ABrangerjoe Posted July 23, 2009 Share #1 Posted July 23, 2009 I got these at a gun show, are they Army or USMC? I think they're Army but I'm not sure. Any help is appriciated! -Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLeo Posted July 23, 2009 Share #2 Posted July 23, 2009 They resemble the Marine ones on khaki to me and I could easily be wrong...but does anyone else think they look to have been cut off at the bottom? The stitching just looks bad to me like the crossed rifles and any rockers were cut off and then the edges hemmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABrangerjoe Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted July 23, 2009 If these are WWII or Korean era then there would be no crossed rifles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABrangerjoe Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted July 23, 2009 Any ideas? I've never seen green on tan chevrons worn by the Army in WWII, despite all the variations of ranks (colors & materials). Could these be USMC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainofthe7th Posted July 23, 2009 Share #5 Posted July 23, 2009 I think they are USMC, despite USMC chevrons usually being a bit thinner and wider. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Ragan Posted July 23, 2009 Share #6 Posted July 23, 2009 I think they are Army chevrons. I've got and have seen several other ranks with a variation in the color of stripes including some shades of green instead of khaki. Just my humble opinion here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABrangerjoe Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted July 24, 2009 Well thanks guys, I guess both branches could have used them. :think: Who knows? Thanks! -Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhc1stidf Posted July 24, 2009 Share #8 Posted July 24, 2009 I think they are U.S.M.C. But it would not surprise me if the U.S. ARMY used them as well. I did have an M-43 in a grouping from a guy in the 20th Air Force. He had the same stripes on the M-43 filed jacket . I am used to seeing these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vzemke Posted July 24, 2009 Share #9 Posted July 24, 2009 Despite the "conventional wisdom" so far posted in this thread, I'm fairly postive your chevrons are WWII era US Army. Here's why: 1: Marine chevrons are wider (width, left to right) than Army ones, even in WWII. Also, this style of construction (embroidered on cotton fabric) did not appear on USMC chevrons until the 1950's. Up until that time the khaki chevrons would be green wool sewn onto khaki fabric or woven. Marine SGT chevrons from the mid 1950's before the addition of the crossed rifles were embroidered on cotton similar to this, but the chevrons on these were thicker and the overall patches were wider than on similar army chevrons. 2. Khaki chevrons such as yours were widely worn during WWII on khaki shirts, even though they were not specifically authorized by regulations. Also, your chevrons show a very heavy green backing thread, which generally points toward a WWII era mfg (but not always a 100% rule). The best way to tell would be to hold them up to a known pair of WWII Army chevrons and see if they are about the same size. If they are, then you can rest assured they are Army chevrons, even if they "look like USMC". US Army and USMC chevrons were not interchangable during WWII or any time after. I hope this helps, Vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted July 24, 2009 Share #10 Posted July 24, 2009 I just measured some chevrons actually sewn to uniforms. The USMC chevrons are 3 1/2" to 3 5/8" wide and the Army chevrons are 3" wide. You should not see more than a +/- 1/8" of variance in the width of either type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABrangerjoe Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted July 24, 2009 I just measured some chevrons actually sewn to uniforms. The USMC chevrons are 3 1/2" to 3 5/8" wide and the Army chevrons are 3" wide. You should not see more than a +/- 1/8" of variance in the width of either type. Mine are 3'' wide, I guess Army is the winner! Thanks a lot everyone! :thumbsup: -Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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