Pre WW2 collar insignia ??? "AMC"

[astra44]

This lapel/collar insignia is a double clutch, with snowflake pattern cast marks on the back, so I am assuming late 30s or possibly early WW2? Letters are same size as regular Army Officer's "U.S." lapel brass, but -- as you see -- read "A.M.C." Came with a lot of USAAF stuff. Any one know what this is? Been suggested that it is Army Materiel Command. Thanks for any help.

[Bob Hudson]

That's for the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas: Texas AMC, now known as Texas A&M.

[astra44]

That's for the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas: Texas AMC, now known as Texas A&M.

 

 

Thank you for the info. Interesting. Why do you think that would that end up in a batch of USAAF officer's gear? Was the badge worn my Army/AAF officers who had attended that college? (Was that even officially sanctioned?) Is it an unusual piece to find?

 

Thanks again!

[gwb123]

I'm not an expert on "Aggie" stuff, but I would guess he may have worn this as part of his cadet uniform while attending A&M.

 

I know as late as the 1980 Texas A&M cadet uniforms were still based on WWII uniforms, complete with Sam Brown belts.

[ADMIN]

It is for the ROTC program at Texas A&M. So, it would be worn on a uniform that is styled like a typical active duty army officer uniform of the time and in the exact location where an active duty officer would have worn the "U.S." collar brass.

 

To answer the other part of your question about it being rare. Older ROTC items are not all that common. It use to be there wasn't much of a collecting market. But, after working with my former alma mater to get some of their pre-1950 ROTC items, I came to learn there is a growing number of collectors of these items. And some aren't cheap. You may try looking around for your collar insignia's twin, as it would obvoiusly be more collectable if you had the original 2 set.

 

Please see the pictures at the bottom of this post that show some of the Texas AMC cadets. These pictures were taken by Frank Scherschel and appeared in the February 1949 issue of LIFE. In the magazine itself, you can easier see in some of the pictures your type of collar brass being worn by cadets.

 

Welcome by the way!

 

Chris

 

 

[astra44]

THANKS FOR THE OUTSTANDING INFORMATION GUYS!

 

I AM AMAZED: HAD THIS PIN FOR A HANDFUL OF YEARS AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ABOUT IT ANYWHERE -- UNTIL NOW!

[Salvage Sailor]

I've got several Texas A&M yearbooks (The Longhorn) from the 1930's to 1940's that are filled with notable future military commanders and decorated heroes.

[TAMU97]

I'm not an expert on "Aggie" stuff, but I would guess he may have worn this as part of his cadet uniform while attending A&M.

 

I know as late as the 1980 Texas A&M cadet uniforms were still based on WWII uniforms, complete with Sam Brown belts.

 

 

Members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets still wear pinks and greens. Seniors wear brown cavalry-style boots and breeches. Members of the Parson's Mounted Cavalry (one of the select groups of cadets) wear campaign hats and cavalry leggings. Many examples can be found by performing a Google/Bing search of images. For what it's worth, Texas A&M College became Texas A&M University in 1963 (I believe), so your collar brass predates that time period.