WWII US Marine Corps Dress Uniform - FMF PAC -
This is an American WWII US Marine Corps (USMC) uniform. Dated 1943. Of wool construction. Four pockets with scalloped flap design. With black metal buttons, the same as those employed by the US Navy. Bearing the image of an eagle clutching an anchor.

A ribbon bar is attached to the breast area. The soldier was awarded the following awards: Unknown, Asiatic pacific Campaign, Philippines Liberation with a single star.

The Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by Executive Order 9265 issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

There were twenty one official Army campaigns of the Pacific Theater [48 Navy/Marine campaigns], denoted on the service medal by service stars. The arrowhead device is authorized for those campaigns which involved amphibious assaults.

The Philippines Liberation medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth of the Philippines Army Headquarters on December 20, 1944. The award was presented to any service member, of both Philippine and allied militaries, who participated in the liberation of the Philippine Islands between the dates of October 17, 1944 and September 2, 1945.

Data regarding the uniform is stamped with blue or black ink in the inside armpit area. This information is very important to a collector because it provides the manufacturer's name, color, manufacturing date, etc.

The stamping reads as follows:

The solider held the rank of USMC Private First Class. The rank patch is of green color with a red border. of wool construction. The same basic design is employed today. However, the new patch is constructed of a different type of material.

This is a cut-edge WWII USMC FMF-PAC patch. Red background with white letters and stars. An eagle head is embroidered at the top of the patch. A fist clenching two lightning bolts is placed in the center.

The United States Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMF-PAC) is the largest maritime landing force in the world. Its units are spread across the Pacific Ocean and reports to the United States Pacific Command. It is headquartered at MCB Camp H. M. Smith, HI and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditionary Strike Force and Marine Air-Ground Task Force components that follow under the 3rd, 5th, and 7th Fleet and the Marine Forces, Pacific (MarForPac). It is under operational control of the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CinCPac), when deployed.

This is a picture of the entire uniform. The hat, pants and jacket. The pants are of wool construction. With small, black plastic buttons. The rear pockets have scalloped shaped covers.

This is the matching USMC cap. Complete with a WWII metal EGA. Wool construction.

This WWII US uniform may be currently reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this item. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.