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

[patches]

The Buckeye Division Patch on a Trainee, Camp Polk Louisiana 1953, looks like firing the Carbine at a range, the federalized 37th Infantry Division at this time was a training division.

[SFC]

6 hours ago, patches said:

The Buckeye Division Patch on a Trainee, Camp Polk Louisiana 1953, looks like firing the Carbine at a range, the federalized 37th Infantry Division at this time was a training division.

 

[General Apathy]

.

Nothing known about the patch or the photograph . . . . . . . . . . 

 

 

regards lewis.

 

...

[cavcon]

Nice shot of the 44th MP patch 

[atb]

44th Infantry Division Military Police SSI. I'm not sure of the exact organizational designation. I remember that there has been information published in the ASMIC Trading Post several times on this insignia.

[patches]

On 6/26/2023 at 5:13 PM, seanmc1114 said:

The officer in the center is Lt. Gen. Lucian Truscott, commanding general of the Fifth Army in Italy. The photo indicates it was taken December 15, 1944, which was the month Truscott took command of the Fifth Army. Note the colonel on the left wearing the Armored Forces SSI and an interesting unit designation on his helmet. Any idea what unit it represented? The 2nd Armored Division did not serve in Italy and neither did the 2nd Cavalry Group.

That's the 2nd Armored Group Sean. The Colonel there is no doubt the C.O. as Groups were a Full Colonel command slots.

 

See here for history of the WWII Armored Groups.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armored_group_(military_unit)#World_War_II

[Salvage Sailor]

On 2/20/2024 at 11:47 PM, General Apathy said:

.

Nothing known about the patch or the photograph . . . . . . . . . . 

 

 

regards lewis.

 

...

 

From another USMF topic, close up photo

[seanmc1114]

On 2/24/2024 at 12:51 AM, patches said:

That's the 2nd Armored Group Sean. The Colonel there is no doubt the C.O. as Groups were a Full Colonel command slots.

 

See here for history of the WWII Armored Groups.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armored_group_(military_unit)#World_War_II

If that's the case, then that would be Col. Willis D. Cronk who commanded the 2nd Armored Group in December 1944. On 19 December 1944, the 2nd Armored Group was disbanded and reconstituted as HHC, 473rd Infantry Regiment in January 1945 with Col. Willis continuing as its commander. 

 

https://archive.org/details/BattleHistory473rd/page/n43/mode/2up?view=theater

[Teamski]

A group of 48th Infantry Division troops pose for the camera.

 

-Ski

[patches]

 Maj Gen Walter A Jensen Commander of XIV Corps May 1963 to April 1967.

[SFC]

[seanmc1114]

Member of Company O (Ranger) 75th Infantry wearing full color U.S. made 82nd Airborne Division SSI and RANGER tab with a full color theater made LONG RANGE PATROL scroll in between at an awards ceremony in Vietnam - November 1969.

 

The NCO with a 173rd Airborne Brigade combat patch in the final photo is Staff Sergeant Carl Robinson, the company supply sergeant, who was serving in the company alongside his son Victor, an RTO.

[JerseyDevil117]

On 3/14/2024 at 4:59 PM, seanmc1114 said:

Member of Company O (Ranger) 75th Infantry wearing full color U.S. made 82nd Airborne Division SSI and RANGER tab with a full color theater made LONG RANGE PATROL scroll in between at an awards ceremony in Vietnam - November 1969.

 

The NCO with a 173rd Airborne Brigade combat patch in the final photo is Staff Sergeant Carl Robinson, the company supply sergeant, who was serving in the company alongside his son Victor, an RTO.

from my collection

[seanmc1114]

The first photo shows Brigadier General Charles J. Girard in March 1969 when he arrived in Vietnam as the Deputy Commanding General, Capital Military Assistance Command. Note he is wearing the SSI of II Field Force Vietnam. According to the website where I found this picture, the IIFFV patch was worn by CMAC until July 1969.

 

The second picture that shows the IIFFV SSI on the sign at the CMAC headquarters around February 1969. The officers in front are Major General Walter B. Richardson, commanding general of CMAC, and Brigadier General Emil Eschenburg, deputy commanding general of CMAC. Note General Eschenburg is wearing the IIFFV SSI.

 

The third photo is a screenshot of General Girard from a November 1969 awards ceremony. He had become commanding general of CMAC earlier that month. It's hard to make out, but I'm pretty sure he is wearing the CMAC SSI in this photo. General Girard was only 52 years old in the last photo and died of illness on 17 January 1970.

[easterneagle87]

From the FB page Ghosts of the Battlefield.

