Howze guest house of my mom's. She did a lot of different work (worked at the theater, cleaned houses, waitress, drug stores etc.) to be with my dad while he was stateside and formed some everlasting friendships with some of the officers wife. She was even able to go on base with his captains wife when dad was shipped to the east coast and on to Italy and then France!

 

 

post-10305-0-93188100-1400996814.jpg

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...