Korean War First Marine Tunic?

[CavalryCombatant]

Not really sure what this is.  Bought it on a whim because I liked the look of it, and it seems old enough.  My apologies about the pictures being bad, I intend to get better ones tomorrow if I can get time before the sun goes down.  Also, please note the shirt is not original to the jacket, I had it laying around and it looks nice for display.
 

With that out of the way, to the meat and potatoes.  My research shows this style of uniform dating, at newest, to the early 1960’s.   Inside it there is a little metal snap thing which reminds me of what is seen on the underside of Korean War Ike jackets’ pockets, making me think Korean War period.  I can’t find a date anywhere, (I looked in the pockets and in by the shoulders.)  The EGAs are present, and are screw back as seen in the pictures.  The belt was on it when I got it, so I’m assuming it’s original to the tunic.  There was also a fairly beaten up visor cap which I’ll get pictures of tomorrow if I can.  
 

I’m super nooby when it comes to marine uniforms, so I just took photos of what I think is important.  If I missed anything feel free to ask. 
 

If anyone would be able to help me find the date of this jacket it would be greatly appreciated. 

[Blacksmith]

Hello - nice Alpha tunic.  Check inside the shoulders for a date stamp, and a possible (hopefully) name / laundry stamp.

 

Looks like a WWII jacket to me.  Could use a better pic of the patch.

 

Thank you.

 

 

[huntssurplus]

They didn’t wear unit patches post-war so if the patch is original then would be a WW2 era uniform. The date is located in one of the sleeve of the jacket, and I would say you find a name about 70% of the time too. Nice find for sure though!

Hunt


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[CavalryCombatant]

You guys are getting me excited! 
 

looked in the shoulder, can’t find a date or any QM stamp but found a name. 

(And the picture I took when researching the division patch with much much better lighting.)

 

The name reads A W-a-l-l-g-r-e-n

 

Thanks for your time!

[Blacksmith]

This may be your Marine, Alric E. Wallgreen.

 

Footnote “C” records his transfer from I Co to HQ Co.

 

MOS “522” is in the Security family of jobs, and is listed as a “Guard”, and it appears he may have been guarding Court Martial prisoners.

 

[CavalryCombatant]

Holy smokes! I reckon that’s him.  
 

I see a date of 1947, so date would roughly line up I’d assume.

 

Thank you for finding that!

 

 

[huntssurplus]

Looks like he was an immediate post-war member of the 1st Marine Division. Blacksmith, did you find any mention of his name in any earlier musters? There was a large amount of marines transferred into the 1st Marine Division right after the wars conclusion as the WW2 veterans were transferred out. I find it very likely your guy was one of the these transfers. I have a very similar uniform to a member of the 1st Marine Division who served with them in 1946 with an enlistment date of 1944.

Another thing to mention is that my previous statement of the unit patches not being worn after WW2 was somewhat misleading as they were discontinued in the late 1940s, before Korea, but still worn a couple years after the end of the war. Thus making this uniform very likely to belong to the marine blacksmith found in the muster rolls.

Still a great find nonetheless, even if he didn’t fight on Guadalcanal or Peleliu!

Hunt


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[Blacksmith]

Hi Hunt - I hope you’re doing well.

 

Oddly, there is only one Muster Roll document for him; nothing at MCRD, etc.

 

For fun, here is his father’s WWI PA Service Comp card.

[huntssurplus]

Hi Hunt - I hope you’re doing well.
 
Oddly, there is only one Muster Roll document for him; nothing at MCRD, etc.
 
For fun, here is his father’s WWI PA Service Comp card.

Hey, I’m good! Hope you had a good Christmas!

As for not finding any other musters that’s interesting. I’ll see if I can look into a little more later myself to see if I can find anything on him. But I would say the most likely scenario is that he was a late or immediate post war enlistee who made it the 1st Marine Division for post-war duties.

Take care!
Hunt


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[CavalryCombatant]

Update: I was messing with the uniform a bit, and this one pocket didn’t lay quite flat.  Opened it up and found these patches of unknown era.  Obviously a first marine patch, although I don’t think it’s wartime, or even Korean War, and other patch I’ve never in my life seen before.  And cannot find online

 

 

Once again, thanks again for everyone’s input.

[Blacksmith]

The round patch looks like a Masonic Shriner piece.

[huntssurplus]

The round patch looks like a Masonic Shriner piece.

I looked it up and I would agree, looks the you have the latch upside down most likely. Probably wore the uniform post war while apart of the fraternity or joined while he was in the service.

Hunt


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[Blacksmith]

Alrighty, I owe you an apology.  Trying to do this on my phone was a mistake.  The single MR record was due to a typo in that record.  There are actually 13 other entries with the proper spelling of his last name, of “Wallgren”.

 

I figured something like that was afoot, as he just magically appeared in a line unit, with no training time evident.  

 

October of 1945 is his first appearance on Muster Rolls, as a member of the 3rd Recruit Depot at Parris Island.  What’s good about this, is that it gives us his MCSN of 586463.  

 

He then appears on USMC MRs until October of 1947, and then on a Navy MR in December of that year, aboard the Thomas Jefferson.

 

From his application for WWII Service Compensation - which was apparently disallowed - it looks like he was discharged on 12/24/47.  

 

[Blacksmith]

Here is his compensation request.  

[huntssurplus]

Thanks for the update Blacksmith! Looks like my theory was correct and he was a late WW2 enlistee. Again a nice uniform I would be happy with in my own collection! Don’t forget, elements of the 1st Marine Division did see light combat against communist Chinese forces during the Occupation of certain areas of China after the end of WW2. Also, many men who entered service around the same time would also go on to serve in the Korean War. So once again a nice find!

