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The Combat Infantryman Badge


Steve B.
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  • 4 weeks later...

Picked this up off of ebay

Ranger Joe I think

A Combat infantry badge 4th award.

The stars are huge on this, I talking extra big. (The CIB is the normal size) Hallmarks look they have seen better days too,

I assumed it was a fantasy piece I am happy to have it

what are your guys thoughts on this?

thank you very much

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I don't mean to hijack this thread but I want to post some of the information I have been able to sort out from Army regulations regarding multiple awards of the CIB. As many of you probably know, the most awards of a CIB anyone has ever received is three. There have been many posts of the badges for 4th through 8th awards of the CIB. I was never quite clear if those were fantasy, speculative or actually authorized. As the following will attest, they were in fact officially authorized though most assuredly never awarded.

 

AR 672-5-1 dated 3 May 1961 prescribed up to the fourth award of the CIB. See specifically Paragraph 96(4) of the attached extract. Also note that the attached extract from AR 672-5-2 dated from October 1961 illustrates the fourth award of the CIB. Without finding copies of earlier Army awards regulations I don't know specifically when the fourth award was first authorized. However, as far as I can tell, no one would have even been eligible for a third award of the CIB before the 3 May 1961 regulations were issued so prior to that it was all hypothetical anyway.

 

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The description of the CIB contained in Appendix V which appears in Change 7 dated 16 October 1964 to AR 672-5-1 refers to the Eighth award of the CIB. I have not located copies of Changes 6 or 7 to Paragraph 96(4) but it is clear from this entry that up to eight awards of the CIB were authorized sometime in the eleven month between 14 November 1963 (Change 5 authorizing four awards) and Change 7.

 

This change is where the badge with a gold musket and stars comes from.

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Changes 9 (16 July 1965) and 11 (20 December 1965) to Paragraph 96(4) both still authorize up to eight awards of the CIB.

 

Change 9 attached

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Sean, excellent research. Like you point out, although the 4th-8th awards were authorized for a brief period of time nobody ever earned them. The Army decided to change course and award CIBs for combat service during "periods of eligibility". A perfect example is the current GWOT, a soldier could have seen combat on separate deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and is only authorized the 1st award CIB. Campaign Stars are used to denote multiple tours. It would be curious to find out what drove their thinking. Perhaps with the introduction of "tours" in Vietnam the leadership saw the possibility of multiple awards being given for the same conflict. This would not have kept in tradition with how the award was earned in WW2 & Korea. (Multiple campaigns, only 1 award).

 

I do think that some manufacturers "jumped the gun" and produced 4th -8th awards at least as samples. Mike Tucker in his book shows some of these. So while not truly "fantasy", they were certainly never purchased for wear.

 

Thanks for the documented research above, well done

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Found images of two of those Vietnamese made Machine Embroidered types with the ill defined musket and round/oval like wreath. Posted side by side and large and close up for the view of the two different cloths these were embroidered on, the OD Cotton Sateen, and the True ribbed OD Uniform Twill.

 

Click on image for real enlarged view.

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Without finding copies of earlier Army awards regulations I don't know specifically when the fourth award was first authorized.

 

I think the 2nd thru 4th awards were first authorized in AR 600-70 Badges dated 1951. However, I have been unable to find a copy to confirm.

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MilRGRHistory

Here are a few new CIBs I picked up. Both are attached to an associated 27th INF DIV shirt and Ike; though I speculate Japanese made only based on the 27th DIV conducting occupation duties in Japan, I am unsure. The ribbons are neat as they are sewn around almost a particle board type material and sewn directly to the Ike. Not hard to believe that after purchasing both these bullion CIBs, the Soldier couldn't afford an entire ribbon rack.

 

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Here's a nice early GEMSCO badge I just received this weekend. The rifle has a very unique pattern and the wreath was applied separately. I have another identical pattern badge, but with a star, so I am thinking this badge is early '50s. The pins are attached to the wreath, not passed through it, so this was not an EIB upgraded to a CIB.

 

 

 

 

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