Commercial DBDU worn in Desert Storm?

[SergeantMajorGray]

I'm thinking about picking up this commercial made jacket the code on the Tag is LDA404-86-8-8463 the coat is patched with all correct OD insignia 2nd AD combat patch and 81st infantry division current unit so the Officer was Army reserve not something faked IMO the seller has two issue woodland uniforms with 81st patches and I can see on one that this Soldier was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps that insignia isn't on the DBDU. I think this uniform is totally genuine maybe this nurse didn't get a DBDU deploying with a reserve unit and bought their own and as a officer was not bothered about it.

[Allan H.]

DBDUs were IMPOSSIBLE to get your hands on during the days of Desert Shield and almost as tough after the cease fire. Most of the units that came in from Germany just before the air war kicked off weren't even issued DBDU. Most soldiers who were issued uniforms got two of them. I recall one of my fellow officers got a copy of the "Cavalry Store" catalog which was offering DBDUs, so it is possible that the 81st ARCOM officer ordered one or two from them or another purveyor of this sort of thing.

 

Shortly after the ground war was over, "The Cavalry Store" sent out another catalog showing "coffee stain" DCU's and Night Camo field jackets. It was the first time I had ever seen coffee stains. When I left theater in June 1991, there were coffee stain boonie caps and DCU shirts in theater, but no trousers. The top brass forbade issue of the coffee stains until they could issue complete uniforms.

 

Allan

[MattS]

I agree, commercial DBDUs were bought stateside by guys getting deployed (some were even Rip-stop as seen below) and worn in Saudi. Very common practice. I asked the vet when and where he got this top, and his answer was, "91 and the DCUs as I stated I bought from a retail vendor - Brigade or similar - I really can't remember. It was too long ago. The summer-weight ripstop were not common - most of those that had the light-weight ripstop had bought them on their own (it was either that or show up in country with woodland BDUs)".

[cr420]

Unless it was part of a unit from Germany, the only 2AD troops in DS/DS were the Tiger Brigade (round out brigade) assigned to 1st Cav and then 2nd Marine Division, all active duty troops as I recall. Just don't remember any reserve components attached to the brigade

[Mercenary25]

Pass on it. It looks brand new and the name tape looks incorrect for this period.

[Allan H.]

Reserve and Guard forces filled most of the Combat Service Support roles in all of the divisions during Desert Shield/ Storm. ALL of the water purification and ALL of the fuel farms that were set up in theater belonged to Guard and Reserve forces. All of the ammo supply points and all of the GS/ DS Supply was run by Guard and Reserve.

 

Most of these forces were directed to wear the active component unit that they served under as their Former Wartime Unit (Combat) patch. Which is funny because the active components didn't like the Guard and Reserve soldiers wearing them as a left shoulder patch while they were in the sand.

 

Allan

[SergeantMajorGray]

The seller has two woodland uniforms from this Soldier one with just name and branco and the other has the rank and 81st arcomm patch. I highly doubt he'd fake a 6 color uniform to match and then not sell it as a group.

[Rakkasan187]

Unless it was part of a unit from Germany, the only 2AD troops in DS/DS were the Tiger Brigade (round out brigade) assigned to 1st Cav and then 2nd Marine Division, all active duty troops as I recall. Just don't remember any reserve components attached to the brigade

 

There was a detachment from the 281st Transportation Company that was with the 2nd Armored Division and the 2nd Marine Division. This was a bulk petroleum Army Reserve unit from Las Cruces, New Mexico. I joined the unit just after they returned from the Gulf and there were two Soldiers who chose to wear the 2nd Armored Division patch as their former wartime service patch and one Staff Sergeant wore a 1st Marine Division patch. Edwards and Perez were their names..

 

The unit was broken up and most of the platoon's were then detached as mentioned to various units and the company was not reunited altogether until after the cease fire and the unit started to get ready to redeploy.

 

Most of the other Soldiers in the unit wore either the 21st Support Command or the 22nd Support Brigade shoulder patches..

 

When OIF kicked off and the unit deployed again, upon returning, the former wartime patch was the 49th Quartermaster Group.

 

Leigh