# Help me figure out what era this picture of a soldier is from. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071 "2018-01-20T20:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/21 "2018-01-24T00:35:49Z")
The caption to that photo says that’s Pvt. Ed Williams. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/22 "2018-01-24T01:01:42Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The one at the bottom of the \*\*History \*\*section, I think. > > [This one.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:369th_15th_New_York.jpg) No it doesn’t look like the same guy to me. One seems darker complected than the other but that might just be the picture exposure. To me the man in the OP has more prominent cheek bones and has a smaller build. Everyone in the group photo is wearing the French Croix de Guerre. There were 170 awarded to the regiment in WWI. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/23 "2018-01-24T03:26:30Z")
If he was a Buffalo Soldier (9th & 10th Cav) he’d be wearing breeches and boots, not puttees. And a campaign hat, not an overseas cap. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/24 "2018-01-24T03:55:12Z")
Thanks for all these responses. I’d never heard of the Harlem Hellfighters, the French Croix de Guerre and a few of the other things mentioned before this thread. I’ve been googling and learning a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/25 "2018-01-24T17:49:05Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > If he was a Buffalo Soldier (9th & 10th Cav) he’d be wearing breeches and boots, not puttees. And a campaign hat, not an overseas cap. There were a hell of a lot more black units than the Hellfighters and the Buffalo Soldiers. There were about 350,000 black soldiers in the AEF. Many were in support units that didn’t get the same amount of acclaim. ---
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/26 "2018-01-25T02:45:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > What’s the chain on his shoulder? Is it just a pocketwatch, or something else important? I imagine it’s a fourragère. According to Wikipedia, the 370th Infantry, a black outfit, was awarded it. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/27 "2018-01-25T03:29:09Z")
> [@Ispolkom](#): > > I imagine it’s a fourragère. According to Wikipedia, the 370th Infantry, a black outfit, was awarded it. Worn on the other shoulder, with the tips showing. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/28 "2018-01-25T04:30:44Z")
> [@Ispolkom](#): > > I imagine it’s a fourragère. According to Wikipedia, the 370th Infantry, a black outfit, was awarded it. It doesn’t look like any version of the fouragere I’ve seen, it’s only worn on dress uniforms and it’s worn on the left shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/29 "2018-01-25T04:42:42Z")
This is what one looks like. It is definitely not a fourragère. [http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach\_rel\_module=post&attach\_id=436460](http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=436460) They are thick and braided with a prominent metal tip. The tip is different depending on the grade of award. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/30 "2018-01-25T15:23:50Z")
> [@Ispolkom](#): > > I imagine it’s a fourragère. According to Wikipedia, the 370th Infantry, a black outfit, was awarded it. It’s basically the same uniform as the guys [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:369th_15th_New_York.jpg), but no ribbons or medals, collar insignia, rank or service stripes. So I’d expect he wasn’t awarded anything at the time the OP’s picture was taken. I believe the picture in the OP is of a soldier who has possibly completed basic training but has _not_ been to war yet. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/31 "2018-01-25T15:31:23Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > It’s basically the same uniform as the guys [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:369th_15th_New_York.jpg), but no ribbons or medals, collar insignia, rank or service stripes. So I’d expect he wasn’t awarded anything at the time the OP’s picture was taken. > I believe the picture in the OP is of a soldier who has possibly completed basic training but has _not_ been to war yet. Things were different in the past but in general those uniforms are not the kind that you wear medals on. Notice some are wearing overcoats with the medal and others their uniform without an overcoat. What often happens is awards formations happen when duty uniforms are worn. A medal is pinned on. Handshakes are made. Pictures are taken. Then you take the award off and only wear it on your dress uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/32 "2018-01-27T23:01:01Z")
The lack of rank insignia is what confuses me. If it’s a trench whistle, or even a compass, then I’d expect him to be NCO or officer. (And I do think that it is a whistle). I know that senior officers could get away without wearing rank insignia, but was the same true of NCO’s? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071.md?page=1)