Gbtr6 Posted June 16, 2022 Share #1 Posted June 16, 2022 I have this Flight jacket that I received about 50 years ago from the owner. He told me he flew Catalinas, and after he retired became an ATC at O'Hare. I am not sure if its WWII or Korean, or somewhere in between. Could it be Cold War, from the Key West base? Not sure but the patches indicate anti-submarine duties to me and there is evidence of a large patch that was removed from the back. It would have been a 'chit' type patch. As you can see, it's not in great shape, and as I'm a 44, I can't wear it. I keep it in a closet in my basement, cool and dry, and in the dark. Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. I would like to find a good useable A2 to wear. Thanks, Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schk Posted June 16, 2022 Share #2 Posted June 16, 2022 You can date the jacket by it's manufacture label, which you didn't post a closeup of. Based on the overall details of the jacket, it appears to be a late 50s Cagleco 7823. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbtr6 Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share #3 Posted June 16, 2022 Thanks, yes, I did see Cagleco on the label. It's not in great shape. Know anything about the units patches? Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted June 16, 2022 Share #4 Posted June 16, 2022 Looks like he served out of Taiwan at some point in the 1950s The name tag with the wings was made in Taiwan. The two patrol squadron patches look Japanese made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbtr6 Posted June 16, 2022 Author Share #5 Posted June 16, 2022 Thanks, that would explain the characters on the wings. Perhaps name and rank? Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted June 16, 2022 Share #6 Posted June 16, 2022 Welcome to the forum. I can't say wearing original A-2s is much advised anymore - especially with the excellent repros now available. I know I sound harsh but, trust me, most who would recognize what it is(and it's shockingly few) would likely be the same who would not be impressed that it's an original being worn. I say this as one who wears a repro A-2 all the time(not a cheesy one) to museums overseas, to airports, to aviation related meetings, etc. and I can't remember anyone ever approaching me to ask about it unless it was friends who knew it was a new jacket. Never got to tell anyone about my NOS WWII triple-marked Talon zip! There just did! Patching one out, dressing up in the heat, and hanging around airshows for pictures(*cringe*) is a totally different thing so there's that aspect I guess. Please don't view this as an attack on you. It's your nickel so if you feel that need to scratch that itch for wearing a period A-2 you will pay a pretty penny for a wearable one in a 44. The last 44 I bought was maybe 10 yrs ago and was $1200 unnamed but in great wearable shape. I suppose I saved it from those wanting one that was wearable.😉 I would now guess one would be a bit more than the best repros(#Goodwear). Can I ask what the motivation might be for you personally? Genuinely curious. Feel free to PM if you don't want to talk about it on here. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FT.Monmouth1943 Posted June 16, 2022 Share #7 Posted June 16, 2022 5 hours ago, manayunkman said: Looks like he served out of Taiwan at some point in the 1950s The name tag with the wings was made in Taiwan. The two patrol squadron patches look Japanese made. What makes you say the name tag is Taiwanese made? Looks Japanese made to me and the translation at the top looks Japanese too. - Jakob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schk Posted June 16, 2022 Share #8 Posted June 16, 2022 The characters at the top of the nameplate are Kanji (Japanese) and a phonetic representation of his name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted June 16, 2022 Share #9 Posted June 16, 2022 Schk, I have two items that have such writing. Since there is some overlap from Chinese, I took one item to a Mandarin friend who said it was from an old dialect she couldn't really translate. Are you able to translate or are you just assuming this is Japanese? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schk Posted June 16, 2022 Share #10 Posted June 16, 2022 4 minutes ago, dmar836 said: Schk, I have two items that have such writing. Since there is some overlap from Chinese, I took one item to a Mandarin friend who said it was from an old dialect she couldn't really translate. Are you able to translate or are you just assuming this is Japanese? Dave It's 100% Japanese. I studied rudimentary Japanese and when you see Japanese characters on nametags of US military garments, I cannot think of a time when it's not kanji as there is no other way to translate an english name. Similar things occur with stuff from post-ww2 US Navy souvenir jackets or 50s clothing from China Marines. When you see chinese characters on them, it's almost always phonetic spellings of the person's name in chinese characters, with some added phrases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schk Posted June 16, 2022 Share #11 Posted June 16, 2022 Sorry, I'm a moron. It's been so long that I studied Japanese, but everywhere I wrote Kanji should be Hiragana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted June 16, 2022 Share #12 Posted June 16, 2022 Lol. Okay, you win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted June 16, 2022 Share #13 Posted June 16, 2022 58 minutes ago, FT.Monmouth1943 said: What makes you say the name tag is Taiwanese made? Looks Japanese made to me and the translation at the top looks Japanese too. - Jakob I must be mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmar836 Posted June 17, 2022 Share #14 Posted June 17, 2022 Best would be to research the vet and find his service station trail IMO. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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