 

Caption says:  April 1971 Donut Dolly Margo (Smith) Timberlake poses with “The Boys” who built her hooch in Quang Tri patch on the soldier is the 12th ACR “Black Horse” but it’s on his combat patch side. 

 

I think it's just a mis-type as it should read, 11th Armored Cav, Black Horse. Nice theater made patch.  And it's OK that the patch is on the "combat" side.

[patches]

A Cav Donut Dollie 1968, she wears the Horse Blanket Patch pinned to the front of uniform as we see, no doubt because the patch is too big for her short sleeved uniform.

[patches]

A 1st Army GI 1969, probably of one of the Regular Army units under it, rather than a Reserve unit, we say this as he's armed with an M16 Rifle, the M16 finally gets issued out Regular Army Wide sometime in 1969, even Basic Trainees start to finally get them issued instead of the M14 Rifle.

[seanmc1114]

Sergeant Major John Pearce wearing the 82nd Airborne Division SSI "sandwich". He had served as Command Sergeant Major of the 3rd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam from February 1968 to September 1968 then returned to Fort Bragg as Command Sergeant Major of the 82nd Airborne from September 1968 to June 1971. He again served as CSM of the 82nd from June 1973 to December 1978 and also served as CSM of the XVIII Airborne Corps. He had previously served in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific during World War II and then served in the Army from 1947 to 1979.

 

This photo would thus date from at least September 1968, but note that he is wearing the rank insignia of Sergeant Major and does not yet have the chevrons of Command Sergeant Major which were already in use by then.

 

 

[milihfra]

A photo showing a few guys rocking the Maryland State Guard SSI. Came across it in a book I have looked through a few times but did not notice. (Source: Images of America: Washington County).

[milihfra]

Sorry in Advance for the horrible photo, the scene was so quick I could not capture it better.

 

Seen here from a documentary on the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) is an airman wearing one of the variants of the A-X/ A-10 Test Team patches. The patches are from my collection.

[seanmc1114]

Major General Ernest Harmon, commander of the XXII Corps, in Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II

[seanmc1114]

The first photo shows Major General Louis E. Hibbs as commander of the 63rd Infantry Division in World War II. Note he is wearing the French Fourragere with the Field Artillery branch insignia and numeral 5 on it. There is also a numeral 1 above that which is kind of hard to see in this photo but clearer in the third photo. The general had served with the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st Division in World War I. 

 

Notice in the third photo he is wearing the DUIs of the Field Artillery School. I assume this was after World War II.   

 

It's interesting that a career field artillery officer rose to command an infantry division.

[Ranger-1972]

8 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

The first photo shows Major General Louis E. Hibbs as commander of the 63rd Infantry Division in World War II. Note he is wearing the French Fourragere with the Field Artillery branch insignia and numeral 5 on it. There is also a numeral 1 above that which is kind of hard to see in this photo but clearer in the third photo. The general had served with the 5th Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st Division in World War I. 

 

Notice in the third photo he is wearing the DUIs of the Field Artillery School. I assume this was after World War II.   

 

It's interesting that a career field artillery officer rose to command an infantry division.

 

It was not unusual for Field Artillery officers to end up commanding Infantry divisions in WWI and WWII.  During WWI, there were three brigades (two infantry, each with two regiments) and one artillery (with three regiments). The FA brigade commander often outranked the Infantry brigade commanders.  In WWII, the division's artillery units were commanded by a brigadier general.

 

Maxwell Taylor was a FA officer who commanded the 82d Airborne Division Artillery before he was given command of the 101st Airborne Division.

 

John P. Lucas was a FA officer who commanded the 2nd Infantry Division Artillery before he was given command of the 3rd Infantry Division.

 

Harold W. Blakley was a FA officer who commanded the 5th Armored Division Artillery before he was given command of the 4th Infantry Division.

Stafford Irwin was a FA officer who commanded the 9th Infantry Division Artillery before he was given command of the 5th Infantry Division.

 

 Rene Edward DeRussy Hoyle was a FA officer who commanded the FA Training Center before he was given command of the 9th Infantry Division.

 

The list goes on.

 

It wasn't surprising, in that the field artillery officers were required to know infantry tactics and worked very closely with the infantry regiments in order to provide the needed fire support for those units.  They also were what were late called Fire Support Coordinators at the division level, ensuring fires could be massed as necessary, while getting to see how the division headquarters operated.

 

[seanmc1114]

Chaplain (Major) Harold O. Prudell talks with 5th Infantry Division reinforcements leaving for front lines. January 1945.

[seanmc1114]

Lieutenant General Stanley R. Larsen, commanding general of I Field Force Vietnam, wearing a theater made subdued SSI - July 1967.