Show your Navy Chief Uniforms!

[Got da Penny]

Looks like the place to ADD mine.

 

I am getting this CPO uniform FREE, Came out of a Foreclosed home.

 

The Fiance' is up in Northern Indiana and bringing it home from a family member who found it in the house.

 

This is my first USN uniform, i have looked up the RB's .. but, some of you guys can "Break Down" the service record of the vet just by looking at his Rank & Ribbon Bars.

 

ANY HELP with your Break Down would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

(((Sorry about blurry pictures .. they were taken via Cell Phone)))

 

 

 

 

 

Carey

[sigsaye]

Looks like the place to ADD mine.

 

I am getting this CPO uniform FREE, Came out of a Foreclosed home.

 

The Fiance' is up in Northern Indiana and bringing it home from a family member who found it in the house.

 

This is my first USN uniform, i have looked up the RB's .. but, some of you guys can "Break Down" the service record of the vet just by looking at his Rank & Ribbon Bars.

 

ANY HELP with your Break Down would be greatly appreciated.

(((Sorry about blurry pictures .. they were taken via Cell Phone)))

 

Carey

Carey, here'a what you have. Dress Blue coat for a Master Chief Bo's'uns Mate (E-9, pay grade established in 1959). He is showing 6 service stripes which were four years each for a total of 24 years shown. They are gold indicating a minimum of 12 years of continious good conduct.

 

The ribbons are from top left: Meritorious Unit Commendation with one star indicating another award of the same ribbon. The star is off center, so I think there was another star there, making 3 awards. Navy Good Conduct with one (shuld be one more) star for 3 awards, American Defense (1940?), American Campaign for Atlantic Service, Pacific Campaign with three stars for 4 awards, WW 2 Victory, navy Occupation Medal (guessing Asia), China Service (post war), National Defense, (Korea), Korean Service Medal with 4 stars for 5 awards, Armed Forces Expiditionary Medal, UN Korean Service Medal, (Unknown to me), (Unknown Forign Award), Korean Presidential Unit Award.

 

Basically, your guy looks to have joined the Navy around '39-'40, did a cruise in the Atlantic and then went west, fought across the Pacific taking part in four campaigns/battles and stayed after the war. He was on occupation duty in Asia and was there for the Chinese Revolution (my dad has these same ribbons). Still there when the Korean War starts, and is inguaged in five actions. The UN Korean Service and KPUC are of course for the KW. The rest may also be for KW service, but who knows? He probebly hung around until '64-'65 (ish) and got the other ribbons during that time. Little things going on then (Cuban Missile Crisis, Lebenon), things like that could rate an Armed Forces Expiditionary, and the timing is about right.

 

OK, I may have gotten the names of some of these awards wrong, but that is the gist of the Master Chiefs service. Great uniform and fine set of embroidered sew on ribbons.

 

Hope that helps

 

Steve Hesson

[Got da Penny]

Steve, Thank You for the BIG breakdown. The "unknown rb" is the Philippines Liberation award.

 

my Fiance' said see found the name *** K.R. Morris on uniform. ***

 

am i correct in assuming the Master Chief rank is the "highest" level for Non Commissioned ??

 

Thank You, Carey

 

PS, now i just have to look for a date on uniform

[sigsaye]

Steve, Thank You for the BIG breakdown. The "unknown rb" is the Philippines Liberation award.

 

my Fiance' said see found the name *** K.R. Morris on uniform. ***

 

am i correct in assuming the Master Chief rank is the "highest" level for Non Commissioned ??

 

Thank You, Carey

 

PS, now i just have to look for a date on uniform

You are welcome. I had seen theo Unknowns before, but couldn't remember what they were. For that matter, I can't remember what some of theo awards I earned are any more.

 

Yes, Master Chief is the highest Navy Enlisted rate. There is now a "Master Cheif Petty Officer of the Navy", (only one guy holds the position) and many refer to his as the "E-10", but Master Chief is as high as you can go as enlisted.

 

Dating the coat is problematic. They are all commercially made. The Navy does not "produce" uniforms for Chiefs or Officers. At best you may find a manufacture date, or maybe the date it was originally purchased. Heres a story. In the early 1970s, the Navy put all enlisted in the CPO style uniform. I was a PO3 at the time, and dutifully went out and bought the uniform. This was 1975. I have no idea how long the uniform had sat on a shelf before I got it. I wore it for a few years until we went back to the jumper uniforms. The coat went into the closet. I made Chief. I drug the coat out of the closet, changed the buttons to the CPO brass, and put on the correct crow and hashmarks. I wore it for a few more years, changing the crow and hashmarks as I advanced/put in more time. I retired and removed all insignia and passed the coat on to another Chief on my last ship. The uniform was a heavier weight and just right for cold winter night watches. I had two, so that one stayed on active duty when I retired. I received several uniforms in that way myself. So finding a date (or even a name really for that matter as I had my name on the coat I gave away) might not be much help nor worth the trouble.

 

Steve Hesson

[PaulR]

I don't know when the Senior and Master Chief ratings were created but this obviously post-dated that date.

 

They were established on November 16, 1958. Those are some great sets!!!

