Ike jackets

[David Tiffin]

I just bought this from one of our forum members. I love the looks of the patches and thought I would share it with my friends. Here is the description about the jacket.
"It is an enlisted 4 pocket that was converted into an Ike jacket. It has a nice ribbon bar, and a scarce 7th air Force patch on the combat unit shoulder, with a beautiful coton-on-wool example of the 3rd Air Force patch on the opposite sholder (check out the stitching job, withorange thread!). It has a beautiful pair of sterling clutch back air crew wings."

[Dave Danner]

No WW2 Victory Medal, so he got out before July 1945. The ribbons are for the Air Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal (with three campaign stars) and the Philippine Liberation Medal. The last was authorized in 1944, so that narrows the timeframe of the jacket.

The Seventh Air Force provided air support throughout the island-hopping campaigns of the Pacific Theater. The Third Air Force was initially responsible for air defense and anti-submarine patrolling of the Gulf Coast of the US, and later became primarily responsible for pilot and aircrew training. Odds are, after the Philippine invasion, the crewman here rotated back to the States to a training assignment. Since there's no American Campaign Medal ribbon, I would guess he wasn't with the Third Air Force for long enough to qualify for that medal.

Dave

[David Tiffin]

Thanks for the info Dave!