trenchfoot Posted September 18, 2017 Share #1 Posted September 18, 2017 Got these nice bdu's at a flea market yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share #2 Posted September 18, 2017 First up is a cool combination of patches. Us Army Reserve Medical Command with career counselor patch. Next is a Major's BDU with stripped patches of the 173rd Airborne and the 11th airborne division. Since I know what patches were once there, should I find replacements to sew on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted September 18, 2017 A 1981 dated Lt Col BDU with white labels, and one named to a Cruder with an air assault patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warbird15 Posted September 19, 2017 Share #4 Posted September 19, 2017 Those are some great BDUs! I don't see a problem if you get replacement patches for the 173rd Airborne one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDU_Burger_Lover Posted September 19, 2017 Share #5 Posted September 19, 2017 Great finds! I agree that you should try to restore the Major's top to its former glory, especially in light of the fact that tops with CABs on them are rather hard to find. I also find it interesting that the SOCOM top dates back to 1981, yet the US Flag patch on it would seem to suggest that it was still being worn at some point after 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share #6 Posted September 20, 2017 Great finds! I agree that you should try to restore the Major's top to its former glory, especially in light of the fact that tops with CABs on them are rather hard to find. I also find it interesting that the SOCOM top dates back to 1981, yet the US Flag patch on it would seem to suggest that it was still being worn at some point after 2004. Thanks! Even though there's no name tape on the majors one, it has a written name inside. Now all I have to do is find those patches. The SOCOM bdu is super small, reminds me of some ww1 informs I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDU_Burger_Lover Posted September 20, 2017 Share #7 Posted September 20, 2017 Thanks! Even though there's no name tape on the majors one, it has a written name inside. Now all I have to do is find those patches. The SOCOM bdu is super small, reminds me of some ww1 informs I have. Any chance the place where you got them also has a patch bin of some sort? If they do you might be able to find some of the original patches in it - if they don't, those patches shouldn't be too hard to find somewhere else. You could also try to research the name and have a matching name tape made to do a complete restoration, I think it would be well worth the trouble! You're right, I hadn't noticed how close the pockets were to each other. The MP top looks huge in comparison! Are there any traces of what the original name on it might have been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share #8 Posted September 20, 2017 Sadly no, there wasn't any loose patches where I got them. The name written in the majors jacket is "Mcgunagle" and there is no name in the Lt Col uniform, but there is a laundry tag with some numbers on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted September 21, 2017 Share #9 Posted September 21, 2017 Next is a Major's BDU with stripped patches of the 173rd Airborne and the 11th airborne division. Since I know what patches were once there, should I find replacements to sew on? IMG_6728.JPG Uh, No. 11th Airborne Division was deactivated after WWII, then briefly reactivated before Vietnam as the 11th Air Assault Division and then became the 1st Cav Division. What patch is it that you think is the 11th Airborne? Could be the SETAF patch? They both have kind of a "shield" shape. Attached is the 11th ABN division patch An active duty Major during the late BDU era could not have been an 11th ABN division veteran as he would have been way too old. The 11th ABN division last saw combat in WWII in the Pacific Theater. During the Korean war a former element of the 11th ABN was reorganized as the 187th RCT. I believe the 187th is part of the 101st Airborne division today although I'm not 100% sure of that. But in any case, the 187th had it's own shoulder patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted September 21, 2017 Share #10 Posted September 21, 2017 Or do you mean maybe the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment? Also a shield-shaped patch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted September 21, 2017 Share #11 Posted September 21, 2017 Here is the SETAF patch. US Paratroopers in Italy wore this patch until the 173rd was reactivated in 2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted September 21, 2017 Share #12 Posted September 21, 2017 To sum up, there are a number of patches that could have been on that Majors uniform but it would have been impossible for him to have a legitimate 11th ABN div patch. The 11th ABN was not an active unit during the BDU period which means no left-sleeve (current unit) patch and the only way an 11th ABN div patch could have been worn on the right sleeve would have been if the Major was a WWII veteran. But he could not have been a WWII veteran. Even if he lied about his age and enlisted at 16 and served during the last year of the war, 1945, that would give him a 1929 birth date. A 1929 birth date would mean he'd have been 70 years old in 1999 and the presence of the CAB above the left pocket indicates service after 2001. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share #13 Posted September 21, 2017 Yeah, its probably the SETAF patch. Ill take a closer look when I get home, but I know it has an airborne tab over the shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewart Posted September 21, 2017 Share #14 Posted September 21, 2017 I would suggest not restoring BDU's for the reasons stated above. It is very hard to be 100% accurate in the restoration. Plus the added patches would devalue the piece as many BDU collectors get savvy about knowing if a patch 'belongs' to the coat or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDU_Burger_Lover Posted September 21, 2017 Share #15 Posted September 21, 2017 SETAF and 173rd Airborne Bde are often seen together so that's definitely a possibility. I've been doing some Googling and I might have found a possible match, sending you an article via PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share #16 Posted September 21, 2017 Although it's not, the patch has a very similar outline of the 11th airborne division, with a rounded top and a definite airborne patch above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted September 21, 2017 Share #17 Posted September 21, 2017 I believe the unit at Vicenza wore the SETAF patch with an airborne tab over the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDU_Burger_Lover Posted September 22, 2017 Share #18 Posted September 22, 2017 I believe the unit at Vicenza wore the SETAF patch with an airborne tab over the top. They sure did, at least at some point: Although it's not, the patch has a very similar outline of the 11th airborne division, with a rounded top and a definite airborne patch above. Possibly USACAPOC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchfoot Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share #19 Posted September 22, 2017 The shape of the USACAPOC patch matches perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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