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    Unknown Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Patch


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    And so I have this Service A Green Dress Uniform. And I try to understand where the officer belonged. I see a West Point Academy patch clearly, but what is the red patch with the sword (remind me of some engineer corps)? Please help me to recognize!

    And this coat doesn't have shoulderboard insignia. In what rank he could be? And what type of collar insignia (except the U.S. letters) should I get to put on this coat to complete the suit?

    Edited by Maxim Molodtsov
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    Chris is correct; The red patch is U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). Google will tell you a lot.

    The jacket is an officer's jacket and could be any rank 2LT to COL. The jacket is also generic; he could be any branch. (Unless the buttons have "castles" instead of "eagles" - Engineer branch have special buttons.)

    Edited by IrishGunner
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    Very thanx, folks! I'm still learning 'bout US Army & USMC uniforms etc, so I might ask some questions if I wouldn't find info via Google and official regulations.

    Does this patch means that it's a coat of a Vietnam vet? 'Cause I see two gold stripes, I know it means that owner has been fighting in a foreign land for a 1 year.

    The button looks like this

    Edited by Maxim Molodtsov
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    Yes, a patch on the right shoulder is a "combat patch" - the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the unit served. The West Point patch on the left shoulder would have been his unit of assignment at the time; this changes as the soldier changes units. He probably was an instructor at West Point.

    Officers only wear the "Overseas Service Bar" for service in a theater of war; each bar represents 6 months. So, this officer served a one year - normal tour - in Vietnam.

    The button is the standard eagle; so, no way to tell what branch. As an instructor and with a tour in Vietnam, he was probably a Captain, Major or Lieutenant Colonel.

    Edited by IrishGunner
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    His West Point patch signifies a staff position (probably instructor). References indicate that to be accepted an applicant must be at least an O-3 (Captain) and not eligible for O-4 (Major) at the time of selection.

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