1944 Dated Eisenhower Jacket with Tennessee Military Academy DI's
Item #: WR24
Click on an image to enlarge
This is a World War II Eisenhower uniform worn by a former instructor at the Tennessee Military Academy in Sweetwater, Tennessee. The Olive Drab wool jacket is a 42 short, as indicated by the tag in the collar and the quartermaster tag found in the left inner jacket pocket. The quartermaster tag identifies this jacket as a 1944 model. The colors of the wool and sewn on patches are still very vibrant. There is only one small moth hole on the right sleeve cuff. On the left sleeve is a Seventh Corps patch, a Tech 6 insignia and three overseas or "combat" stripes. The right sleeve has a first Army patch, another Tech 6 insignia and a Distinguished Unit patch. The brass insignia on the lapels are of the Ordnance Corps on the left and the US insignia on the right. The Ordnance ball is a WWII era device with a screw on retainer. The US is post war and has clutch back retainers. The only ribbons present are the Good Conduct Medal and the European African Middle Eastern campaign ribbon. There are no devices on the Good Conduct Medal to indicate additional awards. The "ETO" campaign has five bronze stars indicating this soldier participated in six different campaigns. Unfortunately this is no identification as to who wore this immaculate uniform. The distinctive insignia, or unit crests as they're now called, are of the Tennessee Military Academy. This school was founded as the Sweetwater Military College in 1874 by J. Lynn Bachman. Mr. Bachman was the president of the college until 1902, when he was replaced by colonel O.C. Hulvey. In 1909 the name of the school was changed to the Tennessee Military Institute. The school remained a military academy until 1975, when it became a college preparatory school. The school closed in 1988 after 114 years of continuous operation. The pants that came with the jacket have no quartermaster tag. I believe that they are Korean War era. They are in good condition also. The only problem is the hem on the rear of the pant cuffs. They have been sewn with the "West Point" slant. The seam is tapered, being longer at the heel of the pants and tapering up toward the top of the shoe. This prevented a break from occurring in the front seam of the pants when worn. If it was not properly sewn it allowed the rear of the pants to drag on the floor as the wearer walked. Both rear seams have a small hole worn in them. The garrison, or "overseas" cap is a post WWII cap. It has an ink stamp showing it as a size 7 1/4". There is a quartermaster tag dating the cap to 1951. Also ink stamped in the band of the cap is S8472. If only I knew who S with the last four of his service number being 8472! Since this veteran taught in a state military academy I believe he was allowed to mix his uniform between World War II and Korean War era articles of clothing. This is a unique uniform in many ways. The Tech 6 stripes, combined with the Ordnance Corps brass reveal that this soldier was most likely in the maintenance field. The personal ribbons also lend to the support role of this soldier. If he participated in six campaigns in a combat role he would surely have received a higher award than the Good Conduct Medal. Regardless, this is a great representative jacket from WWII. And it's linked to one of Tennessee's oldest military institutions!
(Sold)
Sorry we are not accepting on line orders at this time. If you are interested in an item please contact me at 615 717 7792 or email me at mwkiser07@gmail.com.
If you have ordered or are considering ordering an antique weapon or artifact from our website please be advised that these artifacts and antique weapons are sold strictly as collectible antiques.
We strongly recommends that these artifacts be enjoyed and appreciated for their historical significance and not ever fired. By ordering you are acknowledging these facts, warnings and assume full responsibility for your personal actions with regard to them.
We DO NOT sell modern firearms , all our inventory is pre 1898 and are classified by the ATF as antiques and require no government paperwork to own.