Jump to content

Patches In Action, Part 2: Images Of SSI Used Other Than On Uniforms


seanmc1114
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hope this cake counts. Members of the 7th Army chorus (probably) and two NCOs of Artillerielehrregiment during a "Friendship Week" gala. Picture taken in Idar-Oberstein in 1968. Yum yum...

attachicon.gifBH3.jpg

 

Your damn straight it does :D

 

A very unique addition, thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your damn straight it does :D

 

A very unique addition, thanks.

 

Okay, one more... Sugar made patches, seem to be very popular during those days (bottom of the second pic). Pictures taken in Nahbollenbach Depot 1968.

 

BH2a.jpg

 

P.S.: I LOVE THOSE CHROMED HELMETS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sign for the Americal Division Replacement Detachment in Vietnam showing the patches of the Americal as well as the 11th, 196th and 198th Light Infantry Brigades.

post-1761-0-48285900-1416088321.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Attu Island, late or just post war. I don't know if you can read it, but the movie showing is Ernie Pyle's "story of GI Joe":

post-2011-0-80263800-1419655445.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

post-34986-0-30101300-1420429314.jpg

 

16th Corps Japan circa 1952-53. (Don't know what the XXX symbolizes on the sign BTW)

 

XVI Corps was activated as we remember, and sent to Japan as a Tactical Command, it controlled intially the 40th and 45th Infantry Divisions, and then the 1st Cavalry Division and 24th Infantry Division when the former replaced the latter in Combat over in Korea. I also now gather the 187th RCT when it was pulled out of Korean was under XVI Corps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Well, it's on an uniform...um...kind of...but where else to post?

 

Scan of a newspaper article dealing with some partnership event in celebration of a 3rd InfDiv's Honest John Rocket Battalion anniversary in 1966. Mentioned is "The Mighty Ninth" (I assume 1st Bn, 9th Field Arty). Depicted are a German and a (very young) U.S. trooper :D

rakart2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

attachicon.gifXVI Corps Japan.jpg

 

16th Corps Japan circa 1952-53. (Don't know what the XXX symbolizes on the sign BTW)

 

XVI Corps was activated as we remember, and sent to Japan as a Tactical Command, it controlled intially the 40th and 45th Infantry Divisions, and then the 1st Cavalry Division and 24th Infantry Division when the former replaced the latter in Combat over in Korea. I also now gather the 187th RCT when it was pulled out of Korean was under XVI Corps.

Found out what XXX on the sign means, it's the Tactical Symbol for a Corps. Used in the context of the sign, probably just another way of saying Corps, as in XVI XXX, XXX being sub-ed for the writtten word.

 

post-34986-0-77661500-1421357726.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A exceptionally rare appearance of the 6th Infantry Division shoulder patch for the Vietnam Era as seen on this Fort Campbell KY post card, circa late 1967-mid 1968.

post-34986-0-57606000-1421551724.jpg

 

Try as one might, one is hard pressed not only to find images of the 6th Infantry Div during this time, but also hard info, whether in books or online.

 

We know from Stanton's Order of Battle Vietnam, which gives it's full Order of Battle, that the old Sight Seeing 6th was reactivated with elements at Fort Campbell Kentucky November 1967 (no doubt occupying the barracks of the 101st Abn Div, now in full over in Vietnam), and at Schofield Barracks Hawaii (no doubt occupying the barracks of the 25th Inf Div, and the later Schofield based 11th Inf Bde (sep), both now in Vietnam.

 

What little info we can find online is that the 11th Inf Bde (sep) confusingly was going to be a Brigade of the 6th Inf Div, since both the Brigade Shoulder Patch and the Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia for Non Color Bearing Units were approved in July 1966, this has to be some time in the summer of 1966, not really sure how accurate that info is, we have always been under the assumption the 11th Inf Bde (sep) was activated as a separate brigade in the summer of 1966 to simply provide some kind of a Army combat presence in the islands after the departure of the 25th Inf Div to Vietnam.

 

11th Inf Bde (sep) goes to Vietnam, around mid December 1967, around the same time a Brigade of the 6th Inf Div arrives, no brigade number is ever seen, like was it the 6th Div's 1st Bde, or it's 2nd or 3rd? can't seem to find that out.

 

Then there's this from the Wiki on the 6th Inf Div.

 

I quote:

In the American build-up during the Vietnam War the division was activated in 1967 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and later a forward brigade was located in Hawaii. There was sentiment against sending the division to Vietnam because its shoulder sleeve insignia invited a derisive nickname ("Commie Jew Division") that General Westmoreland, cognizant of troop morale problems, considered too offensive, and the decision was made instead to form the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division), with less offensive insignia, in Vietnam itself. During June 1968 the US Joint Chiefs of Staff also declared the 6th Infantry Division unsuitable for combatant deployment because it flunked its readiness report, and shortly thereafter the division was terminated on 25 July 1968.

 

Again, not sure how accurate that is either, Commie Jew Division? Westmoreland didn't want the 6th Div over in Nam because of it? The Americal reactivated instead? As to the Americal, we've always understood it was reactivated specifically in I Corps to replace the Ad Hoc Divisional sized unit Task Force Oregon, and was picked because of it's WWII wartime connections with the Marine Corps in the Solomon Islands, at Guadalcanal and Bouganville, where in I Corps, it's 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions operated, not because of Westy's fear of a 'derisive nickname".

Can anyone add more? If so please do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

post-34986-0-33165600-1423590923.jpg

 

A sign for the Phu Lam Signal Battalion (Provisional) circa 1969, seen is the painted color shoulder sleeve insignia for the 1st Signal Brigade, and the Communications Command, in between which is a subdued insignia that's hard to see, thus unknown, I gather it's this units In Country adopted pocket patch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

doinworkinvans

I will add just a couple random ones....

 

First is the ATC insignia, 2nd is 8th command in England, 3rd is 449th Air Service Grp

ATC.jpg

8th air force headquarters England 1944.jpg

449th Air serv Grp - A2 patch.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will add just a couple random ones....

 

First is the ATC insignia, 2nd is 8th command in England, 3rd is 449th Air Service Grp

What is that second one from? looks like it's from the opening credits of a film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8th army air force

Yeah I know that :lol: I was wondering where the image is from/off, it looks like something one sees at a opening of a old film just before titles appear.

 

Like this example here.

post-34986-0-33324100-1423602027.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh right, right....duhhh

 

its the wall at 8th HQ in England '44

Thanks D. A mural then, wow it looks very Art Deco, very 20s 30s, like some I've seen on the walls of Rockefeller Center or in the Chrysler Building here in Manhattan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Aerial view of the airstrip at the 1st Cavalry Division's base camp at Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam - February 1969

post-1761-0-79742500-1428583247.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aerial view of the airstrip at the 1st Cavalry Division's base camp at Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam - February 1969

What do those tiny Yellow Cav like shields say, looks like VIP followed by a number underneath???

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...