WWII american tech SGT IKE uniform

Chris, The sholder patch worn on the left is the present unit the serviceman is attached to-in this case "the Western Pacific Forces". I can't help with much history on that unit. The patch on the right is the one he wore before during the war-In this case, the Fifteenth Army. This was Pattons Army after the fighting in the third Army. They were mostly a paper army to record and file important papers. The medals are a bit confusing. Starting at the lower right is the WWII Victory Medal indication he served at least one day in the military during WWII. The yellow is the Asiatic Pacific, means he spent at least 30 days in the Pacific theater during the war. The star is a battle star indicating he was involved in one battle in this theater. The next row looks like the Purple Heart--it should be on the top as it is the highest rank of the medals worn. The green & brown is the EAME Campaign indicates he was in Europe and served during two battles (two battle stars) The Good Conduct is next and on top is the Phillippine Liberation Medal. It is attached upside down here, and should be at the very bottom as it is a foreign decoration. This soldier has the rank of T-4 which is equivalent to a buck Sargeant. This was for a specialized service. He has a Sharpshooter shooting badge (can't read for which weapons)and a Driver/Mechanic Badge with no bar to inicate what he did. I'm guessing this guy served in Germany at the tail end of the war in Europe and was probably a mechanic for Headquarters of the 15th Army. He was transferred to the Pacific and probably served in the Phillippeans under McArthur until the end of the war in the Pacific.
As mentioned before, he was in an engineering battalion and was Honorably Discharged (Ruptured Duck). He should have a hash mark on his lower left sleve indication three years service, and at least two overseas bars above the hash mark. Each one indicates 6 months of overseas service during the war.
Can't tell if he shot anyone, but if the Purple Heart is correct, he did get wounded in combat by enemy fire. Sometime the foreign medals were sent home after the war--someone may have just pinned it on after the fact not knowing where it went or how. An Army uniform can be read like a history book if presented correctly.

 

chris can you take a better closer pic of the bars .. I want to see the colors better.. I don' think that one is the purple heart one becasue the purple heart when made into a bar should have been before the good conduct... we went threw the same thing with my grandfather's bar.. his was the american defense medal that we were having issues with.. so i am thinking it is not the purple heart that this man had.. but only a better pic can tell..

also... my grandfather was from the 531st engineers and they were very important.. every man that is there is important in some way or nother.. like a big wheel rollin you need all parts of that wheel for it ot work correctly. the 531st had to put thier guns down underfire to get thier job done.. to me that is hard and needed to be noticed.. they built the bridges underfire so that the infantry could get to the axiis.. Maybe he was at HQ.. maybe he fixed the trucks.. we will never know but if he was not there it would not have gotten done by him.. so he was important..

about the killing people.. it is not about that..these men came back and tried to live normal lives and everyday reliving what happen over there... my grandfather after 66 years still weaps for his friends that did make it .. the men that he had to kill or be killed.. liberating the jewish camps and seeing what happen at those camps.. i could tell stories that Pa has told me that would make you wonder about humanity there..not it's not about that.. I feel for these men from any war or combat that go threw this..

Not saying you don't respect at all.. but if you collect than make sure you reseptfully phrase things a bit easier here.. maybe asking if the man seen any combat would have been better. I know if someone said that to Pa you would have gotten a crappy answer for sure.. and he might have went home thinking about what he went threw all night.. so please remember respect..

 

I'm not sure if that is the man numbers.. I don't think so ..they did not have dashes in them.. and class A's means his good uniform. they had uniforms for the field and for dress..

 

You're completely correct, with two battle stars on his EAME Campaign Medal he must have seen some action. I had questions with the looks of the Purple Heart also, but can't find anything close that would work. But if the misplaced Phillippine Libertion Medal was placed at the bottom, that would move the PH to the correct position. Need to do some research, but didn't Gen. Gerow have command of the 29th Diviion before he was assigned to the 15th Army? Thanks for the correction.

 

Just pulled out my "Correct Manner of Wear-Ribbons of the U.S.Army" This is the way the book says they should be worn.
Looking at the left brest, start at the lower right.
Foreign Medal (Phillippean Liberation), lower middle, WWII Victory, lower left, EAME Campaign. next row up-right side Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, center, American Campaign, left side, Good Conduct. Top center- Purple Heart (if that's what it turns out to be.
Concerning his service, I was not trying to be disrespectful of this mans service in any way. I apologize if I came across that way.

 

I didn't mean that you did at all.. sorry for that to be taken that way.. I was just kinda giving ya a heads up on writing it the way you did.. I kinew just 3 days and i am nobody to say.. it was just a th9ought off the top of my head..

can you take a better pic of the ribbons for me.. you have me wondering what it is...

 

I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but there is no, repeat, no, Purple Heart amongst any of those ribbons.

Top
Philippine Liberation Medal
Then, left to right, top to bottom
Good Conduct Medal; Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater Campaign Medal (two campaign stars); World War I Occupation Medal
American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1 campaign star); World War II Victory Medal

A WWI Occupation Medal???
ARMY OCCUPATION OF GERMANY
Yup, that’s what it is. Go figure. Sure makes me wonder about authenticity.

The correct order of precedence for these ribbons is:

Good Conduct Medal; WWI Occupation Medal; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; Philippine Liberation Medal

 

Your right about the WWI German occupation ribbon, that one slipped right past me. It's quite possible, but I agree it looks fishey. The patches and rank look in pretty good shape to be that old, the ribbons are not placed correctly. I have three of my brothers, and my father-in-law's WWII uniforms and they don't look that good, and they have been well taken care of.
Put the patches under a black light and see if they shine. Original WWII era insigna don't.

 

my grandfather's,, if you blow up the pic.. plus when he took this pic he did not have all his bars.. anyway they have good conduct, army occupation and then the eto ribbon.. after talking ot the vet service officers we think somehow when these were being put together they were out of order. They were awarded many more medals that he did not have in this picture in my avatar..

 

well i just got back from uk, i got the uniform check out at few military shops as well as at usa and it is authentic and original so is the insignia and badges and stuff on it, also discovered in a pocket it says

Jacket field wool O.D

Stock No. 55-j-384-550

34 R

Jacob.M

Franklin Inc Dated Dec. 21,1944

and has a few other numbers and stuff, i dident write down

 

The first badge is the Army Sharpshooter's badge showing that qualification with two different weapons. The second badge is the Drivers/Mechanic badge without bar so we can't tell the precise award.

 

It's actully one of three patches: the 332nd Engineer General Service Regiment, the 606th Engineer Camouflage Battalion, or the 1700th Engineer Combat Battalion as these were the only three engineer battalions attached to the 15th Army.

 

Technician 4th Grade. Not a Sergeant.

Sometimes addressed as sergeant as they are the same pay grade.

But a T/4 is not a Sergeant.

 

I don't know if someone already mentionned that the iron pins that look like small crosses are drivers /mechanic licence pins for (truck) drivers. This usually show the man cold drive certain type of heavy and light vehicles and do the maintenance too. It would fit both witht his H.Q and Engineer duties.

 

The uniform shown is NOT a Technical Sergeant. It is one of the "technician grades" created in WW2. These were usually corporals , occasionally a sergeant, but of a lower rank than a "Technical Sergeant". A Technical Sergeant during WW2 had 5 stripes (3 up, 2 down) and was one level below Master Sergeant and one level above Staff Sergeant. They did not have a "T".

The title "technical sergeant" was replaced by the Army in 1948 with Sergeant First Class.

Many people confuse these ranks.