[CROC]

Hi,

 

I enclose you two Chiefs coats with two parts 1958 style ranks

 

A white ADCS

 

 

A Khaki BMCA

 

 

Best

Croc

[Josh B.]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Quite a few interesting ones there. I notice one pre '40, and a number taht have been hand stitched on rather than machine sewn. I hand stitched mine too. I always prefered the pre '48 CPO uniforms with the eight button front. They were destinctive for Chiefs, and not so officer like.

 

Steve Hesson

 

Steve,

 

From our previous conversations on this subject, I thought the transition from 8 button to 6 button for Chiefs was in '44, not '48 right?

 

Josh

[sigsaye]

Steve,

 

From our previous conversations on this subject, I thought the transition from 8 button to 6 button for Chiefs was in '44, not '48 right?

 

Josh

The official transition was '48. In about '44, (and earlier due to the situation) Chiefs were wearing officers coats due to availabliity.

 

Steve Hesson

[Dave]

Working on my display... a few here...

 

And another here, with some Sailors...

[dpcsdan]

Aviation Carpenter's Mate CPO in aviation green and slate gray. Slate gray uniform has a khaki rating badge.

-dan

[navyman]

Here are most of my cpo uniforms that I could get to at the moment. Pre ww1 to the 50's, but most are ww2.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[navyman]

Very nice, Jason.

I'd like to own a number of them. I like the foreign made Cook rating badge, also.

-dan

Thanks Dan,

 

This one came today, all buttons present.

 

 

Jason

[Josh B.]

its been posted elsewhere on the forum, but here's my favorite CPO... Late war WWII submariner

[navyman]

Aviation Machinist's mate uniform and Bullion Aviation Carpenter's mate uniform.

 

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Dave]

I read a bit of a debate on one of the threads about whether or not six button jackets came out before the end of WW2. The final answer was that they had...

 

Anyway, I was at a furniture store today and was flipping through some of the "display" books on a desk and just so happened to spot a great photo of a fellow wearing his six button Chief's jacket with a sewn-on ruptured duck! That was definately a first for me...if I head back there, I'll see if I can snap a pic of the page to post up here.

 

Dave

[topdcnut]

I do not know about the Navy but the ruptured duck was worn by the Army post Korea.

[Dave]

I do not know about the Navy but the ruptured duck was worn by the Army post Korea.

 

Unfortunately the photo was undated, but since it showed one family's sons who were all "drafted during WW2" returning home after WW2, I assumed that it was probably 1945 or so...

 

Dave

[dpcsdan]

Photo of CPO style, 8-button, white dress uniform jacket with third class rating badge and hat device worn on CPO and officer's style hat.

 

This uniform was worn by official USN band members through the 1940s-60s. (3rd class Musician shown).

 

-dan

[sigsaye]

It was always interesting that the Navy changed the blues for Chiefs, but left the whites with the eight button front. I guess it falls into the mind set that whites were disposable. Plus they were really not worn all that much after the dress khaki was accepted as liberty wear.

 

As for the blues. I have seen photos of the odd CPO as far back as 44 wearing the six button officer style coat. I think it was just an accepted pratice, much like "Tailor Mades" for PO1 and bleow. I have seen the instructions authorizing the eight button coats modified by having the old button holes closed up and new sux button holes put in so that you didn't have to go and get a new coat. I have also seen one of these modified coats. This was after '49.

 

Steve Hesson

[shrapneldude]

WOW! There are some awesome looking USN Chief uniforms on this page!

 

Here are my only 2. WWII and Vietnam era. (*note, the ribbons on the VN era one are not original to the coat, but as neither were named and the ribbons had multiple GCMs I slapped them on there)

 

[navyman]

This one just came today and I have at least one more coming. Will post that one when it arrives.

 

This one has a Special Artificer bullion rate . Uniform is named. Take notice how the chevrons are sewn on, tailor made?

Sorry for the bad picture, don't know where the spots came from.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[topdcnut]

Here is some of mine.

[Josh B.]

I read a bit of a debate on one of the threads about whether or not six button jackets came out before the end of WW2. The final answer was that they had...

 

Anyway, I was at a furniture store today and was flipping through some of the "display" books on a desk and just so happened to spot a great photo of a fellow wearing his six button Chief's jacket with a sewn-on ruptured duck! That was definately a first for me...if I head back there, I'll see if I can snap a pic of the page to post up here.

 

Dave

 

Dave,

I don't think its much of a debate, but more of an issue of getting the word out there. Here's a wartime (1944) picture of a CPO submariner with his stepson (who happens to be our our forum's very own Sarge Booker at a young age!). Note the clear wear of the 6 button jacket with cuff dolphins and period CPO visor with no black backing behind the CPO device. Thanks to Sarge for the picture and letting me post it here.

 

Josh

[navyman]

Josh,

I agree with you. I have this CPO uniform that has the six buttons with a rupture duck and has a PH mate rate. The rate was use to 1948, so it's not KW era.

 

 

Jason

[topdcnut]

USCGS Chief Boatswain, I do not think that Dan could handle my owning a second gun capt CPO.

 

John