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9th Infantry Division Jungle Jacket With Recondo Patch


seanmc1114
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seanmc1114

I ran across this interesting auction on e-Bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vietnam-Jungle-Shirt-Jacket-9th-Infantry-Div-w-Velvet-SGT-Rank-CIB-/281741268969?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41991697e9

 

I have never actually seen one of these patches before, but I believe it is the Recondo insignia worn to signify the 1st (Recondo) Brigade of the 9th Infantry Division as referenced on page 54 of Col. David Hackworth's book "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts".

 

Anyone seen one of these before?

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5Th SFG ran a recondo school for lrrps and recon guys from other units.

Final phase was live fire.

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But the macv SOG recondo school patch was different yeah? Had recondo written on it.

 

Might be from one of the conus run recondo schools that some of the ninth div went through.

 

I think you might be right about the recondo brigade connection but never seen that patch before.

 

looks like a nice in country made CIB

 

Did anyone win this?

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I knew I seen this 9th Division RECONDO arrow head before, more than once. Had to look through a few books I got on Vietnam, and try to think in which ones they where.

 

Found them, unfortunately no battalion is given.

 

post-34986-0-40451900-1436981512.jpg

 

In this one we see the Beer Can version on who must be a senior Noncom.

 

post-34986-0-21972300-1436981538.jpg

 

And here it looks like a variant, looks like this Lt Col has one, either cloth or metal that might say RECONDO across the arrow head right?, too bad no name is given for this officer, I would think he a Batt Co.

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Cool stuff.

 

63 Recon, yes the one from the MACV Recondo School is the one that says "RECONDO" on it. As SFMike said, it was run by 5th Grp in Nha Trang. SOG had a separate Reconnaissance Team Leader's course.

 

Patches, if you dig enough you'll find that Bn commander's name, it's been published. IIRC, he was later KIA.

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River Patrol

I think it says "First" across the arrowhead....I have a bush hat with one indirectly from the vet.

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Cool stuff.

 

63 Recon, yes the one from the MACV Recondo School is the one that says "RECONDO" on it. As SFMike said, it was run by 5th Grp in Nha Trang. SOG had a separate Reconnaissance Team Leader's course.

 

Patches, if you dig enough you'll find that Bn commander's name, it's been published. IIRC, he was later KIA.

Yes your right, he would be Lieutenant Colonel Donald B. Schroeder CO of the 2nd Battalion 39th Infantry, Killed in Action on February 13 1969 when his chopper was either shot up or shot down.

 

http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/SchroederDB01a.htm

 

Here's another photo of him, here we see that RECONDO arrow head again. And as River Patrol stated it would have FIRST on it.

 

post-34986-0-32106400-1436984921.jpgpost-34986-0-35630400-1436984907.gif

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nice work and great pics, so the "FIRST" scroll over the arrow would designate it as 1st Recondo Brigade.

 

Is the pin on beer can DI plain Recondo arrow head we see in the first pic just an earlier version of the insignia?

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Believe it or not that first pic is a full bird. He was a brigade commander getting in the mud with his troops.

I'm a bit surprised Longhorn, surely he is a Lt Col, he was the Bn CO of the 2/39th Inf, not the 1st BDE 9th Inf Div CO

 

post-34986-0-21972300-1436981538.jpgpost-34986-0-38262800-1437016731.jpg

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nice work and great pics, so the "FIRST" scroll over the arrow would designate it as 1st Recondo Brigade.

 

Is the pin on beer can DI plain Recondo arrow head we see in the first pic just an earlier version of the insignia?

It's a variant, here it's in metal rather than cloth, with it being coated with mud it's hard to tell of course if it was painted Black or left in say a brass/aluminium state. Also hard to tell if Col Schroeder's is metal or cloth.

 

Here is his DSC Citation.

 

http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=4531

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Patches,

 

I'm talking about the very first guy you thought was a senior noncom.

Ah ha, I got ya now. I thought you were talking about the first pic of Schroeder helping the wounded as opposed to the second one of him getting a DSC, I was gonna say Full Colonel????

 

Have you seen him before? Because the ranks not visible here. Name? Can't seem to fine a page on 9th Inf Div Brigade Commanders, added to the fact I ain't got no 9th Inf Div yearbooks from the Vietnam War period, got one from 1956 though, but that's no help here :lol:

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Working off Longhorn's tip, we know now the GI covered in mud is the 1st Bde 9th Inf Div CO.

 

He's John Geraci a Brooklyn N.Y. boy

 

Here's two more of him

 

post-34986-0-67970200-1437102421.jpg

 

This other view of the first photo in the boonies.

