SHOULDER SLEEVE INSIGNIA

Can anyone identify the shoulder sleeve insignia on this soldier? Looks similar to 9th Infantry Division but not exactly. Can you identify the three ribbons on his chest? Third one looks like Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster but hard to tell with it not being a color photo.

 

Looks like it could be 7th service command as seen on this page:
WWII US military shoulder patches
Although looking at:
WWII US military shoulder patches
8th Service command looks even more likely as the center is round rather than star shaped.
9th service command might also be a possibility as displayed here:
WWII US military shoulder patches

 

I believe that it does look like the 8th Service Command and center ribbon looks like Army Good Conduct but can't determine the other two ribbons.

 

Ribbon on the right would likely be a campaign medal based on ribbon bar precedence (can't tell which though), and it appears to have 1 service star.

Agreed that the middle ribbon is an Army Good Conduct Medal

I can't tell what the one on the left is.

 

I think I read that the 8th Service Command was in the Pacific. Any chance for a higher resolution scan of just the ribbon bar? Here's a page with the ribbons in case it helps anyone:
Army Ribbon/Medal Order of Display
Any idea of his name? If it's a relative you might be able to get his records which would help considerably.

 

I'm wondering if third ribbon might be WWII Victory Medal with bronze star. Can anyone identify the branch insignia on his left lapel?

Product Description
Instituted: 1945
Qualifying Dates: 1941-46
Criteria: Awarded for service in US Armed Forces between 1941 and 1946. If a veteran served at least 1 day prior to 31 December 1946, he/she is eligible for this award.
(Note- a bronze star attachment was often affixed to denote that the award was for service in combat)

 

If "8th Service Group" is the same as "8th Service Command" then that unit received one campaign star for "Papua". Therefore third ribbon might be "Asiatic- Pacific" Campaign ribbon with one bronze star.

 

The 8 points on the star make it the 8th Service Command. Here is some information on Army Service Commands. The Service Commands were part of the Army Service Forces and were all located in the Zone of the Interior (continental USA). The 8th Service Command was headquartered in Dallas, TX. The 8th Service Group was part of the Army Air Forces and was not the same as the 8th Service Command.

 

Thanks for clearing up the difference between the two 8th Service units

 

The more that I look at it, I believe that the third ribbon is the American Campaign ribbon with bronze star. If it had been the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon which is mostly yellow/gold in color then it would have been a lighter color in the picture.

 

I think you may be correct about that. The Bronze Service Star on the American Campaign ribbon would suggest that he was on duty with a unit that participated in and received credit for the antisubmarine campaign, probably in the Gulf of Mexico. This is, of course, should be verified through documentation.