seanmc1114 Posted July 7, 2015 Share #1 Posted July 7, 2015 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share #2 Posted July 7, 2015 Some closeups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted July 7, 2015 More closeups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFMike Posted July 7, 2015 Share #4 Posted July 7, 2015 5Th SFG ran a recondo school for lrrps and recon guys from other units. Final phase was live fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63 RECON Posted July 14, 2015 Share #5 Posted July 14, 2015 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 15, 2015 Share #6 Posted July 15, 2015 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. In this one we see the Beer Can version on who must be a senior Noncom. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longhorn92 Posted July 15, 2015 Share #7 Posted July 15, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River Patrol Posted July 15, 2015 Share #8 Posted July 15, 2015 I think it says "First" across the arrowhead....I have a bush hat with one indirectly from the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 15, 2015 Share #9 Posted July 15, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longhorn92 Posted July 15, 2015 Share #10 Posted July 15, 2015 Believe it or not that first pic is a full bird. He was a brigade commander getting in the mud with his troops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63 RECON Posted July 16, 2015 Share #11 Posted July 16, 2015 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 16, 2015 Share #12 Posted July 16, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 16, 2015 Share #13 Posted July 16, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longhorn92 Posted July 16, 2015 Share #14 Posted July 16, 2015 Patches, I'm talking about the very first guy you thought was a senior noncom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 16, 2015 Share #15 Posted July 16, 2015 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63 RECON Posted July 16, 2015 Share #16 Posted July 16, 2015 Found this page, does it help? http://www.gingerb.com/vietnam_fsb_moore.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 17, 2015 Share #17 Posted July 17, 2015 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 This other view of the first photo in the boonies. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63 RECON Posted July 17, 2015 Share #18 Posted July 17, 2015 Nice work patches, quite a bad rump mofo Has him listed as 1 bde CO from oct 68 - mar 69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted July 18, 2015 Share #19 Posted July 18, 2015 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. Info about the 9th Inf Div pre 75th Rangers LRRPS is seen here, on the bottom of page. http://www.9thdivisionlrrp.com/unitHistoryRick.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share #20 Posted August 4, 2015 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. Schroeder2_Donald_B_DOB_1928.jpgVIETNAM 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. tscan0001.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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanmc1114 Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share #21 Posted August 4, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wartimecollectables.com Posted June 17, 2016 Share #22 Posted June 17, 2016 FYI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted June 18, 2016 Share #23 Posted June 18, 2016 FYI Good info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted April 11, 2017 Share #24 Posted April 11, 2017 Scanned this one of Geraci in the early 60s at Leavenworth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted November 4, 2017 Share #25 Posted November 4, 2017 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. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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