Hunt


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[Blacksmith]

I am pretty confident this is your Marine, due in large part to a fairly uncommon surname.  There is only one other Marine in the Muster Rolls - from 1798 to 1958 - with that last name, and he was in WWI (an Albian A. Wallgren).

 

Here is a photo and the obit text for Alric Wallgren, which reconciles the Masonic affiliation, and specifically the Shriner patch you found, as he was a member of LuLu Temple in Plymouth Meeting, PA, and Araba Temple in Ft. Myers after he retired.:

 

“Alric E. (Ted) Wallgren, 79, of Bonita Springs, FL passed away Sunday, July 22, 2007. Formerly of PA, Al had been a Bonita resident since 1991. Born October 15, 1927 in Folcroft, PA, he was the son Alric E. Wallgren Sr. and Ruth Lawson Wallgren. Al was a WWII veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He was a 50 year member of Masonic Lodge 578, Prospect Park, PA. He was an active member of LuLu Temple, Phila. Alric retired to FL after working 38 years for the Railroad in Phila. He, and his wife Charlotte, enjoyed many social and civic activities in Bonita. Al was also a member of Araba Temple, Fort Myers and the Bonita Shrine Club. He served on the Board of Directors of the Bonita Resort and Club. Al enjoyed serving the Lee County Sheriff's Dept. as a V.O.I.C.E. member for 15 years. Alric was a member of the committee for the Incorporation of the City of Bonita Springs. He is survived by his loving wife, Charlotte(Lutz) Wallgren; his daughters, Eileen(Charles W.)Despot of Hummelstown, PA and Dale(Mark L.)Prugar of Indianapolis, IN; grandsons, Brian and Andrew Despot and Brad and Zach Prugar; and many nieces and nephews. Burial at Sea will be held in the Gulf of Mexico at the convenience of the family.”

 

Buried at sea, rest in peace Marine.

[Blacksmith]

6 minutes ago, huntssurplus said:

Thanks for the update Blacksmith! Looks like my theory was correct and he was a late WW2 enlistee. Again a nice uniform I would be happy with in my own collection! Don’t forget, elements of the 1st Marine Division did see light combat against communist Chinese forces during the Occupation of certain areas of China after the end of WW2. Also, many men who entered service around the same time would also go on to serve in the Korean War. So once again a nice find!

Hunt


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Thanks my friend.  I had to come back to this one, as it just didn’t reconcile for me.

 

Being a fellow Mason, it was nice to represent his service there too.  Fifty years is quite an accomplishment.  

[huntssurplus]

Thanks my friend.  I had to come back to this one, as it just didn’t reconcile for me.
 
Being a fellow Mason, it was nice to represent his service there too.  Fifty years is quite an accomplishment.  

Definitely, seems like he dedicated a good portion of his life to serving his community. And again thanks for putting in the time to do the research. It’s not even my uniform, but I definitely enjoyed learning the history of this one.

Rest easy, Marine.

Take care,
Hunt


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[CavalryCombatant]

10 hours ago, Blacksmith said:

I am pretty confident this is your Marine, due in large part to a fairly uncommon surname.  There is only one other Marine in the Muster Rolls - from 1798 to 1958 - with that last name, and he was in WWI (an Albian A. Wallgren).

 

Here is a photo and the obit text for Alric Wallgren, which reconciles the Masonic affiliation, and specifically the Shriner patch you found, as he was a member of LuLu Temple in Plymouth Meeting, PA, and Araba Temple in Ft. Myers after he retired.:

 

“Alric E. (Ted) Wallgren, 79, of Bonita Springs, FL passed away Sunday, July 22, 2007. Formerly of PA, Al had been a Bonita resident since 1991. Born October 15, 1927 in Folcroft, PA, he was the son Alric E. Wallgren Sr. and Ruth Lawson Wallgren. Al was a WWII veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He was a 50 year member of Masonic Lodge 578, Prospect Park, PA. He was an active member of LuLu Temple, Phila. Alric retired to FL after working 38 years for the Railroad in Phila. He, and his wife Charlotte, enjoyed many social and civic activities in Bonita. Al was also a member of Araba Temple, Fort Myers and the Bonita Shrine Club. He served on the Board of Directors of the Bonita Resort and Club. Al enjoyed serving the Lee County Sheriff's Dept. as a V.O.I.C.E. member for 15 years. Alric was a member of the committee for the Incorporation of the City of Bonita Springs. He is survived by his loving wife, Charlotte(Lutz) Wallgren; his daughters, Eileen(Charles W.)Despot of Hummelstown, PA and Dale(Mark L.)Prugar of Indianapolis, IN; grandsons, Brian and Andrew Despot and Brad and Zach Prugar; and many nieces and nephews. Burial at Sea will be held in the Gulf of Mexico at the convenience of the family.”

 

Buried at sea, rest in peace Marine.

Wow! Thanks for all your time researching this, blacksmith. 
 

I had sort of assumed it was something pretty common when I found it, but with all this info on the get it’s turned into something super special, a keeper without doubt.

 

Regards,

CC
 

[Blacksmith]

My pleasure CC.  With his name, DOB, enlistment date, date of passing, and MCSN#, you have all the information you need to request his service file from NARA.  There are a couple of researchers here on the forum that will pull his file for you.  They are reasonably-priced, and you don’t have to wait months, which has been my experience with NARA direct.  I am not sure whether the archives are open, due to COVID, but it would be an option to rebuild his ribbons, etc, if / when they are.

 

Good luck.  

[kaliman0352]

I don’t think the archives are open unfortunately. I have a few records to be pulled If they are...

 

Got a little excited reading that muster roll. Saw K Company and 3rd Battalion but, alas, 4th Marines.