M-65 thread

[Peter Graham]

After all the great info that came to light in the M-51 thread I thought a thread on the good ole M-65 would be a good idea. Pictured is an M-65 I recently bought from a forum member. It's a 71 dated Alpha with an unusual grey green lining and came with an original liner. I applied the special forces patch myself. I don't know how accurate it is for the jacket but I think it looks cool. Any info on the unit would be appreciated. I can't find anything. The US Army strip and nametag are original to the jacket. I think the M-65 is a design classic. The last one I bought lasted me for over 20 years so I hope to be wearing this jacket for a long time to come.

 

[havocpaul]

Over the last 30 years I've owned and worn ('til they worn out!) many M-65's, they are iconic and verstile and if the liner is present, a great all-year round jacket. I am on the look out for a nice example and hope next month's War and Peace Show will have a few good ones for good prices.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Nice jacket you have there, Peter. The grey lining is commonly seen in Vietnam-era examples, which I suppose aren't so common anymore. The patch may be some variation of Recon Team Arkansas, although I don't know too much about SF insignia as I don't collect it. However, I believe such unofficial patches would probably have been sewn on the pocket rather than the sleeve.

 

[Peter Graham]

Nice jacket you have there, Peter. The grey lining is commonly seen in Vietnam-era examples, which I suppose aren't so common anymore. The patch may be some variation of Recon Team Arkansas, although I don't know too much about SF insignia as I don't collect it. However, I believe such unofficial patches would probably have been sewn on the pocket rather than the sleeve.

Great info Jim, thanks. I spent a long time deliberating where to put that patch and did I ever think of the pocket ? Of course not ! My next question is, do you know which pocket ? I want the jacket to look correct.

 

[Vcruiser]

Peter
Looks exactly like the field jacket that I was issued in Basic training(1970)at Ft. Knox,Kentucky. However....mine had the Armour School triangle on upper left sleeve.
Van

 

[watchmanjimg]

Van, I was at Knox in '87. However, I enlisted in a COHORT unit so we had the 4th ID patch from day one. My M-65s were the crappy woodland camo version. Peter's jacket is interesting because it has a blackened brass zipper, which I've never seen on an M-65 before. My M-65s from the first pattern through 1969 have aluminum zippers, and the next oldest one is a '75 Alpha with a plain brass zipper.

 

[Vcruiser]

Van, I was at Knox in '87. However, I enlisted in a COHORT unit so we had the 4th ID patch from day one. My M-65s were the crappy woodland camo version. Peter's jacket is interesting because it has a blackened brass zipper, which I've never seen on an M-65 before. My M-65s from the first pattern through 1969 have aluminum zippers, and the next oldest one is a '75 Alpha with a plain brass zipper.

I must admit...I don't really know much about Army field jackets...and it's been so long...I don't even remember exactly what kind of zip my M-65 had. However..I didn't think it had an aluminum zip....but then I don't recall a paperclip puller either. I do know that I didn't like it. Didn't care for the hood in the collar or the fit.
The day that I processed out(at Knox) the grumpy ole supply Sgt(that I never got along with)...saved...and presented me with a mint M-51 with a set of Sgt stripes and DSGT patch already installed. He knew that I had been looking for one for a long time. I gladly handed him my issued M-65 in trade. Whatta guy!
I went home..grew out hippy hair...put on my Lennon rose color glasses...and wore that M-51 for the next five or so years until my little brother begged it off of me......
Van

BTW...I'm not familiar with COHORT. It doesn't sound familiar. Not sure that designation was around when I was in.

 

[watchmanjimg]

I don't think it was either, Van. I believe COHORT started in the early '80s. Essentially it's where the members of a basic training platoon are assembled for one-station unit training (OSUT) and stay together for the remainder of their initial term of enlistment. Under this system, upon enlistment the recruit knows exactly where he's going after basic training, hence the unit patch of the duty station being worn from day one.

 

[Vcruiser]

I don't think it was either, Van. I believe COHORT started in the early '80s. Essentially it's where the members of a basic training platoon are assembled for one-station unit training (OSUT) and stay together for the remainder of their initial term of enlistment. Under this system, upon enlistment the recruit knows exactly where he's going after basic training, hence the unit patch of the duty station being worn from day one.

