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McPeak Epaulet


DutchInfid3l
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This is currently on eBay.

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post-24355-0-34009900-1399389040.jpg

The description listed is this:

This is a SUPER RARE pair of shoulder boards slides ranks epaulettes for the United States Air Force five 5-stars grade of GENERAL OF THE AIR FORCE. This was an experimental prototype made during the 1990s after General Merill McPeak was Chief of Staff of the USAF and who authorized a complete re-design of all US Air Force uniforms and insignia which was not well received. This pair was made to test the return to more traditional insignia designs after General McPeak left office. This pair has the US National Arms in GOLD. I was involved in the study for redesign of insignia, and these ranks were part of it. A STUNNING addition to any collection of generals ranks and an extraordinarily rare set of ranks!

___________________________________________________


Just thought it was interesting. I've seen all the other ranks from Lt. Col. Aldebol's book, AAF and USAF Decorations, Medals, Ribbons, Badges and Insignia, but this one isn't listed.


Anyone else seen this?

A reference non the less.

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Here's another by the same seller.

Though this one looks more like the styles in the book, with the wide silver stripes on both sides. But, again the 5 Star isn't shown in the book either.

post-24355-0-51425100-1399389076.jpg

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and another from the same seller.
This time the eagle is in silver.

post-24355-0-86506000-1399389098.jpg

and the listing description:

This is a SUPER RARE pair of shoulder boards slides ranks epaulettes for the United States Air Force five 5-stars grade of GENERAL OF THE AIR FORCE. This was an experimental prototype made during the 1990s after General Merill McPeak was Chief of Staff of the USAF and who authorized a complete re-design of all US Air Force uniforms and insignia which was not well received. This pair was made to test the return to more traditional insignia designs after General McPeak left office. I was involved in the study for redesign of insignia, and these ranks were part of it. A STUNNING addition to any collection of generals ranks and an extraordinarily rare set of ranks!

___________________________


All very interesting and cool to see.

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Looks like you can get just about anything from this seller relating to general officers high rankers from ANY country....including Star Fleet LOL.

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I think only the ones with the long silver stripes up the sides are strictly "McPeak" boards. They were his equivalent of the USN flag officer boards, while officers O-1 to O-6 had the American Airlines-style striped boards.

 

best regards,

Justin

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They should be burned along with the guy who wore them.

 

-Ski

 

 

Ski: Are you referring to the seller or the General who "designed" them?

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Ski: Are you referring to the seller or the General who "designed" them?

 

Ski says something to that standard each time Mcpeak's name is mentioned. ;)

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Is it possible much of this "unusual" type insignia is being currently manufactured for the collector market? I'm also seeing some unusual chevrons on Ebay, such as subdued SPEC9. I don't trust any of it.

Kurt

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Ski says something to that standard each time McpPak's name is mentioned. wink.gif

 

 

Makes perfect sense...only one who had to work with McPeak would say something like that ;) ......BTW on his uniforms...unless the seller was part of the civilian design team I doubt he had a hand in designing the epaulets....McPeak worked directly with the designers....the Air Force members on the "review" panel were told what models to choose by...you guessed it....I still remember a female Major, after she appeared in Air Force Times modeling the new uniforms taking crap from us, and her answer was "hey I didn't have any say either...I was told this will be the new uniform."

 

 

Now if only I can get USMCRECON to comment on this thread, then maybe he will shed light on the famous "McPeak mustache incident....."

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An employee of TIOH who worked on the McPeak brain-f*** (his term) uniforms told me that MRS McPeak was the driving force -- The Most High Arbiter of Choices -- for the "McPeak" uniforms. She personally sat in on board meetings and gave thumbs up or down to proposals, and her default buzz-words were "stylish" and "up-to-date" (good) or "dowdy" or "dated" (bad). Further the "Russian" shoulder boards for dress unifs, he said, sprang form her alone and she literally demanded they be like the ones in a magazine photo of a Soviet general. she brought along. She also kept going back to Air Force Academy unifs as "yardsticks", but that service cap was "too militaristic".

