USMC flyers Tiger Stripe Flight Suit cloth label RECREATION ASSOCIATES

[Bob Hudson]

This flght suit came out of the estate of a Marine Corps pilot who served as Aide De Camp to the 1st Air Wing Commander in Da Nang in 1965.

 

They have a stamped label and a cloth label, and brass zippers. Doesn't look like he ever wore it.

 

I saw another one online with a similar label, from "RECREATION ASSOCIATES."

 

Were these made just for the Marines and was "RECREATION ASSOCIATES" a real company or some sort of front?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kammo-man]

its not mint.

its used.

 

info is in the tiger thread.

 

owen

[Bob Hudson]

its not mint.

its used.

 

info is in the tiger thread.

 

owen

 

Yes there are bits scattered all about regarding these apparently Marine flight suits, but it would handy to collect those bits into one place and maybe clarify some assumptions.

 

I found this from Bob C among the thousands of posts in that thread and he notes:

 

"If you look in the lengthy Tiger Stripe pinned thread, you will see a couple of shots of the Recreational Garments tagged tiger stripe flight suits. These have been referred to as CIA issue. What they really are is, someone heard there was going to be a order coming around for a isue of these tiger stripe suits. One very smart person living on Okinawa, got wind of this order, went to the tailor shop in Tokyo at the Daimaru dept store in the Ginza district, and bought as many sets as he could. As soon as he got them, he had tags made, had them sewn in, and then resold them to the agencies that requested them. Does this make them Ciso or CIA? Not in my mind, it just shows great GI smarts."

 

So this is the source of the RECREATIONAL cloth tags? Were they selling these suits just to units, or individuals too?

[Bob Hudson]

Again vintageproductions from a 2007 post;

 

"As per the original questions about issuing of Tiger Stripes. The only large scale issuing of tiger stripes was done by the Vietnamese Marine Corps. For the most part all other tiger stripes were privately purchased, or purchased and issued on a small command scale. There was no set issue to US troops."

[Bob Hudson]

Does anyone have photos of the cloth labels? I know i saw one but have not yet figured out where...

 

The writing in mine looks llike RECREATIONAL ASSOCIATES. Until now the forum has had only one post mentioning RECREATIONAL tiger stripes and i haven't found any such mention outside the forum.

[Fly USMC]

This is a great find. There are many Photos of Marine Helicopter crews wearing these, but fixed wing aviators had them as well. You don't see to many photos of them being worn late war. By the late 1960s everyone was being issued the Green (Fire retardant) Flight suit. Congratulations!

[BEAST]

This is a great find. There are many Photos of Marine Helicopter crews wearing these, but fixed wing aviators had them as well. You don't see to many photos of them being worn late war. By the late 1960s everyone was being issued the Green (Fire retardant) Flight suit. Congratulations!

 

Great looking flight suit!

 

I posted this photo before, but of course I can't find it now. Here is a press photo that I bought at a local flea market showing a Marine aviator in his tiger flight suit.

 

[Bob Hudson]

This is a great find. There are many Photos of Marine Helicopter crews wearing these, but fixed wing aviators had them as well. You don't see to many photos of them being worn late war. By the late 1960s everyone was being issued the Green (Fire retardant) Flight suit. Congratulations!

 

He flew the OV-10A and KC-130.

[Bob Hudson]

I found a 2014 forum post showing the same cloth label. It's more readable than mine: I had thought it was "RECREATIONAL ASSOCIATES" but the other label clearly shows it as "RECREATION"

 

[Bob Hudson]

And one more label from the forum archives: this one best shows the blue ink.

 

[Doodlebewi]

Congrats on getting it to bad the estate sale was on a Friday would have been cool to get his whole grouping. In the fs section now

[Bob Hudson]

Congrats on getting it to bad the estate sale was on a Friday would have been cool to get his whole grouping. In the fs section now

 

Most everything was expensive and and several people were after it.

[Doodlebewi]

Oh darn that stinks