aurelius180 Posted February 7, 2020 Share #1 Posted February 7, 2020 I purchased this 8th AAF summer tan coat a few years ago from a reputable dealer. It looked and felt good but I always hit dead ends in researching the name and there was a small part of me that questioned it. Particularly since I don't usually see summer tans for the 8th. Now that the award cards are searchable online I was able to put a name to this. Clayton D Raynes who is not listed on the American Air Museum website, that I could find. I really want to thank the board and the members who took the time to lay out the process for searching the award cards online in an effective manner. I've started to piece together some additional history for some uniforms in my collection and in this case put a name back to a uniform that was lost with time. Thank you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurelius180 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share #2 Posted February 7, 2020 Additional pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 7, 2020 Share #3 Posted February 7, 2020 Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurelius180 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share #4 Posted February 7, 2020 I'm so glad I could put a name to this uniform and I found a great article about him from 2013. https://donmooreswartales.com/2013/03/17/clayton-raynes/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray42 Posted February 7, 2020 Share #5 Posted February 7, 2020 Nice uniform, I am glad you were able to finally ID it. Ive always been confused about the 8th air force's use of tan coats and why some chose to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurelius180 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share #6 Posted February 7, 2020 Nice uniform, I am glad you were able to finally ID it. Ive always been confused about the 8th air force's use of tan coats and why some chose to use them. Same here. My thought at the moment is that it based on the pictures and article he was transferred to the 2nd AAF after completing his 25 missions. Perhaps he wore the tans immediately upon transferring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan H. Posted February 7, 2020 Share #7 Posted February 7, 2020 Summer weight uniforms (tans) were prescribed as optional wear for officers serving in temperate climates. Technically, any officer could wear tans in warm weather. Professional officers would typically have both types of uniforms while many reserve officers, or those serving for the duration were not required to purchase them. This is the same reason that you don't normally see WWII era dress blue uniforms. They weren't required, yet some officers still purchased them as they knew that they would need them at some point in the future. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVR Posted February 7, 2020 Share #8 Posted February 7, 2020 Hi Aurelius, great you could ID the original owner of this uniform...It's always nicer to look at a uniform when you know his history! Maybe you can explain how you did your research so we can learn how to do it in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurelius180 Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share #9 Posted February 7, 2020 Hi Aurelius, great you could ID the original owner of this uniform...It's always nicer to look at a uniform when you know his history! Maybe you can explain how you did your research so we can learn how to do it in the future! Check out this thread: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/337986-nara-award-cards-now-available-online/page-3&do=findComment&comment=2718163 The fellow members did a terrific job figuring out the NARA website search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin B. Posted February 8, 2020 Share #10 Posted February 8, 2020 Tans would stick out like a sore thumb in the wartime UK and probably wouldn't be worn there, but any officer could order a set, because who knows where they might end up? And I'm sure there were plenty of tailors who'd offer, hey, if you want a summer uniform to go along with your pink-and-greens I'll give you a deal... Great uniform to see, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted February 10, 2020 Share #11 Posted February 10, 2020 Raynes, Clayton D. 2nd Lt. O-734739 333rd Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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