For your consideration is this 31st “Dixie Division”, 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida Army National Guard uniform coatMake & Description of Coat.The M1939 Enlisted Man’s Service Coat (Specification QMC 8-31D), approved in November 1939 and officially drawn up by the Quartermaster Corps on February 7, 1940, was the standard U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Forces service jacket during the early years of World War II.Designed to improve field utility, mobility, and storage capacity compared to previous uniform coats, it features the following distinct specifications:Material and Construction• Fabric: Tailored from heavy 18-ounce olive drab (OD shade no. 53) serge wool.
• Lining: Features a partial lining made of cotton twill.
• Cut: Single-breasted, hip-length coat with a drop fall collar, open lapels, and pleated back seams.HISTORY OF 124th Infantry Regiment, 31st “DIXIE” Division.In 1939, the 124th Infantry Regiment (“First Florida”) of the Florida Army National Guard stood on the precipice of monumental change. As Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland sparked World War II in Europe, the regiment—operating in a peacetime capacity—entered a crucial period of rapid modernization and preparation for mobilization.
Activities and Training in 1939• For most of 1939, the 124th Infantry functioned under normal peacetime parameters, consisting of weekly armory drills and a mandatory two-week summer field training session.• Summer Encampment: The regiment conducted its annual intensive summer training at Camp J. Clifford R. Foster (located in Jacksonville) or occasionally at Camp McClellan in Alabama. Training focused heavily on traditional infantry tactics, marksmanship, and small-unit maneuvers.• Domestic Operations: True to its National Guard mandate, elements of the 124th Infantry spent the interwar years balancing federal training with state-active duty, including hurricane disaster relief, civil riot containment, and quarantine guard duties.• Honors: Demonstrating its deep ties to state leadership, on July 23, 1939, Colonel Ayers presented an honorary membership in the regiment to Robert A. Gray (Florida's long-serving Secretary of State) at the Regimental Headquarters.
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