82nd and 187th Airborne Patches

[Brady556]

Are both of these patches reproductions?

[ocsfollowme]

Neither are from the 1940-1950 range

[Bill Scott]

Any time you see that pig tail on a patch it is post 1968 and as Vance ocsfollowme said the 187th is much later.

 

[Wake1941]

187th looks like a repro with synthetic base material 

[patches]

Does the Paraglider cap patch have a plastic coating on the back?

 

[Brady556]

Yes. 

[patches]

41 minutes ago, Brady556 said:

Yes. 

Plastic coated patches like this are thought to have only come out like this from manufacturers in the late 80s, this type of patch which was worn by Paratroopers on their garrison caps, but that stopped in 1981-82 when the Maroon Berets were reintroduced, however in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) they wore this patch on their garrison caps, so we gather it was made to be worn by these guys in the 101 in the late 80s into the 2000s (Up till the time the Army stats to wear the Back Berets Army Wide).

[patches]

7 hours ago, Wake1941 said:

187th looks like a repro with synthetic base material 

Weren't some of these made with the poly bobbins in the mid 60s? I got a Vietnam era Class A coat with one of these as a combat patch, so I guess vets could wear it as an alternative to the official type, seeing this light blue version was worn during the Korean War.

 

[Allan H.]

10 hours ago, patches said:

Plastic coated patches like this are thought to have only come out like this from manufacturers in the late 80s, this type of patch which was worn by Paratroopers on their garrison caps, but that stopped in 1981-82 when the Maroon Berets were reintroduced, however in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) they wore this patch on their garrison caps, so we gather it was made to be worn by these guys in the 101 in the late 80s into the 2000s (Up till the time the Army stats to wear the Back Berets Army Wide).

 

Even though the 82nd was wearing maroon berets in the 1980's, the garrison cap was still issued and the paraglider cap patch applied. I know I got one in 1985 when I went into 2/505. I am positive that I never actually wore the cap though.

 

Allan

[patches]

2 hours ago, Allan H. said:

 

Even though the 82nd was wearing maroon berets in the 1980's, the garrison cap was still issued and the paraglider cap patch applied. I know I got one in 1985 when I went into 2/505. I am positive that I never actually wore the cap though.

 

Allan

Is that so,thanks Allan. I wonder why that was done, maybe they were afraid the Army would change their minds again and rescind the berets LOL. On the 101, I had met this kid in my neighborhood when I started hanging out at local bars when I got out in 1983, he joined up a little later in October 84 for 4,11B,  in 87 he was home on leave and was at that time in the 101, and the few times he was in Class As I noticed they, the 101 was still wearing the Garrison Cap with Paraglider cap patch, I guess they were the only unit still wearing that right, would there of been other units? Maybe the Cadre at those two Air Assault Schools the Army opened up in the summer of 1982 at Fort Richardson Alaska and Schofield Barracks Hawaii might of worn the cap and cap patch when in dress too???

[Allan H.]

I know when I left the 82nd, the cap patch was not authorized and I was going to remove it and keep my cap for wear with the EM Class A uniform. I was told that the circular patch would leave a ghost, and to just "buy a new one." Even in 1985, the cap patch on my cap was cut edge.

 

Allan

[Unicorn]

The 101st was wearing the paraglider cap badge until the Army went to black berets for everyone. 
 

[917601]

On July 29, 2020 at 8:13 AM, Allan H. said:

 

Even though the 82nd was wearing maroon berets in the 1980's, the garrison cap was still issued and the paraglider cap patch applied. I know I got one in 1985 when I went into 2/505. I am positive that I never actually wore the cap though.

 

Allan

Allan, I was with the 82nd 1977-80, we had the cap and beret. I have a pic of me in 1977 during inspection wearing the garrison cap, then other pics 78-80 wearing the beret. I do remember I had to buy my own beret from the PX.

[patches]

5 hours ago, 917601 said:

Allan, I was with the 82nd 1977-80, we had the cap and beret. I have a pic of me in 1977 during inspection wearing the garrison cap, then other pics 78-80 wearing the beret. I do remember I had to buy my own beret from the PX.

I got up there to Fort Wainwright AK in July 1981, A Co 4/9th Inf, and although the maroon beret had been officially re-instated a few months earlier they still where not authorized in Alaska. In fact I did see a Maroon Beret being worn at my previous duty station at Fort Hood, I was in the Cav, it was an Officer sitting in his POV as he drove by me, he was going slow enough for me to see he was wearing the new Maroon Beret, this being in say early May 81, I gather he was a Pathfinder in the 6th Air Cavalry Brigade, also located at Hood.

 

I don't know the reason for this. but you would see them both in our Charlie Airborne and the Arty paratroopers wearing the the oval with the silver jump wing's with rank subdued on their soft cap's in the old familiar way, indeed the two pay day's, August and September, when we wore our class As they still were wearing the garrison cap with the gilder parachute patch . I remember consistently hearing them bitch about it, why they couldn't wear them yet. if i can recall they finally got the a-okay in early September 1981, shorty after September 1st. I gather the same situation applied down at Richardson with the 4/23 and the 1/60 acolleagues in their C Co's (Abn)

[Grunt1SG]

Both LRS units I served in the early and mid 90's it was still a requirement to have the paraglider patch sewn on the garrison cap for inspection purposes. We never wore them.

 

I wore the garrison cap with the patch while on recruiting duty in the late 90's.

[patches]

12 hours ago, Grunt1SG said:

Both LRS units I served in the early and mid 90's it was still a requirement to have the paraglider patch sewn on the garrison cap for inspection purposes. We never wore them.

 

I wore the garrison cap with the patch while on recruiting duty in the late 90's.

When I was back home, as Recruiter Aide after Basic/AIT April 1980, I was on the job for around two weeks, the station received a new Recruiting Sergeant, an E-6 173rd Abn Bde 11B Viet Vet, 1966-67 (last name Dozier), he wore the cap with the Paraglider patch, he was previously with the 82nd, it's possible he wore this even at the Recruiting Sergeants School. In any event, the station commander, a E-7 25th Div 11B Viet Vet, never took issue with it, and make him either remove the cap patch and wear the Recruiting Command's Unit Crest,, or get a new Garrison Cap at clothing sales to wear the Recruiting Command's Unit Crest, here I gather it was good promotional stuff, you know Go AIRBORNE and stuff like that .

[patches]

The wearing of the Paraglider Cap Patch appeared to be quite common with Jump Qualified Recruiters, this a recollection of another former Recruiting Sergeant, I gather in the late 70s, Forum member 468abnarm.

 

468abnarm.

Posted July 8, 2016

Yeah, I did the "Home Town Recruiter" thing for 2 months back in the pre-beret days. The 4 assigned and myself were all assigned to Airborne units at one time or another and we all wore our "Abn" overseas caps, again with no DUI. And it was a "promotional thing". Repeated that duty 2 years later (now beret in place) and was instructed by the Station NCOIC to wear beret to work while the other former Para's wore the patched cap, Again strictly "show"