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Cut Edge Desert Patches


AndrewA74
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And last but not least, a nice Ranger tab and Interpreter tape patch on digital camo. I would guess that no matter which war our country fights in, the "Interpreter" patches are fairly scarce?

 

For those who haven't figured out the new software yet, these images can be enlarged to actual scan size by clicking the black bar on top of each photo.

 

Gary

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Who is Vance?

Andrew

 

I was going to post this next gem in the Latest Finds and Acquisitions area, but I'll post it for everybody's benefit here. Vance is one of our very own members here and goes by vzemke. You'll find some of his posts in this very thread. Many of us have known Vance for years now, from different forums and USMF and he is one of the good guys. He is now serving in Iraq in a very hazardous duty, but that will be explained in the following letter. I had asked if he would send me one of his "combat worn" patches from Iraq and low and behold, I received these patches and a nice letter documenting the same patches in the mail, straight from FOB Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq. Believe me, he wasn't kidding when he said they were covered in Iraqi dust!! :D

 

Gary

 

The patches

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Thanks for the info!!! Can anyone tell me where these were made and if they are Theatre Made?

Andrew

 

One has a paper backing...

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Andrew,

The 1st Cav patch in the top left of your photo certainly looks like some of the ones being sold over here in Iraq. I would say it falls in the "theater made" category. The other 3 you posted all look to have a merrowed edge. Is this correct? If so, I would say they are almost certainly not theater made. The two desert tan ones look like strait up US made patches. The 2nd ID is a little odd in that it has a black back, but it probably still US made.

 

I hope this helps,

Vance

 

Backs of 2 ID and artillery...
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Andrew,

The 1st Cav patch in the top left of your photo certainly looks like some of the ones being sold over here in Iraq. I would say it falls in the "theater made" category. The other 3 you posted all look to have a merrowed edge. Is this correct? If so, I would say they are almost certainly not theater made. The two desert tan ones look like strait up US made patches. The 2nd ID is a little odd in that it has a black back, but it probably still US made.

 

I hope this helps,

Vance

Thanks for the info. The 2 ID has almost a Twill on the front. (?) :unsure:

Andrew

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Here are some more theater made patches strait from Iraq. First up is a set that I just got sewn onto my desert tan Combat Vehicle Crewman (CVC) coveralls. The 25th ID patches were made up specially, I watched them being made. The ABN tabs are also cut edge. The flag is standard US made.

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Next up, some Marine Division combat patches. These are worn by Soldiers who's unit fell under the control of a Marine Division. NOT worn by Marines or Soldiers who once were Marines.

 

Two different 1st MARDIV and a 2nd MARDIV. Both cut edge.

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Lastly, Ranger and Sapper tabs. Both are cut edge and sewn to velcro. Note the color difference, but both are supposed to be in ACU colors. Also a senior EOD tech patch on tan.

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Here are some more theater made patches strait from Iraq. First up is a set that I just got sewn onto my desert tan Combat Vehicle Crewman (CVC) coveralls. The 25th ID patches were made up specially, I watched them being made. The ABN tabs are also cut edge. The flag is standard US made.

 

Vance,

 

There just doesn't seem to be an end to the great patches you are finding there in Iraq. Some really nice ones posted here.

 

Gary

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craig_pickrall

This is a short article from LEATHERNECK Magazine dated OCT 2004 explaining the use of USMC patches by Army troops.

 

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All of these are instant collectibles! I cant believe the variety that is showing up here and I can feel the bug starting to bite me as well.

I was not surprised at all to see that the majority of this type of material is actually made by Filipinos. I go to PI regularly and am married to a Filipina.

Filipinos go everywhere hardly anyone else will and provide services or make things that often no one else will either!

The Philippines has an old tradition of supplying military goods and tailoring to the US military. In Manila one can purchase or have made virtually any artical of military uniform or insignia for prices that cant be beat elsewhere.

 

CB

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Just to add my 2 cents to the discussion thread... this is amazing. I've known collectors that lamented that after the Vietnam War there would no longer be any insignia that would be rare, exciting or unusual. That it would all be standard US factory made, etc. To further that illusion there at first seemed to be very little in the way of local made insignia after Desert Storm. Many units deployed so quickly there seemed to be little time for such things as procuring local made insignia (the exceptions being the overseas made USAF unit insignia documented in Jerry Polder's book.)

 

This is a great first effort to document where these are coming from (and excellent material for a book.) This is a good thing to do while memories and documentation are still fresh. One problem that has plagued Vietnam collectors (and collectors of Korean theater insignia) is very rarely did anyone take the time or trouble to write down where they were getting the stuff from. Thirty years later we are now trying to reconstruct not only what was made when and where and worn by whom, but what is real and what is not.

 

As with the Vietnam era insignia, there is the chance down the road that some of this could be reproduced. All the more reason to document the good stuff now. Hat's off to everyone who shared these items with the rest of us!

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lebelmilitaria

still no matter what i believe these patches are being made in iran and syria by C.S. Lewis contract workers from Narnia, and smuggled into Iraq to help support their WMD programs where delusional soldiers from all the way back to the 1st year in '03 till the current 4th year in '07 are being are being hypnotized in various camp alterations that the patches are being made there in front of them.

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lebelmilitaria

honestly at least for the 1st year in 2003-2004 it would be possible to document down to the camp level where these insignia were made at and by who, if you had enougth collectors or soldiers who were at the various camps from kuwait to mosul in that time frame document the patches they purchased at what camp. every camp alterations at least at that time period all made different patterns of the same insignia (different backings, embrodiery,material used, etc) so it would be possible to document what camps made what and when and where. honestly for historical purposes of documentation it should be done and it wouldnt be that extremely hard if someone collected all the data. unfortunatley that wasnt really done in VN when it could have been done very easily.

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