Pin for the 758th Tank Battalion owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls
date: label: Date
content: 1942-1945
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
label: Issued by
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
label: Owned by
content: Lieutenant Vernon O. Nicolls, American, 1909 - 2003
label: Subject of
content: 758th Tank Battalion, American, 1941 - 1945
notes: label: Caption
content: Vernon Nicolls was born in Barbados in 1909 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1915. During World War II, while living in Brooklyn, Nicolls enlisted as a Private in the Army at Fort Jay on Governor's Island, New York, in 1942. After graduating from Officer Candidate School, Lieutenant Nicolls served in Italy with the 758th Tank Battalion, the Army's first African American armored unit.
label: Description
content: A pin for the 758th Tank Battalion of the United States Army owned by Lt. Vernon O. Nicolls. The pin is rectangular in shape with a rounded bottom edge. The pin is silver with white and black enamel. The pin’s main design element is a white enameled shield shape with the 758th's distinctive unit insignia, the head of an African elephant with large white tusks, centrally depicted. The elephant’s head is enameled in black with white enameled tusks that have been outlined in silver. Below the elephant insignia is the 758th's motto, [WE PIERCE], written in silver, against a black enameled banner. The back side of the pin has a vertically oriented safety closure pin that had been soldered to the pin at each end. There is a stamped mark located just above the bottom pin closure that reads: [[---?] / STERLING].
place: label: Place used
content: Italy, Europe
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Men
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Awards, Medals, and Insignia
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kay L. Nicolls
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2014.142.3
objectType: label: Type
content: pins (fasteners)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: enamel on silver with metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 1 1/4 × 15/16 × 1/4 in. (3.1 × 2.4 × 0.6 cm)