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Can anyone Identify this military style LSU cap?
Posted on 1/18/24 at 4:35 pm
Posted on 1/18/24 at 4:35 pm
I've had this military style cap for several years. It appears to be late 40's - 50's. It has officer ROTC/Army insignia but the cap was made by Ostwald, Inc who made band uniforms. I reached out to the Ms. Faye Phillips who authored the book on the history of the band but she is stumped as well. I know the band was ROTC until the end of WWII but I can't find any info on uniforms. I reached out to the military museum and they are looking as well. Thought maybe someone here could ID. Appreciate it.
[/url] [url=https://postimg.cc/1nFxBqW3]
[/url] [url=https://postimg.cc/p94bKZJS]
[/url] [url=https://postimg.cc/yksqhW07]
[/url] [url=https://postimg.cc/BX3Npyb9]
[/url] [url=https://postimg.cc/ThgCrGRJ]
[/url][/img]
![](https://i.postimg.cc/0548Ff8q/IMG-4365.jpg)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/RFsMM1KK/IMG-4366.jpg)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/DZyvkpJ7/IMG-4367.jpg)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/X7yVbCJB/IMG-4383.png)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/5NYG4WM0/IMG-4369.jpg)
![](https://i.postimg.cc/PfF9nr99/IMG-4385.png)
This post was edited on 1/19/24 at 12:33 am
Posted on 1/18/24 at 4:37 pm to lsubkd
No, but its still a better LSU hat than this one
![](https://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1990165/Bc_8HCUCcAA9Us9_medium.jpg)
![](https://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1990165/Bc_8HCUCcAA9Us9_medium.jpg)
Posted on 1/18/24 at 4:44 pm to lsubkd
Which military museum did you reach out to?
Posted on 1/18/24 at 4:48 pm to lsubkd
I believe it was worn by General William Wade in the first battle for Maravich Courthouse
Posted on 1/18/24 at 4:49 pm to lsubkd
Ask a military sub on reddit. People on there are very resourceful.
Posted on 1/18/24 at 5:12 pm to lsubkd
quote:
It has officer ROTC/Army insignia but the cap was made by Ostwalt, Inc who made band uniforms.
I know Ostwalt focused on band uniforms, but there is little doubt in my mind that they could have taken some contracts in the 1940s when demand was literally off the charts. I just glanced through the 1950 Gumbo and, certainly it was in black and white and I can't see the color of the cross strap, but that cap logo is very consistent with some of the cadet officers of that era. Most of the cadets wore the regular garrison cap with the plain ROTC log in a wreath, but the officers appear to be wearing that open eagle with that LSU insignia. Certainly, your era looks right, so my best guess it is a ROTC cadet officer's cap, circa 1950.
(ETA: It does not appear consistent with band uniform hats, IMHO.)
This post was edited on 1/18/24 at 5:13 pm
Posted on 1/18/24 at 6:41 pm to lsubkd
Perhaps a non standard cadet uniform for honor guard, Pershing Rifles, Scabbard and Blade etc..
Posted on 1/18/24 at 7:01 pm to lsubkd
Can’t help you but that’s a cool piece of history.
Posted on 1/18/24 at 9:23 pm to lsubkd
Have you reached out to the Cadets of the Ole War Skule organization?
Posted on 1/18/24 at 10:26 pm to lsubkd
quote:By construction, it appears to be an interwar period (1919-1939) dress hat for an Army officer. Surplus items would have been used by ROTC programs. A commissioned officer example from that same time period (very similar in structure to the one in your picture) can be found at this eBay auction that has concluded.
Can anyone Identify this military style LSU cap?
Posted on 1/19/24 at 12:23 am to lsubkd
I bet Butch knows the answer to this.
Posted on 1/19/24 at 1:31 am to lsubkd
quote:
It appears to be late 40's - 50's.
*ignores tag inside hat that reads: "1 Apr 13"*
Posted on 1/19/24 at 10:02 am to lsubkd
That's the insignia device worn on the cover (cap/hat) of students in the ROTC program in the 1940s and 50s. I still have Dad's cap device somewhere around the house with a bunch of his old game tickets, a few textbooks and notebooks, and photos from his days at LSU. He graduated in 1954 and was Sr Cadet Colonel/Corps Commander his senior year. (Four diamonds on the shoulders as opposed to three due to the size of LSU's ROTC contingency in those days. Someone wanted to call the rank "Cadet General" but Dad said that sounded stupid. No cadet should even remotely be considered to hold a rank with "general" in it, so it was settled upon as "Senior Cadet Colonel.)
Okay - sorry for the tangent. It's a part of the uniform worn by ROTC cadets from 1947 through about 1964 at LSU. After 1964, ROTC was no longer a required course for all male freshman and sophomore students and the device made for LSU's program was discontinued and replaced with a generic device more similar to the regular Army cover device.
As for the corded band, I have no idea. The cover worn by cadets had a leather band.
Okay - sorry for the tangent. It's a part of the uniform worn by ROTC cadets from 1947 through about 1964 at LSU. After 1964, ROTC was no longer a required course for all male freshman and sophomore students and the device made for LSU's program was discontinued and replaced with a generic device more similar to the regular Army cover device.
As for the corded band, I have no idea. The cover worn by cadets had a leather band.
This post was edited on 1/19/24 at 10:06 am
Posted on 1/19/24 at 2:27 pm to lsubkd
Any Bowl games back in that time period? Any other really special event?
Thinking it may have been a one-off for a special occasion perhaps?
Thinking it may have been a one-off for a special occasion perhaps?
Posted on 1/19/24 at 2:37 pm to lsubkd
Probably from a Cadet when LSU was still requiring freshman and sophomores (men) to be a part of the ROTC Corp of the Ole War Skule when it was compulsory prior to 1969.
It was 3,000 strong before it became a volunteer organization.
It was 3,000 strong before it became a volunteer organization.
This post was edited on 1/19/24 at 2:44 pm
Posted on 1/19/24 at 7:52 pm to lsubkd
General Pershing wearing a similar structured hat during the latter part of World War I. It was a very distinct look.
![](https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/images/News/North_Dakota/General_Pershing_MCU.max-1600x900.jpg)
![](https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/images/News/North_Dakota/General_Pershing_MCU.max-1600x900.jpg)
Posted on 1/19/24 at 7:53 pm to lsubkd
quote:
During World War II, LSU was one of the top four schools producing officers for the U.S. Armed Forces. (The other schools were Texas A&M, West Point, and Annapolis). LSU had more than 5,000 former students serving as officers, including 16 who achieved the rank of Brigadier General or higher.
I wonder if it was from the Officer Training program? I just learned about this yesterday
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