WW2 Aerial Insignia's?
Hi, I am looking for pictures/images of patches, and any other insignia that was on the uniform of a United States WW2 Aerial Gunner's Uniform. I have found the Army/Air Corp. Aerial Wings and Gunner Wings. But need to know which Patches would have been on the uniform.
Also, if the gunner was trained in Utah, was there a special Patch for that?
I am trying to get the pieces missing from my husbands, deceased father's service time to put in a case with the US Flag, from the Government, upon his death decades ago, for a Christmas Gift for my hubby.
Ugh, almost forgot..is there a sight (ancestry.com does not have it) that may have a picture of him in uniform or are his discharge papers the closes I am going to get? The Navy Did Cruise Books, but did the Army Air Corp do some type of year book while the guys were training?
And yes I tried Google images, found some info but not all. Any help on where to look would be wonderful.
Thank you!!!
Comments
You (your husband) can request a copy of his Dad's military records from the National Archive by going to: www.archive.gov and filling out the form that they provide. It takes about 6 months. That will list all the military units that his Dad served during WWII plus the ribbons, medals, badges, and tabs (e.g. Ranger) that he rated.
The only patches that would have been on his uniform would have been his "current" unit patch. Each time a soldier changed major commands, they changed their unit patches to match. If you know what unit he was in, you can google it and find a photo of it. Eg. The Big Red One patch, Black Horse patch - each a major command.
There would be no "State (eg Utah)" focused patch. There was likely a training command patch that he wore while in gunnery school - not sure onthis.
Photos - not likely you will have much luck on this one. Check with his brothers and sisters to see if there is a family photo album that was passed on. No siblings - check with his aunts/uncles/their descendants if they have the album. The father of a friend of mine was an airborne gunner in the Pacific during WWII. No photos from training or while deployed. Reason was security.
You may want to hold off another Christmas for a complete "package" eg the wings, patches, medals and ribbions, any tabs. It is a good thing that you do to ensure that his Dad's legacy carries on.
Lieutenant Colonel, U S Marine Corps-Retired (father WWII Navy - used archives to get copy of his military records and medals and ribbons issued - all at no cost)