Is COHORT still in use? I think that in certain instances..maybe many...that would be great! Going through Basic myself...then training troops at Ft. Polk..I certainly know what camaraderie can mean. I must say,tho...I'm surprised that the Army didn't realize the benefits sooner.
Van

 

[watchmanjimg]

I'm pretty sure they've done away with it. For whatever advantages it may have offered, the COHORT program had its drawbacks. Promotions can be slower in COHORT units due to the lower turnover, and generally there's a mentality that "unless everybody does it, nobody does it." This can be harmful to the individual soldier wishing to improve himself by attending airborne school, etc.

 

[Tim P]

I love the m65 and have an od and a woodland one just now. would like a 3 colour desert one but have no need for one.

 

[MikeyB-17]

Mmm, I've fancied one for a while. Now I fancy one even more.

 

[Chandler]

I got an M-65 in my senior year of high school -- just a few years later than the manufacture of Peter's coat. I got it because I wanted a field coat just like Van Johnson's in Battleground. Then I started to notice details.

Yeah, I like the M-65 as a utility coat, I have a woodland camo version with the plastic zip from the late 90s that I bought for a paintball excursion that fell through. I use it for "dirty jobs" and camping. Just me, but I like the M-43 better for style.

I will say, the M-65 served me well in snowball fights and outdoor college parties -- you can load a lotta snowballs and beer cans in those pockets!

Chandler

 

[Chandler]

I think the M-65 is a design classic.

Can it be classic when it's an evolution from the M-43 to the M-51? Other than minor details, it's basically the same overall look.

Chandler

 

[Peter Graham]

I think the M-65 is a design classic.

Can it be classic when it's an evolution from the M-43 to the M-51? Other than minor details, it's basically the same overall look.

Chandler

Good point. Maybe it's the M-43 that's the design classic but the M-65 brought the concept to it's logical conclusion with all the user friendly features, velcro, zipper, hood etc.

 

[Tim P]

I think the m65 is iconic in its own right and no less the case from having evolved. the a2 evolved from the a1 but had a practical collar and a zip front. that too is iconic in its own right.

 

[Chandler]

...with all the user friendly features, velcro, zipper, hood etc.

After I wrote that last post I thought about the M-43 with its buttons, the M-51 with the zipper leading to the M-65 with a zip -- and now it has a plastic zip -- comin' around?

And you really think that hood is "user friendly?"

I think it was developed to wear over a knit hat and under a helmet -- other than that, its afforded protection is nil! OTOH, the liner to the M-65 is a lot better than what was handed out for the M-43 -- that was progress! Not sure what the M-51 had.

As to the A-2s evolution from the A-1, there's a BIG step there, not like the M-43 to the M-65... other than those small details I mentioned earlier -- I really like the lapels better than the all-in-one collar on the M-65.

Chandler

 

[watchmanjimg]

I have to agree that it's a stretch to characterize the M-65's design as classic, but that's exactly why it has lasted over 40 years. It's a supremely practical garment with very little in the way of crisp military styling, which its predecessors the M43, M50, and M51 had in spades. My research as well as conversations with veterans who had a choice of field jackets suggests that many troops preferred the earlier designs, and it's not uncommon to see photographs as least as recent as 1970 where M51s are still worn. That said, I love the M-65 and have a number of them in my collection (big surprise there) although the M-51 is my favorite.

 

[watchmanjimg]

OTOH, the liner to the M-65 is a lot better than what was handed out for the M-43 -- that was progress! Not sure what the M-51 had.

The M-51 had a button-in liner constructed of ripstop nylon with an exposed insulating layer of double-sided wool pile (like that used in the MA-1 from the first pattern through the E spec). The itchy pile side was worn away from the body. I personally like this type of liner although I haven't had a chance to compare it to the M-65. I will say that in my personal experience the M-65 was woefully inadequate as a cold-weather garment in military use, but under the limited exposure of typical civilian wear it's just fine. While I was in the Army I sprung for an ECWCS Gore-Tex parka and never looked back.

 

[watchmanjimg]

http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/moc/collection/m-65_mod/index.html

I still have couple original 2nd model M65 jackets.
It's getting hard to find the good one on e-bay.

That's a beautiful reproduction. I also have several of this type in my collection, as well as the first model. Like the tropical combat jacket the "V" gussets at the cuff were eliminated at some point, as were the aluminum zippers.