Compliments Badash5946 A 1992-1994 era NTC OPFOR DCU Coat with beret & enlisted belt. OPFOR guide on lower right.   Note: the OPFOR Infantry insignia on collar & beret. (Worn only by 11-Series MOS Officers & Enlisted) was also adopted by OPFOR Infantry at JRTC, Ft Chaffee, later moved to Fort Polk.    The belt was cloth, worn by enlisted soldiers, officers wore a brown leather version. Both were phased out of issue & daily wear in the fall of 1994 (FY1995) *the brown leather belt was still worn by officers, once a month, during regimental call. This was when Infantry wore the red collar tabs on DCU Collars.    The Red Star with wreath is a Hamby Award. Its placement above the OPFOR nametape denotes an individual award (the red star is 3rd class) this was named after the late, Col. Jerrel Hamby. 1st class award was a Gold Star & 2nd class Silver Star. If a unit was awarded the Hamby, then they were worn over the right breast pocket, above individual name tape. 

Thanks Bill,   Makes sense! Medal was fairly inexpensive, so part of the learning experience I guess.   Many thanks,   Stephen

About 10 years ago the government "scrapped" a lot of medal planchets that were incorrectly or badly engraved....a collector bought the load and sold them off individually. This medal appears to be one of these with engraving errors.   Bill

Yes! P-H, that is (was) the standard DCU worn by the NTC OPFOR. Which was the 177th Armor Brigade (Separate), before inactivation and reflagging to the 11th ACR in October 1994. To my knowledge, only NTC issued the DCU. JRTC-Ft. Chaffee/Ft Polk, wore OG BDU (or the OD Jungle fatigues) and CMTC-Hohefels wore black BDU.    NTC began phasing out the OD fatigues for 3-color DCU in 1992 and wore them until 2002. (GWOT began) Due to Govt supply stocks, the OG OPFOR Star SSI & OPFOR Nametape continued to be issued. Standard issue BDU rank insignia and branch insignia were authorized for wear. In this case, SSG Lucero wears the Quartermaster Branch Insignia. And would have been a Supply Sgt in either the Armor or Infantry Bn. Or a QM troop with 177th FSB, later RSS, 11th ACR.    DCU's returned in 2014/2015, albeit in the ACU layout.    What year of manufacturer is on the inside label? 

Not a medal (obviously), but this is my father's Army Navy Union cap from Post 111 Conneaut, Ohio

Enlisted troops wore this 'canvas' belt while officers wore a brown leather version. *Both were phased out in late 1994..

I acquired these masks through another collector in exchange for a MkII Diaphragm gasmask. These masks were designed for the Apache Aircraft members and would interface with IHADSS helmet hence the notches on the lenses. Featuring a 3 pronged communication cable ,hand made welds on the eye lenses and airflow restrictor knob to alter the strength of air flowing through the mask, the M43 series was a prime example of a mask facepiece that remained relatively unchanged through its lifespan

Fort Jackson, South Carolina May 9, 2025 Command Sgt. Maj. James M. Cox, 165th Infantry Brigade senior enlisted leader, salutes Col. David Uthlaut, brigade commander, for the first time as the brigade’s senior noncommissioned officer. Cox is no stranger to the brigade having been the 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment command sergeant major. (Photo Credit: Robert Timmons)   *NOTE: CSM J. Cox wears the new Master Combat Infantrymen's Badge & redesigned Mountaineer Badge.

it really stinks to lose the older generation of collectors because of the wealth of knowledge that they have about topics. Rest In Peace

HGU-55 as the HGU-56 is a Army helicopter helmet.