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Officer's AEF Service Coat. 82nd Div. Capt. W.B. Smith


hawk3370
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Can't remember if I had listed this years ago but if not here tis. I obtained this group about 25 years ago, Cpt Walter Bragg Smith started as an enlisted man in the Alabama NG. Obtained the rank of 1st Sgt while serving on the Mexican Border and then went to OCS and was assigned to the 82nd. His tunic has 327 Infantry collar insignia and a beautiful velvet and bullion 82nd patch along with sam brown belt and camo helmet, Mex border campaign medal and WW1 Vic with two bars. Also included in his group was his 1902 roll collar summer tunic and 1902 campaign hat.

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Great group- did he go to OCS in France or before going over? Is there some special significance to the Sgt. chevrons being blue? These senior NCO's must have made some great officers in combat, and their story has not yet been well told. From the one's I've seen, a lot of them went right back to their old units as officers!

Thanks for sharing such a beautiful group and the painted helmet is really cool- not separated from the rest as happens all too often!!

 

David

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Great group- did he go to OCS in France or before going over? Is there some special significance to the Sgt. chevrons being blue? These senior NCO's must have made some great officers in combat, and their story has not yet been well told. From the one's I've seen, a lot of them went right back to their old units as officers!

Thanks for sharing such a beautiful group and the painted helmet is really cool- not separated from the rest as happens all too often!!

 

David

 

David,

He went to OCS here in the states before being assigned to the 82nd. As for the blue Sgt chevrons, I believe he was a Sgt when the blue 1902 chevrons were still being worn. I have often wondered about them myself, I guess I need to do a little research to see when they actually went to the od stripes, I think it might have been around 1906 or 07.

 

Terry

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Terry,

Nice Pair. On the blue NCO Stripes I believe that they are based on branch of service in this case Infantry blue. I’ve seen similar in Red and Yellow over the years. Don’t remember if I read it somewhere or just a SWAG.

Thanks for posting.

John

 

Helmet is awesome as well. Do you have any more pictures of it?

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Terry,

Nice Pair. On the blue NCO Stripes I believe that they are based on branch of service in this case Infantry blue. I’ve seen similar in Red and Yellow over the years. Don’t remember if I read it somewhere or just a SWAG.

Thanks for posting.

John

 

Helmet is awesome as well. Do you have any more pictures of it?

 

John,

Here are a couple more pic of the helmet. Also a pic of the 1902 campaign hat that came with his enlisted tunic.

 

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Now that is a rare hat!! I remember faintly one of these that Jeff Shrader had on an AGM catalog years ago, and the star pattern of vents dates the hat to a rarer pre-WWI pattern. I'm sure some of the others on the Forum will know more of the specifics, but this hat worth a lot more than the regular campaign hat. Even greater group now!!

 

Thanks for sharing it!

David

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  • 5 years later...

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