Any help is appreciated

A 1960s AIT Infantry unit DI, the 3 most likely stands for 3rd Brigade.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/221834-help-in-iding-unknown-60s-di/

A 1960s AIT Infantry unit DI, the 3 most likely stands for 3rd Brigade.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/221834-help-in-iding-unknown-60s-di/

Thanks for the help, my only question would be why is my DI made in japan if it was solely used in the US - it has Vulcan japan on the back

Because it was cheaper

This is 3rd Training Brigade Joint Readiness Training Center Fort Polk Louisiana

This is 3rd Training Brigade Joint Readiness Training Center Fort Polk Louisiana

Not related to this unit rlyoun, JRTC is a current origination. This is a 1960s DI for the 3rd Training Brigade U.S. Army Training Center Infantry Fort Polk. However they were not titled in print by the arabic number, but by spelling it out, so correctly it should be Third Training Brigade U.S. Army Training Center Infantry Fork Polk. It's a bit confusing I know, like why then the 3 on the DI? 3 in this case just stands for Third . Again uncertain if this DI was a standard within the various Brigades at Polk, (upwards of five training brigades I've seen so far), with the number changed per Brigade, like 4 on the DI for the Fourth Training Brigade? It may be that this DI with 3 on it was used only by the Third Training Brigade Fort Polk, and that the other Training Brigades had a DI, a different DI of their own, that's what needs to be seen, very hard to find info on this.

 

Also it seems that the Third Training Brigade only conducted Infantry AIT then, with the others conducting Basic??? I got three Polk yearbooks from the 60s, two from the Second Training Brigade, and one from the Fifth, they are not Infantry AIT classes, but Basic Training.

 

All the different posts where Infantry Basic and AIT was held in the 60s into the 70s, at least the mid 70s had Training Brigades (Fort Polk ceased Basic and Infantry AIT in 1976, and all Infantry AIT shifted to Fort Benning, that's where I come in in January 1980), The 1960s-early 70s Infantry Training Brigades, they had no overall sequential order in the Army, they just numbered within the post, IE First Training Brigade U.S. Army Training Center Infantry Fort Bragg and so on and so on.

Patches is correct in his ID.

Patches is correct in his ID.

Tanks tred.

 

What makes this DI a stand out, is the Tiger crest, without a doubt standing for TIGERLAND, the nickname of the area Vietnam bound Inf AIT trainees underwent Vietnam orientation, which also then dates it's first use after the TIGERLAND moniker came into use, which was sometime in 1966.

 

5th Training Brigade, Fort Polk.

Most interesting crest there Sapper89, show's then that the Training Brigades of the Fort Polk Infantry Training center had their own unique DIs. That it is a Fifth Brigade TIGERLAND opens up more questions. I have one Fifth Training Brigade yearbook, it's early 1966, cycle from 3 January 1966-26 February 1966, the photos of the class in training (Not Stock photos one sees in these type books) are Basic Training rather then AIT, AIT photos show the trainees under going more Infantry specific training, the most recognizable to name two, the Fire and Maneuver phase, and Mortar for those becoming Mortarmen.

 

I can't find no info to when exactly Polk started it specific Vietnam orintated AIT program, so perhaps this is an early book before the Fifth Brigade went Nam AIT specific?

 

And here's the DI on unit area signage summer 1968.

Here's a unit crest for the 1st Infantry Training Brigade at Fort Dix New Jersey during the war shows that these "DIs" had the potential to be adopted by all if not some of these units across the bases where BCT and AIT was given during this period.

Most interesting crest there Sapper89, show's then that the Training Brigades of the Fort Polk Infantry Training center had their own unique DIs. That it is a Fifth Brigade TIGERLAND opens up more questions. I have one Fifth Training Brigade yearbook, it's early 1966, cycle from 3 January 1966-26 February 1966, the photos of the class in training (Not Stock photos one sees in these type books) are Basic Training rather then AIT, AIT photos show the trainees under going more Infantry specific training, the most recognizable to name two, the Fire and Maneuver phase, and Mortar for those becoming Mortarmen.

 

I can't find no info to when exactly Polk started it specific Vietnam orintated AIT program, so perhaps this is an early book before the Fifth Brigade went Nam AIT specific?

My father was in the 5th Training Brigade for AIT at Fort Polk from August through September 1967.

 

001.jpg

 

And here's the DI on unit area signage summer 1968.

Here's my father in front of another Tigerland sign that was popular to pose in front of. Even though he was assigned to the 5th Training Brigade, the sign has the DUI for the 3rd Training Brigade. 

Here's a soldier decked out with all of the Infantry accoutrements (shoulder cord, bib and disc backings) and wearing 3rd Training Brigade DUI's. I assume he is a trainee and not cadre.

One more Third Training Portrait, Summer 1969.

 

One more Third Training Portrait, Summer 1969.

 

9imk.jpg

Note that he is wearing the Infantry blue backing discs behind his collar insignia, but not behind the cap device.

Note that he is wearing the Infantry blue backing discs behind his collar insignia, but not behind the cap device.

Right you are.

Here's another soldier wearing the Infantry blue discs and shoulder cord with 3rd Training Brigade DUI's on his epaulettes and overseas cap.

Here's a soldier wearing 5th Training Brigade DUI's from Fort Polk

 

I went through training (Basic and AIT) at Ft Polk in 1975 as a member of E-4-1 (Echo Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Brigade). We weren't issued DUI, didn't even know what a DUI was at the time,  but here is a picture of the Brigade DUI  in my yearbook.