What military insignia are these? Where are they from?

Decius · August 2010

I bought some surplus gear from a local store for paintballing, and when I went to wash it today I found these in one of the chest pockets on the jacket.

http://www3.telus.net/~para_jay/IMAGES/IMG_0285.JPG

The one on the left has a Velcro back and appears to go on the collar of the jacket. The one on the right would fit a very thin epaulet.

Wondering what the insignia denote. Couldn't find anything on Wikipedia.

Arrath · August 2010

Awfully close to both

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Sergeant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sergeant

Basically, some higher ranking Sergeant insignia.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Major look closest to the first.

Hoz · August 2010

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia

One on the left is Command Sergeant Major, the one on the right is First Sergeant.

Decius · August 2010

oooh those links helps. The Velcro patch appears to be a Command Sergeant Major in the US Army. The star a wreath appear to be similar.

Edit: Beat'd. Thanks guys.

Hoz · August 2010

To elaborate, I think these belonged to a US Army CSM who retired recently.

The higher rank (and the highest enlisted rank in the Army short of Sergeant Major of the Army which is only one fucking guy), being the CSM, was in the current Army uniform pattern.

The lower rank, First Sergeant, was probably a rank he used to hold a while ago and had to patch left over and just stuffed in the pocket when he was getting rid of all his gear, and it seems to be in the old woodland camo pattern that the Army used to use for their uniforms.

Decius · August 2010

Next question, are they worth anything to collectors? Should I bother tossing them up on eBay, even at a $0 starting price?

Hoz · August 2010

They have little monetary value. Anyone with a military or VA ID can go to their nearest military base and buy all the patches they want.

mcdermott · August 2010

Hoz wrote: »

They have little monetary value. Anyone with a military or VA ID can go to their nearest military base and buy all the patches they want.

Yup, the ACU patterned one is worth like $1, with no shipping. The only people who would consider buying something like rank or patches off eBay are reservists who are far from any serviceable on-base store, and have some burning need for those patches in the near future.

And a Sergeant Major is unlikely to be the kind of person caught unprepared like that.

Even then you'd have to beat the price of the many online vendors that offer it (including shipping).

Decius · August 2010

Thanks for the help guys. Unless someone wants them for free, I pretty well am going to toss them.

Rent · August 2010

mcdermott wrote: »

Hoz wrote: »

They have little monetary value. Anyone with a military or VA ID can go to their nearest military base and buy all the patches they want.

Yup, the ACU patterned one is worth like $1, with no shipping. The only people who would consider buying something like rank or patches off eBay are reservists who are far from any serviceable on-base store, and have some burning need for those patches in the near future.

Or-or- people looking to buy rank so they can impersonate high-ranking NCOs

Which, I dunno how often that happens NCO side

I remember reading in Army Times this dude who pretended to be a colonel to draw higher reserve pay

And we got the BCT scare of a dude who impersonated a captain and took completely functional rifles from recruits during basic

So I guess it happens?

Selling those rank patches is kind of a foolish idea, is what I'm saying

Penny Arcade

Quick Links

What military insignia are these? Where are they from?

Posts