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Anonymous
Guest
If they were that affected by fit as we are today, they might have been considered to, :? :? :? :? can't think of a politically correct term.Rutger said:
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Anonymous
Guest
Maybe rank, or squadron.dmar836 said:
herk115
Active Member
dmar836 said:
Dave,
In some pics, both in CONUS and overseas, he has two name tags. In other pics, both CONUS and overseas, he has one. He never told me why, and I never knew enough to ask. However, many years ago I was able to enlarge one negative enough to identify the other name tag. The lower one read "SQDN S-4". Only once, in all my perusing of A-2 photos, have I seen anything similar. I can't remember who or where it was, but there was at least one other guy who had, below is name strip, another tage reading "SQDN [Whatever]".
I've always been a bit baffled by these pictures. My father spent 31 years in the USAF, but was never aircrew. He was a rear-echelon typewriter commando. He never hid his disdain for aircrew. He once had the nerve to tell me, while I was in a combat aircrew assignment, "I know more about the air force than any throttle jockey." Yet despite his animosity for those who wore wings, he never had any problem strutting around in flight suits and A-2s.
The picture you see of the shotgun fest was pretty much standard training for folks headed overseas. It was felt that skeet shooting was good training, and I suppose it was, as it got some of those city boys used to guns. It's the same reason we were trained in the 80's to shoot M-16s: if your base is being overrun and there are a bunch of perfectly good weapons laying around, you ought to be able to use them. It was a lesson learned the hard way in Vietnam.
I am reminded, though, of Joseph Heller's description of the skeet-shooting program in Catch-22: "Skeet shooting was excellent training. It trained them to shoot skeet." And, yes, "clay pidgeon" was the bird they had for dinner that night!
Cheers,
Larry
The Doolittle photo's, the second photo, the guy in the front row on the left was the pilot of the second B25 to leave the carrier. His name is Travis Hoover. I knew him and visited his home a few times.
He lived in Joplin MO and was a neighbor of my sister-in-law. That's how I got to know him.
I had the privilege to visit with him about what was arguable the most know bombing mission of WWII. Also got him to autograph the bill of a crusher hat that I still have.
He's no longer with us as he passed away a few years ago.
What a walking piece of history he was.
He lived in Joplin MO and was a neighbor of my sister-in-law. That's how I got to know him.
I had the privilege to visit with him about what was arguable the most know bombing mission of WWII. Also got him to autograph the bill of a crusher hat that I still have.
He's no longer with us as he passed away a few years ago.
What a walking piece of history he was.
A2 pockets from the same contract were not sized up or down depending on the tagged size of the jacket. There was variation in pocket size from the same maker. For example the pockets on the first Cable contract were smaller than those on the no name 27753 Cable contract. However the pockets on A2s from the first RW contract are significantly larger than those used on later contracts even though the jackets are tagged the same size.
FlyingYankee
Active Member
Well there are only 3 sizes in the military, too small, too big and just right
lightning38
New Member
I agree too.
Granted, in WW II, I'm sure some Enlisted and Officers would go to the PX and buy better fitting military shirts and pants then ones that were issued or had to buy, in the case of officers and I think even my dad who was an AAF crew chief did it but I really doubt they'd be that particular about their flight jacket unless they lost or gained alot of weight or were a vain movie star in the military that had to look the part for the cameras.
Granted, in WW II, I'm sure some Enlisted and Officers would go to the PX and buy better fitting military shirts and pants then ones that were issued or had to buy, in the case of officers and I think even my dad who was an AAF crew chief did it but I really doubt they'd be that particular about their flight jacket unless they lost or gained alot of weight or were a vain movie star in the military that had to look the part for the cameras.
sparidon said:
