European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                From the cover Page 4 continued from the cover of the american society of military insignia collectors. The membership is devoted to collecting anything that bears distinctive insignia from a military unit or organization. Quot whoever will come Back with anything iraqi will be sitting pretty a agreed Donal j. Sexton a history professor at Tusculum College in Greene Yilli. To com and president of the society. A to sure there  a Market for anything  there is a lot of anticipation for what the vie tors Are carrying with them in the Way of Battlefield Booty discarded by the losers. In fact the collectibles done to have to come from the iraqis. Anything from the Allied forces in the persian Gulf War will be traded sold and moved throughout the hobbyists circles.  is willing to guess what Price items related to operation desert storm will bring on the Market now. But there is precedent for the Antic. Ipa cd Price hikes Down the Road Boeckel said a pith helmet worn by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War once sold for $10 on the collectors Market. Now it will go for $500. Similar escalation has moved North Vietnam use Chest pouches into the $350 to $400 Price Range. Viet Cong sandals can net $60 or More a Sexton Suid a Patch from one of. The world War 11 paratrooper regiments will sell for $500. Quot some things i bought in 1972 have gone up about 600 percent a Boeckel added. But the lure of a profit is not a major reason for collecting insignia. Quot some of it is nostalgia a Sexton said. A you have a lot of world War ii veterans who have become interested in the past couple years.�?�. As for other reasons Quot sometimes you like a a Challenge a explained , Whitworth director of resource management for the Heilbronn Mili a tary Community in Germany he collects among other things nato pocket badges. A and believe a you me getting these nato badges is a  a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Quot anything that has a nato Star on it i want to get. It a he said. Quot for a lot of years i be been collecting combat crests and pins and badges. I just spun off into the nato  in All Whitworth a collection of badges cloth patches pins and the like numbers in the thousands. Perhaps tens of thousands. Spread across the living room floor of his Sinsheim Home they form a Wall to Wall carpet of Bright colors and artful designs a a in be got 30  boxes of things at Home in the United states Quot Whitworth said. His collection includes some unusual items. He has medals of i Amor from the army and the air Force a badge worn by a guard at the Tomb of the unknown Soldier in Washington d.c., and a a a a a a a. A a a a s&5 Jim Der vim . Whitworth above director of resource management for thei Heilbronn military Community in Germany is surrounded by most but not All of his insignia. His collection includes the air Force medal of Honor pictured on the cover and Box upon Box of patches. During the civil War when Gen Philip a. Kearney the commander of the Union s i Bird corps assigned different badges to the divisions within his s?mckh1m�fi0 Muiry la Ignias by Viniam Fow Era has it that the idea so my off cers for men of has corps and reprimanded them for their  a. A. A. A. A ,. _ the shoulder Patch As it is worn today was officially introduced into the u s army in 1918 Dunneh it by a  of 81 inf div wore a handmade a wild cat badge on their upper left aim. When they arrived in France other army units copied the idea with various designs. Official permission to Wear the  Given on oct. 19,1918 presidential service badge. Quot that a a real Tough nut to crack Quot he said. Numerically however the largest part of his collection is a seemingly endless Quantity of shoulder patches which he can flip through and identify with Little Effort. The Hobby of collecting patches and other insignia grew heavily in world War ii As soldiers in Allied armies traded w Ith each other. That is still True today and collectors suppose there was a lot of such swapping during operation desert. Storm. A a. A. Sexton said a Friend of his in the French army traded his entire uniform for the uniform of an american special forces member. A it crosses International Bridges a Sexton said of the Hobby. Boeckel whose chapter holds an open meeting the Unrod sunday of each month at Mcnair Ca sent in Hochst near Frankfurt said there is an easy lesson for someone who wants to get into. The Hobby. A a a. A. If it s military pick it up a he said. A some Day somebody will want it for their  sunday april 14, 1991 a