Maybe this can help you identify the EGA.
https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/THE%20EAGLE%2C%20GLOBE%2C%20AND%20ANCHOR%201868-1968%20%20PCN%2019000319900.pdf

Gunny456 said:

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Maybe this can help you identify the EGA.
https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/THE%20EAGLE%2C%20GLOBE%2C%20AND%20ANCHOR%201868-1968%20%20PCN%2019000319900.pdf

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Gunny,

Having read that, it seems like it is not an enlisted man's EGA. There are still more boxes to go through so maybe we will find his.

Thanks

You are welcome sir.
Your grandfather was part of the greatest generation. Anybody that stood up and put the uniform on was a hero in their own right.
If you find anymore out about him please share.

In the second pic that is a gold palm which would mean he earned an additional 10 merit badges vs. what was required to achieve Eagle.

JB!98 said:

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spencerdhg said:

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In the second pic that is a gold palm which would mean he earned an additional 10 merit badges vs. what was required to achieve Eagle.

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Every Marine I have ever known was an overachiever, so it makes sense. My dad said that he did know that if you were an Eagle Scout and enlisted in the Marine Corps back then that you graduated boot as a PFC instead of a private.

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That's Awesome!

JB!98 said:

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spencerdhg said:

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In the second pic that is a gold palm which would mean he earned an additional 10 merit badges vs. what was required to achieve Eagle.

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Every Marine I have ever known was an overachiever, so it makes sense. My dad said that he did know that if you were an Eagle Scout and enlisted in the Marine Corps back then that you graduated boot as a PFC instead of a private.

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It's still a thing and applies to all branches. Actually think you can get E3 in the Army with it. (PFC is E2). Not for officers though. They are already special enough I guess

Eliminatus said:

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JB!98 said:

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spencerdhg said:

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In the second pic that is a gold palm which would mean he earned an additional 10 merit badges vs. what was required to achieve Eagle.

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Every Marine I have ever known was an overachiever, so it makes sense. My dad said that he did know that if you were an Eagle Scout and enlisted in the Marine Corps back then that you graduated boot as a PFC instead of a private.

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It's still a thing and applies to all branches. Actually think you can get E3 in the Army with it. (PFC is E2). Not for officers though. They are already special enough I guess

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I was hoping you would take a look at this. Have you ever seen a E2 with a EGA like that? I know very little changes in the Marine Corps over the years.

Hank the Grifter said:

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What a generation. From becoming an Eagle Scout one year to preparing to invade the Japanese mainland the next.

My God, I miss them so much. They don't make them like that anymore.

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I hear you. I was lucky enough to have grown up with, and worked for, many of that generation. Father, uncles, and their friends, Marines, Army, and Navy. Almost all of them saw combat, but none ever talked about that aspect of their service. Some had brought back some amazing souvenirs and for a preteenager up into my teen years, those were a treasure trove for me and my friends. One guy I worked with had been awarded multiple bronze stars during WWII and I didn't even know he had served. These guys go back to prior to the "thank you for your service" era and likely would have frowned at you had you said that. Of course, they are all gone now but I think of one or more of them nearly every day. And yeah, I miss them all.

JB!98 said:

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Eliminatus said:

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JB!98 said:

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spencerdhg said:

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In the second pic that is a gold palm which would mean he earned an additional 10 merit badges vs. what was required to achieve Eagle.

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Every Marine I have ever known was an overachiever, so it makes sense. My dad said that he did know that if you were an Eagle Scout and enlisted in the Marine Corps back then that you graduated boot as a PFC instead of a private.

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It's still a thing and applies to all branches. Actually think you can get E3 in the Army with it. (PFC is E2). Not for officers though. They are already special enough I guess

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I was hoping you would take a look at this. Have you ever seen a E2 with a EGA like that? I know very little changes in the Marine Corps over the years.

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No. The silver based EGA is strictly for officer dress uniforms. Enlisted get gold ones.

For non dress officers get black that is shinier while enlisted get matte black insignia.

