Navy utility shirt/jacket crows

[sigsaye]

 

These are the crows that were used on the Navy utility uniforms from 1972 until 1980 and on utility jackets until '97. The darker ones were the original ones for the shirts and the darker colored jackets. About '79(ish) they changed the color of the jackets to a lighter shade to match the revived dungaree uniform and the lighter shade crows were brought out. Interestingly, these lighter shade crows wer also used on the jacket that was in service from the late '50s until replaced bu the utility jacket.

 

Steve Hesson

[dpcsdan]

 

These are the crows that were used on the Navy utility uniforms from 1972 until 1980 and on utility jackets until '97. The darker ones were the original ones for the shirts and the darker colored jackets. About '79(ish) they changed the color of the jackets to a lighter shade to match the revived dungaree uniform and the lighter shade crows were brought out. Interestingly, these lighter shade crows wer also used on the jacket that was in service from the late '50s until replaced bu the utility jacket.

 

Steve Hesson

Wore the upper right (light crow) on my working jacket in 1963.

Steve,

I'd like to use this photo in the next release of my book on the working jacket page.

 

Thanks,

-dan

[67Rally]

 

These are the crows that were used on the Navy utility uniforms from 1972 until 1980 and on utility jackets until '97. The darker ones were the original ones for the shirts and the darker colored jackets. About '79(ish) they changed the color of the jackets to a lighter shade to match the revived dungaree uniform and the lighter shade crows were brought out. Interestingly, these lighter shade crows wer also used on the jacket that was in service from the late '50s until replaced bu the utility jacket.

 

Steve Hesson

 

I wore my working (utility) jacket constantly in CIC on my first ship as it was always 57 degrees...even when it was 120 outside...we froze are butts off inside. I loved how after several washes, the blue faded but the red in the chevrons stayed bright. The crow seemed to always have a blue hue. It was a very comfortable uniform item. When we shifted to wearing blue coveralls aboard ship (only while underway), the utility worked well with them.

 

When I got to the Camden, I was issued a brand new green foul weather jacket and wore that for two years. I tried to "lose" the jacket but my div-o was having none of that. Of all the stuff I left the navy with, I couldn't manage to bring the green jacket home.

 

I should dig out my utility jacket.

[sigsaye]

Wore the upper right (light crow) on my working jacket in 1963.

Steve,

I'd like to use this photo in the next release of my book on the working jacket page.

 

Thanks,

-dan

Dan, You are always free to use anything I have. Thanks again for your great book. I need to do a book report on it.

 

Steve Hesson

[TomcatPC]

Hello

 

Thanks for posting the items you have been posting lately Steve, many of them I can at least relate with or recall from my short four year hitch in the US Navy.

 

I never had to put a crow on my Blue Utility Jacket (I think "almost" made AE3 as I was getting out, but no dice LOL). Actually, I did not really wear my Blue Utility Jacket much after getting to NAS Miramar and to my squadron (VF-302). At which point I was issued a Olive Drab Foul Weather Jacket that I wore for the rest of my enlistment.

 

I was issued the O.D. Foul Weather Jacket in late 1990/early 1991-ish. I think I might have been the last person in my squadron to be issued a O.D. Foul Weather Jacket, as all the new people after me got blue Foul Weather Jackets. In the end it was good thing, as was allowed to keep my fold weather jacket as it was obsolete by that time (I got out in June 1993).

 

Sorry for going way off topic with that post LOL.

Thanks

Mark

[sigsaye]

 

This is a crow that belonged to my Dad. It was originally in a wax paper envelope that has long since disappeared. It dates from the mid-late '60s and was never used. I find it interesting that he had it as he never wore them on his dungarees. Even these were around for awhile by the time he retired, He says they were not that commonly worn. Not sure if I beleive that or not, but I know several older Sailors who say the same thing. On my first ship, I worked with a guy we called "Pappy" (of course). He was a PO3, but had originally enlisted in '51, just had gotten out and come back into the Navy several times. Any way, he did not wear a crow on his dungarees either. He said that real Sailors didn't need someting like that to show who was in charge. OK, not going to argue with them. I guess on larger ships like Carriers they are useful, but on small ships, you pretty much know who every one is. I think it was an early attempt of the navys to "clean up" dungarees and make them something they were never meant to be.

