Hi All,

 

Picked up this pairing at an estate sale recently, and just wanted to share.  There's a bit of wear to both, especially the shirt, but I think they still look pretty neat.  Could display quite nicely if can figure something out.

 

I don't seem to have a name, but they have matching laundry numbers, and using that I think I have two good potential candidates.  So this will go on my list of vets I need to look into.  (Which I'm just sort of getting acquainted with, so any tips there are always welcome.)

 

Please share any info or thoughts.  Always looking to learn more.

 

-Bosley

 

Before you spend a lot of time searching WWII records for the laundry number, neither of these items are WWII vintage. Both are from the mid-1950s, WWII Ike jackets will have button cuffs and buckles to adjust the waist I can't see them on this one but I am betting it has snaps. The OD on blue strips were not used until the early 1950s and the yellow on green stripe on the shirt were introduced in 1956. Also WWII EM khaki shirts did not have shoulder straps. Who ever owned this uniform was in the army in the mid 1950 and that is a period that is very difficult to find information on individual soldiers.

5 hours ago, QED4 said:

Before you spend a lot of time searching WWII records for the laundry number, neither of these items are WWII vintage. Both are from the mid-1950s, WWII Ike jackets will have button cuffs and buckles to adjust the waist I can't see them on this one but I am betting it has snaps. The OD on blue strips were not used until the early 1950s and the yellow on green stripe on the shirt were introduced in 1956. Also WWII EM khaki shirts did not have shoulder straps. Who ever owned this uniform was in the army in the mid 1950 and that is a period that is very difficult to find information on individual soldiers.

 

 

Thank you for taking a look at this, QED4.  My knowledge is definitely limited, so I guess I was just assuming that these had to be WWII vintage due to the Army Service Forces patches.  Thoughts on that?  Does it make any sense to have Army Service Forces insignia on 1950's uniforms?

 

I don't have these items with me now, but when I get back to them I'll take a look at the waist of the Ike Jacket to see the potential snaps you are referring to.

 

What does "OD" stand for?  Olive Drab?

 

When you are discussing 1950s rank insignia, you aren't talking about these smaller blue/yellow ones from the mid 50's right?  Because these are definitely different than the ones on these uniforms.

 

Also just for reference, below is another little grouping I have that I am pretty sure is WWII era.  (But maybe I'm wrong again!)  I meant to post this here even before you commented, just to highlight the difference in the Army Service Forces patch.  The one in the below grouping to me looks like a different construction than the two included on these uniforms, the one below looking noticeably higher quality.  Thoughts on that?

 

Many thanks!

 

-Bosley

 

 

While the name of the organizations have changed, that SSI design is still worn today. From the US Army Institute of Heraldry website -

"The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved for the War Department Overhead on July 30, 1941. It was redesignated for Headquarters, Services of Supply on March 27, 1942; redesignated as Army Service Force on March 12, 1943; redesignated Technical and Administrative Services on June 11, 1946; and redesignated as DA Staff Support on October 8, 1969. The shoulder sleeve insignia is authorized for all personnel assigned to Department of the Army Field Operating Agencies (FOA) in accordance with paragraph 27-16, AR 670-1 unless the FOA has been authorized a SSI within its own right."

The small blue and yellow stripes were worn from 1948 to 1951. They then went back to the larger size with OD (yes, olive drab) on blue and  in 1956 they went yellow on army green. This dose not mean that on the date they were introduced everyone switched over to the new ones, there is always some over lap as the army allows a wear out period. The grouping in the last picture looks to be from WWII, the person was a medic and the three bills are Japanese Occupation Money. I have a book on occupation money actually more of a pamphlet but I don't know what I have done with it if I can find it I will let you know where it is from, I am guessing one of the Dutch colonies.  

 

On 5/17/2024 at 1:58 PM, atb said:

While the name of the organizations have changed, that SSI design is still worn today. From the US Army Institute of Heraldry website -

"The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved for the War Department Overhead on July 30, 1941. It was redesignated for Headquarters, Services of Supply on March 27, 1942; redesignated as Army Service Force on March 12, 1943; redesignated Technical and Administrative Services on June 11, 1946; and redesignated as DA Staff Support on October 8, 1969. The shoulder sleeve insignia is authorized for all personnel assigned to Department of the Army Field Operating Agencies (FOA) in accordance with paragraph 27-16, AR 670-1 unless the FOA has been authorized a SSI within its own right."

 

Thanks for sharing that info, atb.  For some reason I had been under the impression that this was just a WWII era patch, which I see is way off now.

 

 

 

 

On 5/18/2024 at 9:54 AM, QED4 said:

The small blue and yellow stripes were worn from 1948 to 1951. They then went back to the larger size with OD (yes, olive drab) on blue and  in 1956 they went yellow on army green. This dose not mean that on the date they were introduced everyone switched over to the new ones, there is always some over lap as the army allows a wear out period. The grouping in the last picture looks to be from WWII, the person was a medic and the three bills are Japanese Occupation Money. I have a book on occupation money actually more of a pamphlet but I don't know what I have done with it if I can find it I will let you know where it is from, I am guessing one of the Dutch colonies.  

 

Thanks again, QED4.  It's really helpful to understand these complexities around rank insignia during this time period, as it's pretty tough for a novice to distinguish between WWII era and 1950's US gear.

 

For the medic grouping, is there anything from the grouping besides the occupation currency that helps date the set to WWII?

 

Very good on the currency.  It is indeed from the Dutch East Indies.  Maybe I'm off, but I guess I thought that was confusing to have with the set, as I didn't think US forces ever went through there during the war...

 

I made a separate thread on this whole grouping previously, if you are interested in taking a look.