Pic taken around 1978-79 when I  was a kid.   Cream of the crop was a genuine Red Ball Express patch.   My WWII vet grandfather and Vietnam vet Uncle would get me these from garage sales and stuff.  My grandfather was a WWII navy vet, on the USS Whitney AD-4 destroyer tender. My Uncle was a Little Bird- Loach helicopter pilot in Vietnam.   John

Joe Gorene 101 Airborne, boarding the lead aircraft the Stoy Hora, 440th TCG, June 6th 1944.

Great jacket! I’ve been digging around a good bit on 9th army stuff I’ve picked up two local uniforms very similar to this one including a medical one, 185th Medical Battalion to be exact probably served somewhere near Newhouse. Always see the 9th patch on the previous service shoulder.

newfound respect for Norinco in the US market, i think.   The SKS is a fine durable rifle.  Coyotes are not match for it.   I bought mine for about the same price, even less I think, brand new in late 80's.  Now i hear they go for $800 or $1000 in california at least.  

Excellent! Thank you for the link!  I'll need to watch it again.  Its been a few years.  Not very often you get the perspective of the Soviet Union.   Americans are taught they defeated Germany single handedly and while the US/UK helped, if not for the Soviet Union they could not have won in my opinion.  

I too purchased two Norinco SKS rifles in the late 80's for $200 a piece at Kings Pawn Shop in Del City, OK.  One for my father-in-law and one for myself.  I fixed my up with an aftermarket synthetic stock and bipod.  They didn't come with the bayonet attached because of some rule.  I thought the rifles were a great deal at the time and they were very accurate and had a powerful round as far as I'm concerned.  I was stupid and sold mine but my father-in-law's is still at the ranch and has been used by my brother-in-law to dispatch coyotes for which he has been very successful.  Anyway, check on the price for one of those now.  I only wish I had purchased the Norinco 1897 Trench Shotgun back then as well.  The used prices on those when you can find them are ridiculously priced now too.

The 7th Army is German made. Nice patch. Good grab on the Avn patch as well. 

Cruising Offer Up and saw a couple of buckles. Have found they don't ship outside "your" code, so I guess this is just a bit bird dogging. First up out of the Calif Bay area, A-7 Corsair, Oval,   Then a bit of research, found out this:   Aviation Boatswain Mate, named buckle ABM LOPEZ   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuthpJmAig&list=PLjuPVDwVE7Vm5LwgLsxoUeouLaYnUMkyg  This link should bring up Episode 1 and on the right side all the other episodes.   Those episodes look to be very interesting I think.  I'm going to check them out when I get a chance.  Thanks.

In the 1970's Burt Lancaster hosted/narrated a documentary series called, I think, The Unknown War.  American do not know that 80 to 90 percent of the German army was in Russia and that was the main theater of the war.  Lancasters documentary was excellent and provide perspective Americans don't have and very much need.