Here's a news article about her detailing her experiences: https://lancasteronline.com/news/former-army-nurse-remembers-the-days-she-spent-helping-soldiers-during-world-war-ii/article_ada4632e-f425-5f34-a202-d9fe8c49eca6.html   There are also some of her items on loan to a museum somewhere, and plenty more websites talking about her.

Here's a grouping I sold about two years ago. I still regret it! Hopefully, one day I can get it back. Here's the write-up I made when I first got it.   Everything in these pictures belonged to 1st LT. Freida Margaret "Margie" Holbein (Maiden name of Himelwright). She was born in 1922 in Lancaster, PA. She remained there all her life until her death in 2014. She married Clyde R. Holbein, a Navy vet, in 1949. Below is a brief summary I have put together of her service.   Mrs. Holbein was a frontline nurse serving in France and Germany. She primarily served on hospital train No.75. Her time often consisted of caring for 66 or more patients at a time. "During the day shift, each nurse on Train No. 75 tended the wounded in two litter cars, with up to 33 patients per car. Another nurse was assigned to both ambulatory cars that were often filled with more than 150 wounded persons".   In 1944, "She cared for the severely injured young men who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a decisive fight that raged from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945". In a three-and-a-half-hour interview, she noted a time when two soldiers, one shot across the neck talked to her about his wife and children. It is noted that Margaret teared up and stated, "God only knows if he made it". Margaret endured unimaginable hardship on the frontline.   Near the war's end, she was transferred to the 236th General Hospital, where she rode in trucks across the frontline, here she witnessed the liberation of the camps. The interviewer Stephanie Bradford wrote down what Margaret described the sight as. "Driving from Ludwigshafen to Epinal, Holbein saw "this old truck full of bodies … nothing but skin and bones, no clothes, nothing on them, lying one on top of the other. Men, women, children, everything. I couldn't believe what I was seeing."   She was shipped off to Japan for the frontline, but during her voyage, the capitulation of Japan was announced, where she recalled a tremendous celebration of more than 4000 soldiers, where she soloed "I'll be seeing you" by Billie Holiday.   She stayed in the army until January 1947. Her last post was Fort McClellan, where she helped deliver babies.   She was notably haunted by what she saw, but she notably found comfort that god was taking good care of the soldiers she helped in their final moments.   Thank you all for reading, and please take a moment to remember Margaret Holbein, a true hero.   

During the BDU era it was common for deployed troops to wear a US flag patch.  Prior to 9/11 this was done on contingency operations ONLY and the flag was always supposed to be removed when returning from the deployment.     The purpose of the patch was practical, not ornamental:  US Troops always deployed with a coalition of allied forces, and the purpose of the flag was to identify the soldier as a US soldier to anyone who was there.     On my first deployment to Haiti we were issued a flag on a velcro blousing strap (the same kind used to blouse boots) to be worn on the sleeve.     On my second deployment to Bosnia for OJG in 1997, part of our mobilization processing included turning in our BDU jackets to have a reversed-field American flag patch sewn onto the left sleeve.     Again, this was done for deployment ONLY and we specifically NOT authorized to be worn after the mobilization.  When we de-mobilized at the end of the deployment we were specifically instructed to remove the flag patch from the right sleeve.     After 9/11, the Army decided to add the right-sleeve flag as a permanent part of the uniform.  I'm not exactly sure when this was, as I was in the National Guard at the time, but I believe it was around 2003 (Someone can probably pull up the Army ALARACT message to find out.)    Initially, the flag was sewn BELOW the right sleeve FWTS-SSI for soldiers entitled to wear a FWTS-SSI.  Then someone pointed out that nothing should be above the US flag and the policy was changed to put the flag above the patch.     Attached is a photo of my BDU field jacket from right before I retired in 2005.  This would have been period correct for the 2003 - 2004 period, not sure when the mandated the flag above the FWTS-SSI but I think it was 2005 or later.          

Sounds logical to me :) Still, why not choose an obvious parachute badge, but go for something more "obscure"... Thank you for your service!

What is the value of this uniform.

Seems like the simplest explanation was that some collector added that badge later, either because they thought it might increase value or maybe they just thought it looked cool.  The thought that the person who put it on didn't know what it was would explain why it's upside down.     I was in the Army during the DCU era and never knew of anybody wearing USAF skill badges on a DCU.  Obviously that doesn't mean it didn't happen - after all the DCU was a deployment uniform and we all know that sometimes units did "unauthorized" modifications during wartime.  I just think that if it was "legitimate" (i.e. the soldier was a former airman who had earned the badge in the USAF and wanted to wear it on his Army uniform) it would likely be worn correctly.     So I think the only guess that fits is that it was added later by someone who didn't know what it was but put it on the uniform for their own reasons.  Maybe the person who put it on thought it was a parachutist or air-assault badge as it does have wings on the side that are similar to the airborne/air assault wings.  

Very much so. Hopefully I can figure out a solution for the flighter. The brown crusher I think I can just put some leather conditioner/softener on and reform on a foam head for a little. 

I bought my OCL w/ Jewell scabbard in 1972, it cost me $10. Still have it, what a bargain it was.  SKIP

Here's another Weaver Piano plywood packboard:        

Not difficult to date this patch.