Jump to content

Interesting BDU Coat - Wolfhounds


MPage
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've had this coat for a few years; it's interesting because the branch insignia is for the 27th Infantry but the SSI is the South Dakota National Guard. When I asked the veteran in question about this, he simply stated "once a Wolfhound, always a Wolfhound". As I understand it, this type of thing used to be allowed, but I can't recall if as just locally authorized, or what.

 

post-257-0-91569200-1517981542_thumb.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could it be that he was Regular Army first. And then joined the National Guard?

 

Given the EIB, Pathfinder and Ranger Tab I'm guessing this officer knew his stuff and may well have just swapped his regular SSI for the National Guard SSI on his BDU.

 

I'm also guessing there wouldn't have been many people who would pull the Major up for this collar branch insignia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could it be that he was Regular Army first. And then joined the National Guard?

 

Given the EIB, Pathfinder and Ranger Tab I'm guessing this officer knew his stuff and may well have just swapped his regular SSI for the National Guard SSI on his BDU.

 

I'm also guessing there wouldn't have been many people who would pull the Major up for this collar branch insignia.

 

Yes he had been in the 27th in Hawaii and evidently officers used to be allowed to do this - i.e., wear regimental insignia from a prior assignment. I think there was a thread on it somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of stuff is "tolerated" in the Guard that isn't 100% "authorized" Army wide. For example I knew of guys who would wear foreign jump wings on their BDUs even though the practice was prohibited in the late 1980's.

 

As long as we were at our armory or conducting training in the field we were fine. But if we had to do, for example, an Annual Training at an active-duty post the NCOs would remind everyone that they could not wear their "non-reg" uniforms in garrison.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another example of "non-reg but tolerated" uniforms: When I was in 5/19th SFG in 1983 - 84, the Battalion S-3 was a captain who had been an enlisted Marine in Vietnam. At the time we were all wearing the early issue BDUs, which had just come out in 1981 and had been issued to the National Guard starting in 1982.

 

This captain would normally come to drill in his Vietnam-era ERDL camo slant-pocket jungle fatigues, with a 3rd Marine Division patch on his right sleeve. Now, both the ERDL camo and the USMC Combat patch were "unauthorized" but he wore them anyway and as far as I know, nobody ever told him not to.

 

But when we went to Annual Training at Fort Wainwright in Alaska, he was in BDUs with no right sleeve patch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the late 1980s, officers had to choose a regimental affiliation. On your class A's, this was shown by wearing the DUI of the regiment above your right hand pocket. IIRC, you were authorized to wear the collar insignia with your regimental affiliation on your BDUs. Someone more familiar with 670-1 can probably provide a correct answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What brings you to the conclusion that the FWTS is from Bosnia? I've done some research (five minutes googling) and I'm not convinced that FWTS patches were authorised for service in Bosnia.

 

I'm happy to stand corrected on this matter. The Persian Gulf War would seem more likely for the wearing of the 1st AD patch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What brings you to the conclusion that the FWTS is from Bosnia? I've done some research (five minutes googling) and I'm not convinced that FWTS patches were authorised for service in Bosnia.

 

I'm happy to stand corrected on this matter. The Persian Gulf War would seem more likely for the wearing of the 1st AD patch.

 

An article stated that the veteran joined the NG, and later on active duty from May 92 to June 99. During that time, he served with the 25th Infantry Division as well as the 1st Armored Division. During his service with the 1st AD, he completed a tour in Bosnia in 1997. Later in Iraq he was with an engineer battalion but I don't think it was with the 1st AD. I also saw a recent photo of him (as colonel) and he didn't have Desert Storm ribbons.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What brings you to the conclusion that the FWTS is from Bosnia? I've done some research (five minutes googling) and I'm not convinced that FWTS patches were authorised for service in Bosnia.

 

I'm happy to stand corrected on this matter. The Persian Gulf War would seem more likely for the wearing of the 1st AD patch.

 

FWTS SSI was never authorized for Bosnia. If you can find an online version of AR-670-1 it lists every conflict for which a FWTS -SSI is authorized and no missions in the Balkans were ever authorized a combat patch to include Kosovo.

 

If he wasn't in DS then that patch is for Iraq. 1AD was in Iraq for about 15 months, getting caught up in the 2004 "surge." Some units had redeployed back to Germany and were put back on a plane and sent back to Iraq.

 

1AD had an engineer battalion, IIRC it was the 16th Engineers. Even if the Major was not in that unit he might have been under a unit that was under 1AD authority and per the FWTS-SSI rules at that time, he would have worn the 1AD patch.

 

The uniform with the flag patch underneath the FWTS-SSI marks it as ~ 2003 - 2004. It wasn't until Mid-late 2003 that the flag was made a permanent part of the BDU uniform.

 

I believe starting in 2005 they placed the flag above the FTWS-SSI. Prior to 2003 the flag was only worn "in theater" and was removed upon return to CONUS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also note that for an infantry officer he has an EIB but not a CIB which means he did not serve in an infantry billet in combat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...