USAF Uniforms (Read 1,524 times)

The officers with Eddie Rickenbacker are James Jabara an Ace from Korea and Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg.
I wore most of those uniforms, including the Summer shorts.
Jim

The site Mark sent is great. Brought back lots of memories. As I said before, I wore many of those old uniforms.
The blues I got in February 1952 were all wool, heavy, and hot. They were hot Winter or Summer. They needed constant cleaning and pressing to keep them looking neat. The overcoat was also wool. Heavy and when you had to wear it in a drizzle or heavy fog, it felt like the thing weighed a ton. It, too, had to be dry-cleaned and never seemed to be without a crease someplace. We did have a pretty good rain coat. However, that was before Scotch Gard and after a while it began to lose it's rain shedding ability and you got wet if it rained very hard. Couldn't carry and umbrella in uniform, so the rain coat was it. I don't know why anyone liked the Ike jacket. It, too, was wool and because of the short waist and the built-in belt, it never felt comfortable. I didn't wear it unless I had to. The issue hat was also wool and in the early days we couldn't wear a rain cover that did any good. Later on I got a Flight Ace hat that was much better and we could wear the plastic cover. We were not allowed to take the grommet out the hat on base, so generally didn't bother. The "50 Mission Crush" was generally discouraged at training bases.
The one-piece fatigues were designed by some pre-feminist mad woman.
They had a belt sewn on, with a large stamped metal buckle that you threaded the loose part of the belt through and then tucked the loose end under to keep it from hanging loose. The front buttoned from the collar to the crotch and had a full-length flap over the buttons. It was made of heavy cotton that felt like canvas. If you needed to get them off in a hurry, like after eating the greasy eggs at the chow hall, well, let me tell you, it wasn't unbuckle, unbutton and drop. No, sir, it was unbutton from the neck down and unbuckle and then drop and hope you could get it done before it was too late and some changes had to be made. If you were out in the field and having to use a slit trench, that brought along other problems. If it was raining, you had to be very careful how you dropped 'em. If not, the sleeves and maybe the collar hit the mud, and whatever else was there. I guess I don't really need to give further explanation. On hot days you couldn't shed the top part and just have a T-shirt on top. Nope, you had to unbutton to the waist, roll the top part down, keeping the sleeves hanging free and then tie the whole thing together with the sleeves. Needless to say, it was a bother. You have no idea how happy us ramp rats were when we got our first two-piece fatigues in the mid to late fifties. There were still some wearing the one-piece in to the very early sixties. Depending on where you were, and the first shirt's disposition, you probably had to keep them starched and ironed. They never really looked great, but they had been around since the twenties, so guess someone thought they were good.
The early two-piece were also cotton, but much more comfortable. We were allowed to have short sleeves and that made them more comfortable in the Summer. They had to be starched and ironed, as well, but were much nicer looking than the one-piece or the sage greens that followed.
Jim

:god_bless_usa

I liked the Permanent press. Easier to maintain.
While stationed in southern California I wore white coveralls mostly during the summer as they were much cooler.
We were required to have nametags and patches on them also.
I got two new pair issued and all my stuff sowed on them and then washed them. Some one left something red in the barracks washing maching and when I loaded my coveralls I did not see it. When I went back down to get my coveralls after the wash was done my "new" coveralls were pink.
I took them back to the shop next day to get new ones issued and I was almost laughed out of the shop.
The shop chief said, "I'll issue you replacements but I should make you ware a set for the day while working the flightline." I'm sure glad he didn't.
I had to buy new stripes, name tag, and USAF tag. But the squadron gave me two new 63rd MAW patches.


Click on photo to enlarge

I can't recall exactly what I paid for mine but the best story I have is when I went to one of our CMSgt's retirement ceremony and the uniform of the day was service dress. Since it wasn't a formation ceremony - it was at the club - I decided to wear my service cap. I walked into the club with my lid under my arm and was seated next to a SMSgt and a MSgt. (I was a SSgt at the time.) I placed my service cap under my seat as the SMSgt watched me, and started eyeballing my cap! After a few minutes he leaned over and whispered to me, "You know, those hats aren't authorized anymore." I whispered back, "Actually, they are. They're just optional for O-3's and below. It's in the AFI."

Well, the MSgt on the other side of the SMSgt was my element leader and when the ceremony ended he pulled me to the side and TOLD me he wanted to see the AFI!! I bit my tongue, went back to the shop and looked it up for him. I printed the page off, gave it to him with out a word and went home.

I never heard an apology.

I wear my service cap every chance I get these days!!

Mark

I wear my service cap every chance I get these days!!

Thanks Mark for insisting on wearing what use to be called "Garrison Hat" whenever possible.........What you call the flight cap use to be called the sevice cap or as we reffered to it , the C--t cap- not in mixed company, of course................ I too, remember the one piece fatiques and the endless hours spent spit shining the one pair of brown roughouts to resemble the one pair of black brogans we were issued!!!!!
We would take and remove the stiches on the belt of the one piecers back to the side seams so we could tuck the excess matieral on our sides--- Made them look "tailored"......... We also had a fatique cap similar to what the Marines wear.....And we were taught how to fold it and put it in our pocket so that when you came out of a building you pulled it out and gave it snap on the way to your head..... In '57, I was coming out of the BX at Griffiss as one of our pilots was coming up the steps, I whipped out that hat, gave it a snap and saluted all in the same motion--
he started laughing because after 5 years of being folded the same way, the top of the hat broke at the folds and was hanging on the side of my face.......... He handed me his sqdn ball cap and said to get one at the orderly room, hence my intiation to the wearing of sqdn hats.... That modification of the belt also made it easy to carry a folded poncho while marching in basic at Sampson AFB- pure hell though when double time march was required.............. I liked the IKE jacket as it was a comfortable jacket to wear while traveling.....Travel other than POV was in uniform, lot of times good for a free cup of coffee and sometimes a piece of pie... Never did like the first 2 piece fatiques with only the 2 cargo pockets, wore one piece til they came out with regular pants........ had an episode with damned bush jacket and a captain CO at Amarillo for later.........I personally like the first blues I was issued in '52- including the overcoat in winter at Griffiss.........A story about that later as well...
The Old Sarge

Mark, I have a set of 55 year old engineer wings (cross trained from a W to I believe it was H for single engine jet, so never got to wear them.........) BTW, whatnhell does the flt engineer's BADGE look like
The Old Sarge