101st Patches...No "Airborne"

[Will]

This patch package was a part of a small group that I recently found. The group is identified to a 1960's West Point graduate. As you can see, the 101st Division patches (there are two in the package) remain sealed within their original N.S. Meyer packaging. The card on which they are sealed bears a copyright date of 1966, meaning only that the patches post-date 1965. What struck me was the absence of the "Airborne" tabs with the patches. Does anyone know what the situation was here? Was Meyer just making a few extra cents by selling the tabs separately (you can see that the original purchaser of these patches was paying the princely sum of 83 cents for the two of them at the time). Could these have been intended for personnel in the Division who were not airborne qualified? (The officer who owned this package was an artillery officer, who presumably would have been airborne qualified). It just struck me as odd and I thought that I would share these 50 year old patches in their original packaging..

[Allan H.]

These patches are just as I would expect to see them at clothing sales. Even today, airborne tabs are sold separately from the SSI from all of the units that wear a tab. These patches have a merrowed edge, so I would say they date to around 1970 or later.

 

Allan

[Wake1941]

Correct me if Im wrong I think the 1960s was the end of the attached tab ?

[JerseyDevil117]

Good to know that clothing and sales has been sucking us dry for over 50 years.

[patches]

Don't let those mid 60s dates on any sealed Meyer cards fool you, it's now been established that that's the copyright date for the design of the package, like these dated 60s cards still were used well into the 70s.

[Will]

Don't let those mid 60s dates on any sealed Meyer cards fool you, it's now been established that that's the copyright date for the design of the package, like these dated 60s cards still were used well into the 70s.

 

Yes, that is why in my original post I wrote:

"The card on which they are sealed bears a copyright date of 1966, meaning only that the patches post-date 1965."

Copyrights on any item last for years. If a copyrighted design is not changed, then the copyright date merely indicates the date on which the design was produced, not the date on which the item was produced.

[gwb123]

Correct me if I am wrong, but when the 101st was first designated "Airmobile", wasn't there a short time when the Airborne tab was not worn?

 

I think it was later restored as a historic legacy issue, but I'd swear that happened.

[patches]

 

Yes, that is why in my original post I wrote:

"The card on which they are sealed bears a copyright date of 1966, meaning only that the patches post-date 1965."

Copyrights on any item last for years. If a copyrighted design is not changed, then the copyright date merely indicates the date on which the design was produced, not the date on which the item was produced.

Yes indeed, seen post 1975-76 subdued Army Officer Branch and or Officer and or EM Ranks cloth pairs made on that poly blend ribbed twill cloth (as opposed to late-sh 60s ones on OD Cotton Sateen), sealed in/on those 1966 cards from Meyer, one even had some kind of PX control inventory tag, like a price tag, with a 1980 date on it.

[patches]

Correct me if I am wrong, but when the 101st was first designated "Airmobile", wasn't there a short time when the Airborne tab was not worn?

 

I think it was later restored as a historic legacy issue, but I'd swear that happened.

Are you talking about when they were at Cambell right after they formed u again in 1972?

 

The division though wore no tab when it was a training division in the late 40s to the mid 50s.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/194396-wear-of-airborne-ssi-as-combat-patches-without-airborne-tab/

 

 

[gwb123]

Yes, I am talking about the 1970's.

[patches]

Yes, I am talking about the 1970's.

I don't think so, you will note that the division was taken off jump status as early as 1968 in Vietnam, it was filled eventually with mostly non jump qualified EMs, and in due course was redesignated first very briefly as an Air Cavarly Division, then a Airmobile Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), even then they still wore the tab as we know.

 

An example, the 101 Band in May 1971 over there.

 

[patches]

And one more example, this time at Campbell circa 1975.

 

[patches]

And two more photos, GI's of the 1st Battalion 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) in late January 1972 arriving home as a unit at Oakland Army Terminal. Low quarters, no Para Glider badges, but DIs on caps, not one jump qualified one in these photos at least, and the AIRBORNE tab is worn as we see.

 

To have it officially rescinded it's wear I believe back in 1968 would of adversely effected moral and the esprit of the division, and as the 101 was engaged in continuous hard fighting then, they wisely didn't mess with the tab.

 

[Will]

The whole "Airborne" to "Air Assault" and "Air Mobile" subject is interesting. This is from the Wikipedia entry for the "Air Assault Badge":

"According to the United States Army Institute of Heraldry, "The Air Assault Badge was approved by the Chief of Staff, Army, on 18 January 1978, for Army-wide wear by individuals who successfully completed Air Assault training after 1 April 1974. The badge had previously been approved as the Airmobile Badge authorized for local wear by the Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, effective 1 April 1974. The division had been reorganized from parachute to airmobile in mid-1968 in Vietnam and designated the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). The parenthetical designation changed to Air Assault on 4 October 1974 and the name of the badge was likewise changed....Maj. Jack R. Rickman is credited with the design of the Air Assault Badge when he was in 1971 on tour with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He thought little of the outcome of the design assignment, given to him by a division operations officer, which the Army adopted officially in January 1978. He was made aware of his part in the badge design years later when he recognized his design work seen in a published photograph. He never earned a badge himself."

[servpels]

My father was in the 101st in the early 1950's when they were a training division. He was stationed at Camp Breckinridge Kentucky.

[Boy Howdy]

Would a sterling silver, clutch back, Air Assault badge be a rarity?

[patches]

3 hours ago, Boy Howdy said:

Would a sterling silver, clutch back, Air Assault badge be a rarity?

Perhaps as they are seen as 1/20 Silver Filled, the manufactures basically stopped Sterling around 1967, to include the manufacturer of your Wing NS Meyer.

[Boy Howdy]

Thank you.

2 post before mine says the Air Assault badge was designed in 1971 and not worn until 1974.

Maybe the initial run was in sterling?

Now I'm really confused. 😁

And I though jump wings were tough to nail down.

[Allan H.]

Nice badge. I wouldn't call it rare, but desirable.

 

Allan

[patches]

14 hours ago, Boy Howdy said:

Thank you.

2 post before mine says the Air Assault badge was designed in 1971 and not worn until 1974.

Maybe the initial run was in sterling?

Now I'm really confused. 😁

And I though jump wings were tough to nail down.

Well you can see these posted are either 1/20 SF or are the late 70s-sh to more current made in non presious metal. So unsure when a Sterling made one was made considering they really stopped with the Sterling by the late 60s.

 

 

 

[patches]

 

[scottiques]

On 4/16/2019 at 2:23 AM, Crymetimes123 said:

Good to know that clothing and sales has been sucking us dry for over 50 years.

 

So did local sew shops. 

 

You were double charged to get the 101st patch sewn on-- one charge for the Eagle and a second charge for the "Airborne" tab!

 

It always annoyed me.

 

Scott