WO Thomas 271 ASHC Innkeeper

[Mr-X]

Ok everybody what are your thoughts on this Aviators Nomex fatigue.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pilot-Nomex-Shirt-1st-...emZ220441094517

 

There has been some discussion on this particular seller recently. Some said they had received good items from him and some said otherwise.

 

The SSIs and the wings looks to be US made.

The WO rank (in red ??) and the Tapes appear to be in-country machine embroidered.

The WO BOS and 271 ASHC appear to be hand embroidered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr-X]

A reference pic of the 271 ASHC pocket patch.

 

[Mr-X]

Doesn't anybody have an opinion on this one. :ermm:

 

Everybody had an opinion the sellers USMC VNMC advisors tiger strip uniform

[Bob Hudson]

Doesn't anybody have an opinion on this one. :ermm:

 

I know squat about patches but I am a writer and if I was to sell a put-together piece using patches from different sources, including repros from Vietnam, his description would technically be "honest":

 

The following patches are VN Theater made : both name tapes, WO rank and insignia and the pocket patch. Some are hand made. Shouilder patches and pilot wing are U.S. made. Shirt is in at least Good plus condition.

 

This not to say it is put together, it's just that it does not say it came this way or otherwise state that it is all original to the shirt: it merely states the origins of the pieces. This is an example of why sellers should provide as much info as possible, but since it sold for $100, he's probably not too concerned about that.

[Cobrahistorian]

I know squat about patches but I am a writer and if I was to sell a put-together piece using patches from different sources, including repros from Vietnam, his description would technically be "honest":

 

The following patches are VN Theater made : both name tapes, WO rank and insignia and the pocket patch. Some are hand made. Shouilder patches and pilot wing are U.S. made. Shirt is in at least Good plus condition.

 

This not to say it is put together, it's just that it does not say it came this way or otherwise state that it is all original to the shirt: it merely states the origins of the pieces. This is an example of why sellers should provide as much info as possible, but since it sold for $100, he's probably not too concerned about that.

 

 

It looks good to me, the only thing I had an issue with is the CW2 rank insignia. Kinda stands out a bit there!

[all-bull]

In my opinion, it all looks good to me...all the patches look good theatre made, they all make sense to be together, and the shirt looks like a great vintage piece. I think at $100, it was a steal to a lucky buyer. However, the only thing I don't really understand is what looks like an ARVN collar insignia (the eagle and wreath). And as far as the WO goes, it was my impression that a lot of WOs flew choppers during Nam, and this Innkeepers patch was an Assault Helicopter unit.

[Cobrahistorian]

In my opinion, it all looks good to me...all the patches look good theatre made, they all make sense to be together, and the shirt looks like a great vintage piece. I think at $100, it was a steal to a lucky buyer. However, the only thing I don't really understand is what looks like an ARVN collar insignia (the eagle and wreath). And as far as the WO goes, it was my impression that a lot of WOs flew choppers during Nam, and this Innkeepers patch was an Assault Helicopter unit.

 

The wreath and eagle, or "squashed bug" is the Warrant Officer branch insignia. The Innkeepers were an Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) which was a CH-47A unit. Assault Helicopter Companies were the primary type of Aviation unit in-country, being comprised of a Gun platoon and a Lift platoon. Assault Support Companies were heavy lift units, flying either CH-47s or CH-54s.

 

Mister Thomas was a Chinook driver.

 

And don't call it a chopper!

 

Jon

[Laury Allison]

I am not a uniform collector so much, but do remember these Nomex uniforms. I think it is a good example of all Vietnam made insignia for a CW2 aviator. All of the Vietnamese made "Eagle Rising" Warrant Officer branch insignia I've seen looked similar to the "squashed bug" look as this one. As far as the odd colors on the rank insignia, I'm not really surprised by them. Remember back in those days, warrant officer rank was brown and gold for WO1 and CW2. For CW3 and CW4, it was brown and silver.

 

Remember too that warrant officer ranks are the smallest batch of ranks in the US Army...compared to officer and enlisted ranks. Aviators probably make up the majority of warrants in the Army....especially during the Vietnam time frame. Maybe the Vietnamese tailor who made the insignia didn't have any brown thread....the dark red may have been as close as he had.

 

I think it looks good for that period. My Dad was a CWO-3 when he retired in 1972 and had 2 tours in Vietnam. I don't think he had any Vietnamese made insignia, but he was a PBO, so he probably knew how to order the authorized stuff.

 

Just my thoughts....

 

Laury

[AndyUSMC]

I would like to see the label inside of the shirt. The contract date can be determined from this. One question I have is when did the Army stop wearing colored patches on uniform?

[Andrei]

From the pics, looks good to me. Like for the USMC tiger, I would like to hold it in my hands to check it out.

 

If anyone from the forum won the USMC advisor shirt, let us know about it.

[Cobrahistorian]

Having handled hundreds of Army Aviator nomex shirts in six different museums over the years, I can say that this is legit. As I stated earlier, the only concern I had was the CW2 bar being red. As Laury pointed out, WO1 and CW2 bars were gold/brown while CW3 and CW4 were silver/brown. Army Aviation pocket patches in Vietnam were RARELY subdued, even very late in the war. Off the top of my head, I can think of 2 Aviation units that had subdued patches, 7/17th Cav (ask CaptCav!) and 7/1 Cav, and those were usually battalion/squadron patches, where their individual platoon patch was full color.

 

Laury's explanation of the CW2 rank is definitely plausible.

[MPage]

When did Velcro start being used?

[snake36bravo]

$100!?! That was a hella good deal. I've been out of the loop messing plenty of great pocket patches there. For me this all looks very good, even the with the off color WO3. I actually like that. You might check their site for a Thomas. If they have a web presence most units include rosters. There was a CE from the Falcons whose slides ended up being sold on Ebay. I recognized him right away from their website where he had posted a few images. I guess someone got his estate and then made a penny.