 

Steve Hesson

[dpcsdan]

 

This is a crow that belonged to my Dad. It was originally in a wax paper envelope that has long since disappeared. It dates from the mid-late '60s and was never used. I find it interesting that he had it as he never wore them on his dungarees. Even these were around for awhile by the time he retired, He says they were not that commonly worn. Not sure if I beleive that or not, but I know several older Sailors who say the same thing. On my first ship, I worked with a guy we called "Pappy" (of course). He was a PO3, but had originally enlisted in '51, just had gotten out and come back into the Navy several times. Any way, he did not wear a crow on his dungarees either. He said that real Sailors didn't need someting like that to show who was in charge. OK, not going to argue with them. I guess on larger ships like Carriers they are useful, but on small ships, you pretty much know who every one is. I think it was an early attempt of the navys to "clean up" dungarees and make them something they were never meant to be.

 

Steve Hesson

I attended boot camp in San Diego, in April-Jun 1961.

When I made PO3 (RD3) in 1963, I was eager to show I was no longer a "non-rate" and wore one of the above iron on rating badges (also stitched on so it didn't start to peel after a few washings). (Photo below, not that clear, sorry).

 

"Old timers" were not keen on utilizing these on their dungarees, especially the deck force old timers, but by the mid-1960s most were wearing them, even on the MSO (Minesweeper, Ocean) that I was stationed on in Panama City, Florida, in 1965. The USS Assurance (MSO-521) had a complement of less than 80 men.

 

-dan

[sigsaye]

Dan, I'm with you, I couldn't wait to get those crows on my dungs. I prefered these iron on patches (stitched down) to the iron on stencil type. I never understood why my father or "Pappy" didn;t weare them. Then again, when my dad went into the Navy stenciling dungarees was just so you got them back from the laundry, he said they used 2 inch letters across the back and he didn't start putting his name over the pocket until the mid '60s or so. I remember wearing his dungarees when he retired ('67) to work in and none of them had crows.

 

Steve Hesson

[dpcsdan]

Dan, You are always free to use anything I have. Thanks again for your great book. I need to do a book report on it.

 

Steve Hesson

Thanks, Steve.

I've posted a link to purchasing info in the For Sale (Books) section.

 

Salvage Sailor has also mentioned that he's going to do a review for the USMF membership. I thought you might be too close to the work since you've contributed a large part to section-I.

 

Thanks, again, for your input.

 

-dan

[PatchMeThru]

Oh cow.... when you mentioned above about the stenciling thing. I had a flashback from bootcamp where this poor guy was ridiculed because for (one), no one could pronounce his name and (two), it was so frakkin long I think it went across his chest and onto the sleeve. It may have gone around his sleeve. It was something like Grafensperger Von Hasseldorfenmassentoven. I was like what kind of name is that??? I don't even know if I spelled it right, it took me almost 6 weeks just say his name. I think everyone called him "gee von" for short. I also remember the Chief Warrant Officer of the division when he came around and saw that long stencil (they called him the ice man) used to call him various "explicitives" because he couldn't pronounce his name either.

[TomcatPC]

Hello

 

Talk about seeing names that are long and difficult to speak LOL, I swear there are some family names that one only hears when they are in the Service LOL. Anyway, just because someone has a short and non-difficult name to speak and spell, that is not guarantee that others wll be able to speak in correctly LOL.

 

I have a very easy to speak and spell, one sylable English family name that should give most people the opportunity to say with ease LOL. My family name is Lodge, and I swear that I heard others say it as "Lode-ge" and "Lode-gah" LOL. Anyway, I think I need to shut up now, I am starting to have flashbacks of the first day on Boot Camp LOL, the smell from the stecil ink pens has just returned to my nose LOL. I swear I will always remember that smell LOL.

Thanks

Mark