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Cody Dailey
9/21/2006 9:36:32 PM | Looking for a bit of help from someone more knowledgable than I.
My father, JB Dailey, served his combat tour with the 401st.
Recently, I came across an old photo of him in uniform. Probably taken sometime before getting assigned to Deenethorpe. His rank insignia in the photo shows him as a corporal (and he was a S/Sgt during his combat tour).
What is odd to me, is that above his rank insignia appears to be a patch from the 2nd Air Force. I found it odd as he served with the 8th and in all of his records I found no mention of the 2nd. Anyone know how assignments may have been rotated around back then?
The photo also shows him with his aerial gunners wings and a similar pin on his cap. The pin on his cap shows the bullet pointed downwards and wings on the bullet facing up on each side. It looks just like the aerial gunners wings, just without the wings.
Anyone know anything about this pin or why it was given out? Curious, I have his wings and medals, but this pin was not in his collection.
Lastly, I also have his leather A-2 flight jacket. It is painted on the back and has the 8th AF patch on one shoulder and a patch of what looks like Donald Duck on the chest. It appears to be Donald Duck, with a skull cap on with the words "Happy Warrior" printed on top. Does anyone know what the origin of that patch was or where he might have received it?
Thanks for any help.
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Clyde Larry Mings
9/23/2006 9:12:34 PM | Dont recognize the "wingless" bullet pin, but a word on the A2 jacket. An authenic A2 Jacket worn in combat by a crew member is a collectors item worth a couple of thousand -exact price naturally varies with the painting and condition. What ever you do, dont try to spruce it up with new waist or wrist bands and leather dye or polishes-"original" is what counts, as in any antique. Yep, we ARE a an antique!
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Scott McElvain
9/24/2006 11:15:45 PM | Didn't find a "Happy Warrior" among any of the 401st's nose art/nicknames. There are some crews that had nicknames for their crew or the plane, whichever they flew, without it ever appearing on a plane.
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