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I found this pic in my grandmother's belongings after her passing. I'm curious as to what branch of the military this soldier was in and the time frame. Maybe even what war, if any he may have been in. By the emblem on paper frame the picture is in I'm assuming U.S. soldier. My maternal side of the family left Germany so I'm thinking this may be my grandfathers side of the family. The first pic is obviously of the soldier:

soldier

the second is of the front of the frame it's in:

frame

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    How old would he have been when the picture was taken (late teens, early 20's?) and what year was he born. My instinct was to say "Marines" but I'd need a year/decade to try and confirm that. The shape of the buttons and the shirt pockets, for some reason, triggered that response.
    – KorvinStarmast
    Commented Nov 9, 2017 at 20:45
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    At first I thought WW1 Marines as well, but cap missing EGA (eagle,globe and anchor)
    – justCal
    Commented Nov 9, 2017 at 21:46

2 Answers 2

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That appears to me to be a 1914 or 1917 US Army Uniform.

enter image description here

Which means it could be from US involvement in Mexico..

  • 1913-1914. - U.S. troops carried out a skirmish against Huerta's forces in Veracruz.

  • March 1916 – February 1917 - Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing's expedition of about 10,000 soldiers went into Mexico trying to capture Pancho Villa after he raided into the US. They spent 11 months unsuccessfully chasing him.

  • April 6, 1917 - November 11, 1918. and WWI of course

  • 1918–1919. Minor clashes with Mexican irregulars, as well as Mexican Federales near Nogalas Az.

    enter image description here source

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    An excellent answer. I would say even the face expression of the guy is practically the same. :-)
    – Gangnus
    Commented Nov 10, 2017 at 0:39
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I think the uniform is most probably First World War, but I wonder if it could be from the Spanish-American War. See these images:

enter image description here

enter image description here

Soldiers during the Spanish-American War dressed in khaki uniforms based on those worn by the British. These soldiers wait on the field in 1898.

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    Well, the soldiers lounging about in their Montana Peak campaign hats with their rifles stacked nearby are most certainly not of the Spanish-American War. Look at those rifles . . . Springfield Model 1903; did not even exist in the Spanish-American War. Also, that type campaign hat did not come into use until the regulations of 1911.
    – R Leonard
    Commented Dec 7, 2018 at 13:49
  • @RLeonard That seems persuasive particularly as the photo in the original post looks to be similar to the campaign hat in the lower photo in my post.
    – ReggieB
    Commented Dec 7, 2018 at 17:55
  • So WWI is the most likely timeframe for the photo.
    – Daniel
    Commented Jul 15, 2019 at 21:35

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