I'm trying to identify a shoulder strap ribbon given to me by my uncle who served in Vientnam, Okinowa, Beruit, Gulf War 1, and who knows where else.

He saw a lot of action in Vietname, was present when the Marine baracks where bombed in Beruit, and I believe that when in Iraq he led a tank maintenance operation. In Beruit, his jeep was hit by debris. His driver was killed, he suffered a severe elbow injury that resulted in his right arm not being able to extend all the way straight. I know that's merely a scrath compared to what happened to others that day, but he was lucky. The boulder that killed the driver missed him entirely. He was hit by smaller pieces.

Anyhow. I don't know the origin of this piece. I'd really like to know. All I can remember him saying is that he took it off a soldier on the battlefield. It was a long time ago.

The shoulder piece is slightly darker than you're average olive drab. The top is obviously sun-bleached. It is about 2 inches wide, and about 2 3/4 inches long. It tapers about 3/8" from one end to the other and there are two stars on it. One point of each star is aligned to perfectly point toward the narrower end. (presumably the end that points away from the neck)

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Google Image Searches have come up empty.

It's not that I believe I have something of value or anything, it's just that I want to know where this thing came from so I can have a better mental picture of the day Uncle George plucked this from the enemy.


Regards

I could be mistaken, but I believe you're holding the shoulder strap of an Iraqi 1st Lieutenant, or 'Mulazim Awwal'.

If you want to confirm, here's the link:

http://uniforminsignia.net/index.php...id=148&sid=247

And the narrow end is the top of the rank