I just looked closely at the picture you posted and can vaguely make out an FMFPAC shoulder patch. Can't tell exactly but looks to be either dog handler company or amphibious. (Dog head or alligator head on the patch is hard to make out).

So from that he is confirmed Fleet Marine Forces - Pacific. Which also confirms that this was taken later in the war. FMFPAC became the parent org of all the Marine divisions once the USMC grew large enough to warrant something beyond division level on the org chart. If he is wearing a patch it signifies he was a support specialist in a unit that was separate from the traditional line battalions but could be farmed out as appropriate when needed on campaign depending on his specialty. That is my understanding at least. I'll look into it some more later this weekend. I love old Marine lore like this.

You can also request his military records as the family if you want to know the full breakdown of his service.

Eliminatus said:

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JB!98 said:

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Eliminatus said:

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JB!98 said:

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spencerdhg said:

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In the second pic that is a gold palm which would mean he earned an additional 10 merit badges vs. what was required to achieve Eagle.

---

Every Marine I have ever known was an overachiever, so it makes sense. My dad said that he did know that if you were an Eagle Scout and enlisted in the Marine Corps back then that you graduated boot as a PFC instead of a private.

---

It's still a thing and applies to all branches. Actually think you can get E3 in the Army with it. (PFC is E2). Not for officers though. They are already special enough I guess

---

I was hoping you would take a look at this. Have you ever seen a E2 with a EGA like that? I know very little changes in the Marine Corps over the years.

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No. The silver based EGA is strictly for officer dress uniforms. Enlisted get gold ones.

For non dress officers get black that is shinier while enlisted get matte black insignia.

I just looked closely at the picture you posted and can vaguely make out an FMFPAC shoulder patch. Can't tell exactly but looks to be either dog handler company or amphibious. (Dog head or alligator head on the patch is hard to make out).

So from that he is confirmed Fleet Marine Forces - Pacific. Which also confirms that this was taken later in the war. FMFPAC became the parent org of all the Marine divisions once the USMC grew large enough to warrant something beyond division level on the org chart. If he is wearing a patch it signifies he was a support specialist in a unit that was separate from the traditional line battalions but could be farmed out as appropriate when needed on campaign depending on his specialty. That is my understanding at least. I'll look into it some more later this weekend. I love old Marine lore like this.

You can also request his military records as the family if you want to know the full breakdown of his service.

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Thank you, sir. No documentation of a dog handler and that is the only photo I have that shows even a portion of that patch. I will have to get his DD214 from my uncle, it may reveal some additional details. As I stated earlier he was tabbed to be part of the invasion of Japan and had not seen combat. He was young also, 17 when he enlisted in 1945. Here are some photo's y'all may get a kick out of.

one safe place said:

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Hank the Grifter said:

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What a generation. From becoming an Eagle Scout one year to preparing to invade the Japanese mainland the next.

My God, I miss them so much. They don't make them like that anymore.

---

I hear you. I was lucky enough to have grown up with, and worked for, many of that generation. Father, uncles, and their friends, Marines, Army, and Navy. Almost all of them saw combat, but none ever talked about that aspect of their service. Some had brought back some amazing souvenirs and for a preteenager up into my teen years, those were a treasure trove for me and my friends. One guy I worked with had been awarded multiple bronze stars during WWII and I didn't even know he had served. These guys go back to prior to the "thank you for your service" era and likely would have frowned at you had you said that. Of course, they are all gone now but I think of one or more of them nearly every day. And yeah, I miss them all.

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I was fortunate enough to be raised by my grandpa and was around his vet brothers a lot. The one thing I can say as a kid is that I was never scared. We did some crazy stuff, and I was never scared because I just inherently knew that they would never let anything bad happen to me.

That fortunately or unfortunately (according to my wife) has carried with me over all these years. My son and I will do something that I know is dangerous, but I know that I will not let anything happen to him. There are somethings that she does not know about because it would freak her out. Much like there were things that grandpa and I did that my grandmother never knew about! Hopefully, he passes that on to his kids.