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Is it possible much of this "unusual" type insignia is being currently manufactured for the collector market? I'm also seeing some unusual chevrons on Ebay, such as subdued SPEC9. I don't trust any of it.

Kurt

 

How about the Army five star insignia on ACU material? :think:

 

Methinks that someone in Pakistan is very bored....

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An employee of TIOH who worked on the McPeak brain-f*** (his term) uniforms told me that MRS McPeak was the driving force -- The Most High Arbiter of Choices -- for the "McPeak" uniforms. She personally sat in on board meetings and gave thumbs up or down to proposals, and her default buzz-words were "stylish" and "up-to-date" (good) or "dowdy" or "dated" (bad). Further the "Russian" shoulder boards for dress unifs, he said, sprang form her alone and she literally demanded they be like the ones in a magazine photo of a Soviet general. she brought along. She also kept going back to Air Force Academy unifs as "yardsticks", but that service cap was "too militaristic".

Sounds like Pavin's wife with the Ryder cup crap the US had to wear! :)

 

(that was for Sabrejet!)

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Is it possible much of this "unusual" type insignia is being currently manufactured for the collector market? I'm also seeing some unusual chevrons on Ebay, such as subdued SPEC9. I don't trust any of it.

Kurt

 

Kurt,

I've had a subdued Spec. 9 chevron since the late 70's or early 1980's. Those are nothing new.

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Kurt,

I've had a subdued Spec. 9 chevron since the late 70's or early 1980's. Those are nothing new.

Lee-

I've never come across one and the fact that all of a sudden I'm seeing a few of them (at a reasonable price), just makes me nervous about buying them. I do know they are remaking the standard subdued US Army arm chevrons.

Sounds like you have an original rare item.

Kurt

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He even has the super rare experimental six-star Admiral of the US Navy shoulder boards.

 

"George, if you were named Admiral of the Turkish Navy, I'm sure your aides could dip into their haversacks and come up with the appropriate badge of rank."

 

:pinch:

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  • 3 years later...

I know there are a few on here that didn't like the McPeak uniform but my dad serve with honor and has the medals to prove it, his mcPeak uniform is in bad shape so looking for a LtC size 44 or 46 service dress jacket. Apreicate any help i can get and don't need the B/S from the guy seems to hate everything to do with McPeak.

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I know there are a few on here that didn't like the McPeak uniform but my dad serve with honor and has the medals to prove it, his mcPeak uniform is in bad shape so looking for a LtC size 44 or 46 service dress jacket.

That's going to be pretty hard to find because the McPeak uniforms were allowed to be retrofitted to the new standards. Except for officers who retired in just the right window of time, most of those uniforms will have been converted and will no longer be McPeak-style. Best of luck,

 

Justin B.

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  • 1 year later...

Depends if you are looking for the actual McPeak uniform or what they call the Retrofit uniform.

 

The basic difference between the two for enlisted members are the collar devices and name tag. For officers, it was the elimination of the sleeve braid and the return of metal rank on shoulder epaulettes and the return of collar devices.

 

The McPeak uniform as it was originally intended is pretty rare because of the lack of acceptance and the fact that so few were actually being worn by the time General Fogleman took command and issued the order holding off implementation. Mostly senior officers and senior NCOs wore this uniform -- especially at commander's calls and conferences or meetings to promote acceptance. I think you could even wear the old hats with the new uniform -- at the time.

 

The way it was done, too, was a little shady because the existing stocks of uniforms were exhausted. If you wore something out or got promoted, you pretty much had to buy the new uniform.

 

I didn't like the uniform or the chevrons. At my time of retirement, I wore what were then called double knits which were pretty much required of Senior NCOs -- which I still have. I have to admit, however, it finally grew on me and I have the other uniform, too.

 

But in answer to your question, check eBay, Goodwill, or the Salvation Army. You might get lucky.

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