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Real or Make believe? 82nd AB 18th AB Corps Recondo


hirsca
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IMG_4336.JPG.d105011ca5c3ce3a8527c574b349259f.JPGIMG_4338.JPG.b8f40f4fdc0feb49ed5b8bdbd8fea452.JPGWhen I fIMG_4339.JPG.ef1ef39892e67006ae18a17d97aa5761.JPGIMG_4340.JPG.b1c51b98aa353b2ec30ed0f50e60dd34.JPGIMG_4341.JPG.92d414ceb22f2d8afb02922578307200.JPGIMG_4337.JPG.0775880f01f62abf1ec21df0825cd583.JPGirst saw this, I thought it was made up for Halloween or something.  Canadian jump wings.  Recondo.  Jungle Expert.  82nd AB.  No name, no lables.  Relative said it belonged to their uncle, Orville Menese Keeton, paratrooper Gulf War Veteran.  My limited ability researching his name did not bring up anything.  All comments most welcome.  Thanks, AlIMG_4342.JPG.bd67cac2dde8f0a33756daa0bb5ea76c.JPG

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Thank you Wake1941.  Maybe if someone could help with finding if there is any military history to Mr. Orville Menese Keeton, we can tie all of these patches to a time frame.

 

Thanks again, Al

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Pre Gulf War uniform most likely. Looks to be a 1970s era Perma-Press OG 107 uniform, no tags could be private purchase.   
 

Patch combination is nothing to worry about, 82nd was under the 18th Airborne Corp at that time if memory serves me correct. Pocket patches are known school/skill pieces commonly found on uniforms, and soldiers have been allowed to wear foreign jump wings in the location of where the Canadian ones are. I have a USAF Col. Uniform with Canadian jump wings on it myself. 
 

By the Gulf War they were wearing BDUs as those began being fielded in 1982 or so. 

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Thank you ASMIC2971.  Excellent information.  How does a US paratrooper qualify for Canadian jump wings?  Cross training?  TDY/TAD?  Joint Op?

 

Still searching for info on him.

 

Many thanks again, Al

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Did the family provide any additional information on the vet? Keep getting a hit for a fella born in 1891 (Findagrave, Google, Ancestry). Obviously not his uniform. 

 

I then searched Facebook, and found this gentlemen. Assume this is him? No activity that I can see beyond 2015

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008656059575

 

 

Untitled.png

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Al,

 

In regards to the Foreign Jump wings. The US Army has an exchange program where US Paratroopers will train with foreign nations and vice versa. Host Nation's where we have Soldiers as well as NATO partnering Nations host joint exercises and offer the opportunity for our Soldiers to earn foreign jump wings, hence the Canadian wings on this Soldier's uniform. Other nations also offer this exchange program, Germany for example has a wonderful exchange program with their Fallschirmjagers (Paratroopers) and ours..

 

Leigh 

 

  

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12 hours ago, MasonK said:

Did the family provide any additional information on the vet? Keep getting a hit for a fella born in 1891 (Findagrave, Google, Ancestry). Obviously not his uniform. 

 

I then searched Facebook, and found this gentlemen. Assume this is him? No activity that I can see beyond 2015

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008656059575

 

 

Untitled.png

 

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Thanks MasonK.  Just saw your post.  All I got was the name and the shirt, no info on his military history.  With the unique name, this has to be him.

Thanks again, Al

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12 hours ago, Rakkasan187 said:

Al,

 

In regards to the Foreign Jump wings. The US Army has an exchange program where US Paratroopers will train with foreign nations and vice versa. Host Nation's where we have Soldiers as well as NATO partnering Nations host joint exercises and offer the opportunity for our Soldiers to earn foreign jump wings, hence the Canadian wings on this Soldier's uniform. Other nations also offer this exchange program, Germany for example has a wonderful exchange program with their Fallschirmjagers (Paratroopers) and ours..

 

Leigh 

 

  

Just saw your post Leigh, thanks for the info.  I'm getting good feelings now about the originality of the shirt.

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