 

post-34986-0-74085800-1437102461.jpg

 

And this one of him in 1965 at Campbell with the Screaming Eagles.

 

Interestingly he was in WWII in the Marine Corps and seen action with them in the Pacific, I think he was a Ground Crewman in the 1st Marine Air Wing (1st MAW).

 

Here's his BIO, it a three pager.

http://www.currahee3-506.org/History/Col.%20J.P.%20Geraci%20-%20Part%20One.htm

 

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Apart from all of this, just what was the 1st Bde RECONDO arrow head? can't seem to find out. Was it a award for a brigade school? was it just a unit badge that at this certain time everybody wore?

 

We know the MACV RECONDO badge, but it also seems the 9th Inf Div as a whole ran a school too. Check out this photo of a 9th Inf LRRP in the Weapons Equipment Aircraft section of Stanton's Order of Battle Vietnam I scanned, you'll see the 9th Inf Div's RECONDO arrow head. Note he wears the 9th Inf Div Non Color Bearing Unit DI, this is apparentely before this LRRP unit was E Co 50th Inf, even though Stanton gives a July 1968 date for the photo.

 

 

post-34986-0-18151700-1437185569.jpg

 

Info about the 9th Inf Div pre 75th Rangers LRRPS is seen here, on the bottom of page.

 

http://www.9thdivisionlrrp.com/unitHistoryRick.html

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes your right, he would be Lieutenant Colonel Donald B. Schroeder CO of the 2nd Battalion 39th Infantry, Killed in Action on February 13 1969 when his chopper was either shot up or shot down.

 

http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/SchroederDB01a.htm

 

Here's another photo of him, here we see that RECONDO arrow head again. And as River Patrol stated it would have FIRST on it.

 

attachicon.gifSchroeder2_Donald_B_DOB_1928.jpgattachicon.gifVIETNAM 2-39 Infantry Battalion Arrowhead Pin.gif

You would think that since the 1st Brigade 9th Infantry Division was known as the RECONDO Brigade, the arrowhead with the word First on it would be for the 1st Brigade. However, according to this website, the arrowhead itself represents the 1st Brigade and LTC Hank Schroeder added the word First to represent his 2nd Battalion 39th Infantry which was the first battalion of the 1st Brigade.

 

http://www.gingerb.com/vietnam_fsb_dirk_schroeder.htm

Apart from all of this, just what was the 1st Bde RECONDO arrow head? can't seem to find out. Was it a award for a brigade school? was it just a unit badge that at this certain time everybody wore?

 

We know the MACV RECONDO badge, but it also seems the 9th Inf Div as a whole ran a school too. Check out this photo of a 9th Inf LRRP in the Weapons Equipment Aircraft section of Stanton's Order of Battle Vietnam I scanned, you'll see the 9th Inf Div's RECONDO arrow head. Note he wears the 9th Inf Div Non Color Bearing Unit DI, this is apparentely before this LRRP unit was E Co 50th Inf, even though Stanton gives a July 1968 date for the photo.

 

 

attachicon.giftscan0001.jpg

 

Info about the 9th Inf Div pre 75th Rangers LRRPS is seen here, on the bottom of page.

 

http://www.9thdivisionlrrp.com/unitHistoryRick.html

Here is a picture of 1st Brigade Commander Col. John Hayes wearing two different arrowhead badges including one which looks like it has the word First on it. It would make no sense for a brigade commander to be wearing a battalion badge. But notice he is also wearing a second arrowhead badge as well with no words on it. I can't tell whether either is pinned on or sewn on.

 

From everything I have read, this badge was simply a sort of ID badge to foster esprit de corps and had no connection with the MACV Recondo School.

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Here is a page from Col. David Hackworth's book "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts" where he discusses the origins of the Recondo Brigade and badge.

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  • 10 months later...
  • 9 months later...
  • 6 months later...

Not from Vietnam, but from the late 70s-early 80s (it's the poly blend type) of an unknown battalion of the 9th Div, SCOUTS OUT Arrowhead, clearly a locally approved and worn unit insignia. If it wasn't for the EIB sewn there we might be inclined to say this patch was for one of 19D Cav Scout unit of a Mech Inf Bn, though not sure which one of the 9th Div's battalions was mechanized back then as the 9th Div wasn't Mech. So it could be for a battalion RECON Platoon.

 

post-34986-0-20522500-1509763742_thumb.jpgpost-34986-0-03860500-1509763785_thumb.jpg

 

 

Shirt is up on the Bay if ones interested.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-vtg-1970s-Vietnam-War-US-Army-Fatigue-Shirt-Sateen-1975-With-Patch-Nice-/282716038198

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