Patches in action: Photos of SSI being worn by the troops.

[seanmc1114]

Hawaiian Department from a 1935 magazine

[seanmc1114]

A father - the Adjutant General of Hawaii - and his three sons serving with the 298th Infantry Regiment, all wearing the Hawaiian National Guard SSI. From a 1933 magazine. The Institute of Heraldry website shows the SSI was approved in 1949, but it was obviosuly worn much earlier.

[seanmc1114]

4th Infantry Division SSI and 12th Infantry Regiment DUI's from a 1933 magazine

[patches]

[patches]

16th Corps Japan. DIs unknown.

[seanmc1114]

On 7/4/2022 at 3:44 PM, seanmc1114 said:

Sergeant of Company A 75th Infantry (Ranger) wearing the RANGER and AIRBORNE tabs over his 1st Cavalry Division SSI at Fort Hood, Texas post- Vietnam War.

Here's a better cropping of the same picture.

[Salvage Sailor]

78th Infantry Division artillery battery officers (903rd?) 1945 Germany

DI below?

 

 

 

[seanmc1114]

Special Ammunition Support Command

[easterneagle87]

This uniform is on FB marketplace. Interesting tab. USAFCOE: UNITED STATES ARMY FIRES CENTER OF EXCELLENCE.

 

428th Field Artillery Brigade, Ft. Sill, OK

[patches]

10 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

Special Ammunition Support Command

Info here on this obscure unit.

 

 

 

[Ranger-1972]

On 10/14/2022 at 2:05 PM, easterneagle87 said:

This uniform is on FB marketplace. Interesting tab. USAFCOE: UNITED STATES ARMY FIRES CENTER OF EXCELLENCE.

 

428th Field Artillery Brigade, Ft. Sill, OK

That's not the right SSI for the US Army Fires Center of Excellence.  See Help with two SSI and Ike jacket - ARMY AND USAAF - U.S. Militaria Forum (usmilitariaforum.com)

 

 

 

 

[Ranger-1972]

2 minutes ago, Ranger-1972 said:

That's not the right SSI for the US Army Fires Center of Excellence.  See Help with two SSI and Ike jacket - ARMY AND USAAF - U.S. Militaria Forum (usmilitariaforum.com)

 

 

 

 

As you noted, the SSI on the jacket is that of the 428th Field Artillery Brigade.

[seanmc1114]

Members of Company F (Long Range Surveillance) 51st Infantry wearing the SSI of the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade. Note that four of them are wearing an AIRBORNE tab above the SSI while two are not.

[Rhscott]

15 minutes ago, seanmc1114 said:

Members of Company F (Long Range Surveillance) 51st Infantry wearing the SSI of the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade. Note that four of them are wearing an AIRBORNE tab above the SSI while two are not.

Seems the two that do not have Airborne tabs only have AirAssault Wings.  Never seen that have any bearing on a unit patch though.

[Rhscott]

On 1/19/2014 at 3:56 AM, Wailuna said:

Here is another G.I. from an “orphaned” Infantry regiment that temporarily was assigned to the WWII version of “homeland defense” before being sent into actual combat in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The regiment was 111th Inf. which was triangularized out of 28th ID ca. Feb. 1942, and assigned to Eastern Defense Command and then attached to Chesapeake Bay Frontier Defense Sector until ca. Oct. 1943 when it shipped out the PTO (this pix. is reposted from here).

 

 

Why the officer US brass on the collar and not EM brass disc?

[Wailuna]

Probably because his squad leader didn't jerk this PFC's chain before this outrageous specimen of "out-of-uniform" shenanigan was photographically captured for our future entertainment.  I've seen worse, and have even pulled some of my own "out-of-uniform" stunts as a PVT  & PFC ca. early 1960s.  No problem:  I still managed to serve in Korea and Vietnam and came out of it no worse for the wear.

[Ranger-1972]

When I was attending the Field Artillery Basic Course in 1972, we had a bunch of guys who had gone through ROTC in college (never wearing their uniforms because it was 'too dangerous' during the anti-war riots of the late '60s / early '70s) and who were only on active duty for 90 days for FAOBC before going into the Reserves.  We all had to get the proper sets of Class A and Class B uniforms from the Clothing Sales Store at Ft Sill.  One of the 90-day wonders really liked the field grade service caps with the gold braid on the brim.  We told him it was 'optional' if he didn't mind paying the extra cost.  The SGM of the Officer Student Battalion had a few choice words for him (and us).  Another guy showed up with a chest full of ribbons.  Turned out they were his uncle's.  The SGM again had a few words of counseling for that fellow -- but it was fun to watch.  One fellow had finished law school before he finally had to show up at Ft Sill, and he was not pleased to have his soon-to-be-lucrative law career stalled while having to learn gunnery, and he wasn't too concerned with Army uniform regulations.  Instead of spending the money for an Army raincoat, he decided to carry a blue United Airlines umbrella in formation.  He also wore his own personal low quarters -- with a pebble grain -- rather than Army black oxfords.

 

By contrast, all the Marine Corps officers in our FAOBC class had already finished TBC at Quantico.  The contrast between them and the ROTC 90-day wonders who were going straight into the Reserves was pretty stark.

 

I was an Army brat who had gone to a military school where we wore uniforms all day every day.  I'd also been snowbirding before FAOBC began as a battery XO, so I already had all my uniforms (and the battery 1SG made sure I wore them properly).  Spent lots of time coaching my classmates on how to properly place the brass on their green Class A jackets and the tan short-sleeve summer uniform.

[seanmc1114]

95th Division (Training) at Fort Polk, Louisiana in 1962. In the center is Major General Philip C. Wehle. Note he is wearing the Glider Badge.

 

[seanmc1114]

In the first photo, the Major General appears to be wearing a Second Army SSI with reversed colors (olive green "2" on lack shield) on his BDU's during an awards ceremony at Fort Gillem, Georgia. In the second photo taken from a different angle at what is obviously the same ceremony, the SSI appears to be the standard black "2" on olive green shield.  Yet it's obviously the same uniform from the camouflage pattern.

 

Is this an optical illusion caused by the lighting? Weird, huh?

 

[seanmc1114]

39th Infantry Division SSI worn at Fort Polk, Louisiana in 1962. Note he is wearing a name tape but no U.S. ARMY tape.

[seanmc1114]

225th Engineer Brigade

[Rhscott]

My son returning home from his own combat deployment and getting a welcome home hug from mom.  30th ABCT NC Guard

[seanmc1114]

Edward H. Haygood, Jr. wearing the Fifth Army SSI beneath a 1st Ranger Battalion scroll in his 1946 wedding photo and again as his combat patch in a retirement photo from 1961.

[seanmc1114]

Soldier of the 1st Airborne Battle Group 503rd Infantry on Okinawa in the early 60's wearing only an AIRBORNE tab. It looks to be gold on black. This would probably have been during the period after the unit was relieved from assignement to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii in June 1961, where it wore a gold on black AIRBORNE tab above the 25th ID SSI, and before being assigned to the newly activated 173rd Airborne Brigade on Okinawa in March 1963.  

[SFC]

19 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

39th Infantry Division SSI worn at Fort Polk, Louisiana in 1962. Note he is wearing a name tape but no U.S. ARMY tape.