If I may ask a bit of leeway from the administrators for a question that is not related to hiking.
My dad was a WWII vet. He kept his uniform from the day he was discharged in 1945 to the day he died in 2007. Now I have it, took it out of the suit bag, and realized that I don't have a single clue what the badges and insignia mean.
I know there are a lot of military people on this site (active, former, and retired), so if any of you might know what they mean, I would be most grateful.
I know my dad enlisted in the Army in 1941. I think he did basic training somewhere in Alabama, then was sent to Iceland, then England, then followed the Normandy invasion with a 'second wave' some days afterward, then went through France, Poland, and Germany. He was with the Third Army, but I'm not sure what that means. He was with the signal corps (?) and said he spent most of the war driving a jeep lost, trying to read maps that made no sense, and trying not to cross into enemy lines, all to deliver messages, maps, and communications. He started as a private but discharged at a higher rank -- he said when officers were killed in battle, it was often "next man up" to the rank of the deceased.
He saved his discharge papers, some memorabilia, some pics of him and his company members in various places in Europe, and other odds and ends. I still have that stuff.
That's all I know. If anyone could tell me what the things on the uniform mean, I would be most grateful.
Thanks in advance.20191027_170803_resized.jpg20191027_170817_resized.jpg20191027_170902_resized.jpg20191027_170832_resized.jpg