Post your military armbands.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

This armband is for a U.S.-South Korean annual exercise Controller:

 

 

It came with a helmet band for a 1987 exercise and a patch for a 1988 exercise:

 

[easterneagle87]

Arrived today, Huson High crossing guard... 😆😆😆

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Nice one, EE87. I’ll bet that was hard duty in many ways!

[easterneagle87]

15 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

Arrived today, Huson High crossing guard... 😆😆😆

 

A little bit of a mis-spelling. It should've read, "Hudson High". As an ROTC grad, I'm totally good to poke a little fun at my fellow commissioned officers.   

[Cobra 6 Actual]

 

Naval Militia of New York?

[easterneagle87]

WW2 US Army MP arm band being worn. 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

 

The moth ‘nips’ reveal why wool armbands lost popularity.

[eaglerunner88]

Recent flea market pickup. Acting corporal felt armband that I'm assuming is WWII era? 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Hey, ER88, you’re right, WWII era. But we were using the “leftovers” of these and the Acting Sergeant armbands at least well into the mid-1960’s in Basic Combat Training units.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Long Beach Naval Shipyard:

 

[Salvage Sailor]

22 minutes ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Long Beach Naval Shipyard:

 

 

Long Beach Naval Shipyard (L.B.N.S.Y.)

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

[easterneagle87]

Here's one that sold in an ebay lot recently. I was keeping an eye on it, but went over my base line "cheap" price and didn't chase it. Did any forum member get the lot? 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Sorry, not me, EE87. I don’t believe I even saw it on eBay.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

WWII US Army Coast Artillery “Observer, First Class”:

 

[easterneagle87]

Just got these two from a picker / collector friend of mine. Super pleased!! USAREUR and ComZoneEur. 

 

So what does USARGE mean?  US ARmy G.. E..  ??

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Looks like it is United States Army Reception Group, Europe (USARGE), EE87. Here’s a picture of an armband in this article:

http://www.pension-sprachschule.de/camp-king-oberursel/reflections-of-my-service-at-camp-king-in-oberursel-germany/

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Some type of Marine acting Sergeant? 
 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Sergeant of the Guard at West Point:

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Army Quartermaster Corps, but no idea what the acronym “ARA” means:

 

 

The only two Army acronyms with “ARA” are the “Army Reserve Ambassador” or the “Army Reserve Administrator”. However I don’t see any immediate tie in to the Quartermaster Corps. Ideas?

[easterneagle87]

Photo from a FB posting. 

[patches]

10 hours ago, easterneagle87 said:

Photo from a FB posting. 

A Post War 40s photo, 1947-48, interesting, if this guy in the suit is in fact a Recruit, he's kinda an old Recruit right, looks old enough to have been in the recent war, perhaps he was and he's back home for a couple of years and decided to Reenlist, maybe that lapel pin is a Ruptured Duck.

[Major Z]

On 10/9/2023 at 8:57 AM, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Army Quartermaster Corps, but no idea what the acronym “ARA” means:

 

 

The only two Army acronyms with “ARA” are the “Army Reserve Ambassador” or the “Army Reserve Administrator”. However I don’t see any immediate tie in to the Quartermaster Corps. Ideas?

 

I also have one of these. The style of the QM insignia was used from 1896 to the redesign in 1921. It is identical to the dress chevrons in use at that time. I also don't know what ARA stands for. But, knowing when this style was active, it may help us to narrow the search for its meaning.

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Major Z, thanks very much for that information. It definitely narrows the search frame. In fact, I looked up the change on the U.S. Quartermaster Foundation and found that it claims that the new design wasn’t in common use until the mid-1930’s. Here’s an extract from that site, with that statement boldfaced:

 

“Original Design 1896

War Department General Order #40 of 3 September 1896 authorized the sword, key, wheel and eagle as the insignia of the Quartermaster Corps. The insignia was designed by Captain Oscar F. Long at the direction of the Quartermaster General, Brigadier General Richard Batchelder. This insignia is different from the current issue in that the eagle had its head down in front of the wing just ready to take off in flight. This design is now called the "Regimental Eagle" and was incorporated in 1986 into the Quartermaster Regimental Crest and in 1994 into the Coat of Arms of the Quartermaster Regiment that are displayed on the Quartermaster Regimental flag.

 

Symbolism

The sword is characteristic of military forces and symbolized the Quartermaster Corps control of military supplies. The key is representative of the Corps traditional storekeeping function. The wheel is styled after a six-mule-wagon wheel and represents transportation and delivery of supplies. The wheel has thirteen spokes, a red and white hub and a blue felloe (the outer edge of the wheel) embedded with thirteen gilt (gold) stars. The thirteen stars and spokes of the wheel represent the original colonies and the origin of the Corps which occurred during the Revolutionary War. The gilt (gold) eagle is the national bird and is symbolic of our nation. The colors red, white and blue are the national colors.

 

Current Design

In September 1921 a modified Quartermaster branch insignia was approved. It was redesigned with the eagle’s head shown erect which is called the "upright displayed eagle". This change was in response to a 1918 letter by the Secretary of War which directed the review of all Army insignia by the National Commission of Fine Arts. The eagle was redesigned by Charles Livingston Bull of the Commission, one of the foremost animal painters in the country. Flora F. Sherwood of the Office of the Quartermaster General drew the new insignia. The new design did not see widespread use until the mid 1930s. (Emphasis added) This is probably due to the large stocks of the old insignia, tradition and the cost of acquiring the new insignia.”

 

 http://old.quartermasterfoundation.org/qm.html#:~:text=The gilt (gold) eagle is,blue are the national colors.&text=In September 1921 a modified,the "upright displayed eagle".