General officer dress visor - Lt Gen. Hobart R. Gay - Reference

[Jamecharles]

Amazing information! Thanks that's explain alot!

 

On 11/4/2025 at 6:45 AM, Ranger-1972 said:

This is the ONLY image I have ever seen of the visor hat worn with the Special Evening Dress Uniform (Army equivalent of 'white tie & tails'). I have NEVER seen a photo of an officer of any rank wearing that particular hat.

 

Per the 1952 Special Regulation that described the new version of the Special Evening Dress Uniform (different sleeve braid), the cap band for the Special Evening Dress cap differed from that on the Dress Blue cap, in that there was a ¾” gold band at the center rather than the branch color worn on the Dress Blue cap, and there were two ½” dark blue stripes at the top & bottom rather than the gold bands worn on the Dress Blue cap. All officers (other than generals) wore a plain black patent leather visor on that Special Evening Dress cap.  You have the general officer version, with the gold oak leaves on the visor.

 

It was worn for just a few years (1952-1961), when the Army once again allowed officers to wear their normal Blue Dress hat (with branch colors around the base of the cap) with the Special Evening Dress, as well as the Blue Mess Dress and the Blue Dress uniforms.

 

This is the description of that hat from Special Regulations No 600-32-10 (3 Sept 1952):

 

39.  Cap, dress, blue (fig.2).  a. Material - Cloth, wool serge, or 15-ounce fur felt, dark blue, Army shade No. 150.

b. Design

   (1) Crown - Of adopted design about 11 1/4 inches from front to rear and 10 1/2 inches from side to side, based on size 7 1/8, graduated according to sizes, stiffened in front by means of a stay and falling without stiffening to the rear; two eyelets equally spaced between top and bottom welt seam and about 3/4 inches from top of the band.  The top is rolled at rim with a 5/8 inch diameter removable rubber grommet.

    (2) Visor - Of leather, bound with black patent leather 3/16 inch wide and lined with embossed green hatter's leather; greatest width about 2 3/16 inches, and slope from vertical of about 55 degrees.

        (a) General officers - Top of the visor of dark blue cloth embroidered with gold color manipulated thread, in two areas of oak leaves, in groups of two.

        (b) Other officers and warrant officers - Top of visor of plain black patent leather. [this includes field-grade officers, as well as company-grade officers and warrant officers]

    (3) Chin strap - Gold colored, 1/2 inch in width, fastened to cap at end of visor with small regulation cap buttons.

    (4) Band - An outside band on the cap cover of woven braid 1 3/4 inches wide, consisting of a 1/2-inch dark blue stripe, 3/4-inch two-vellum gold color manipulated thread of two-vellum gold bullion stripe and a 1/2-inch dark blue stripe; outside stripes matching the color of the cap material.

 

Special Regulation 600-32-10 (C1) dated 7 Aug 1953 changed the visor so that all field-grade officers once again wore two arcs of oak leaves -- but left the same blue-gold-blue band in place.  

 

This distinctive cap for the Special Evening Dress uniform was apparently discontinued by 1961.  In the photo below, the Army aide to the President is wearing the regular Dress Blue cap with his white-tie uniform at President Kennedy’s inaugural ball in January 1961.

 

If you ever want to dispose of that visor cap, please let me know.