CPO Uniforms

[duarte1223]

I'm on a little kick of CPO uniforms, here's my only one right now, but I'm hoping to get some soon. Feel free to post yours!

 

Adam

[duarte1223]

Rank for an E-8, Senior CPO Engineman.

 

Adam

[duarte1223]

I believe 4 years of service for each stripe is how the Navy does it. So this is 16 years of service.

 

Adam

[Jason G]

Actually...."16 years" of "Good conduct" service. Meaning he stayed out of trouble LOL.

 

I've seen a few Chiefs (and others) with the non bullion insignia...and you know those are the guys who probably have the good stories LOL

 

Nice jacket

[craig_pickrall]

This is a set of blues and khaki frm the same CPO. I sold these on ebay a few years back.

[craig_pickrall]

[duarte1223]

Nice set Sgt. Bilko! I seem to remember this set. I also remember not having enough money at the time.

 

Adam

[craig_pickrall]

I ended up selling the khaki set, jacket and trousers, for $35 at my antique mall booth. I don't recall what the price was for the blues set but I think around $50.

[ghost]

Here is one for ya!

This is one that belonged to my friend and neighbor Master CPO Andre Mercier.

Andy served in WWII on PC-1262, a sub chaser, and was involved in the Normandy landings. He had lots of great WWII stories.

After WWII he enlisted in the Coast Guard and spent the rest of his career, 24 years there.

Andy used to come over to my place for coffee and to BS every once in a while,

one day Andy told me he was getting sick again (cancer) and after one of our bull sessions he left and came back a while later with this jacket, he handed it to me and said he noticed my collection was lacking Coast Guard representation. He then said look in the pocket, there in the pocket were his WWII medals, shellback, military ID and his dog tags! I couldn't believe it! He told me he planned on being laid out in his casket in this uniform but changed his mind and now wanted to be cremated instead.

I got to tell you that was a pretty emotional day. Andy died about three months later.

I know the ribbons are not in proper order in this picture, but since then I have gotten period pictures that show him wearing the jacket with the ribbons in proper order so I did change them to reflect that.

 

RIP Andy

[Ricardo]

Hi Fellows,

 

Some CPO uniforms of my collection:

 

 

Best regards,

 

Ricardo.

[bayonetman]

My father was a Chief Carpenter's Mate in the SeaBees during WW2.

 

This is the coat he wore coming home - it has the Honorable Discharge insignia.

 

To me at least the strange thing is that it has Army buttons. I have been highly tempted in the past to replace them with Navy ones, but this is the way it came home so guess it will just have to stay that way.

 

The pocket buttons are not missing, I just have some papers and the like in them and don't like unbuttoning the pocket all the time.

 

[Ricardo]

Hi All,

 

Another CPO uniform (nuclear specialist):

 

 

PS.

 

MOH - Chief Petty Officer Recipients of the Medal of Honor

 

World War I

 

MacKenzie, John, Chief Boatswain's Mate, USS Remlik, 17 Dec 1917

Ormsbee, Francis E., JR., Chief Machinist's Mate, NAS Pensacola, FL, 25 Sep 1918

Schmidt, Oscar, JR., Chief Gunner's Mate, USS Chestnut Hill, 9 Oct 1918.

 

1927-1939

 

Badders, William, Chief Machinist's Mate, USS Squalus, 13 May 1939

Crandall, Orson L., Chief Boatswain's Mate, USS Squalus, 13 May 1939

Eadie, Thomas, Chief Gunner's Mate, off Provincetown, Mass., 18 Dec 1927

McDonald, James H., Chief Metalsmith, USS Squalus, 23 May 1939

 

World War II

 

Finn, John W., [then a Chief Petty Officer], NAS Kaneohe Bay, TH., 7 Dec 1941

*Peterson, Oscar V., Chief Watertender, USS Neosho, 7 May 1942

*Tomich, Peter, Chief Watertender, USS Utah, 7 Dec 1941

 

Best regards,

 

Ricardo.

[Lee Ragan]

Actually...."16 years" of "Good conduct" service. Meaning he stayed out of trouble LOL.

 

I've seen a few Chiefs (and others) with the non bullion insignia...and you know those are the guys who probably have the good stories LOL

 

Nice jacket

When I was in the USNR back in the early 1970's , none of our CPOs normally wore gold crows & hashmarks. During an inspection by 8th Naval Dist., the inspecting Captain asked one of the chiefs why no gold was being worn by anyone. The chief replyed, "it costs to damn much sir". I don't know if that was the real reason or not, but it's an interesting story.

Great looking uniforms guys! Thanks to all of you that posted pictures.

[sgtbrown]

Kinda surprised no one has posted a photo of the pre-war style CPO coat with eight instead of six buttons. These were still worn through the war by "old salts".

 

I found this one buried in a rack of old clothes in an antique shop a good ten years ago. I will confess, I added the insignia. The jacket was "bare" when I found it. I do living history and this jacket is darned near the only coat I have that still fits me! It does look good with WWI, China Service, Yankzee Service, etc., ribbons. (I won't wear any ribbon that is physically or chronologically possible for me to have earned.)

 

Anyhow, a great old jacket.

 

Tom

[Jim Baker]

This is a set of blues and khaki frm the same CPO. I sold these on ebay a few years back.

 

Nice. I wish I had that rate. That was my Dad's rating.

[duarte1223]

Excellent uniforms everyone! Keep em coming! Hopefully I'll have a few more soon to post.

 

Adam

[Jason G]

When I was in the USNR back in the early 1970's , none of our CPOs normally wore gold crows & hashmarks. During an inspection by 8th Naval Dist., the inspecting Captain asked one of the chiefs why no gold was being worn by anyone. The chief replyed, "it costs to damn much sir". I don't know if that was the real reason or not, but it's an interesting story.

Great looking uniforms guys! Thanks to all of you that posted pictures.

 

Lee, that's an interesting story, one I never thought of, but that makes some sense..that gold stuff can't be cheap.

[coastie]

Before the Coast Guard went to their own uniform, it was basically the same as the Navy's with the addition of the shield on the sleeve.

I remember the regs saying the the gold was an option to wear on the uniform I assume the Navy was the same.

 

I think my gold crow and hash marks cost around 30 - 40 USD because it was the "high quality" set.

 

You won't see any red crows on present issue CG CPO uniforms because gold is the standard. Alomg with this there is no option for petty officers to wear gold for good conduct. I can recall seeing PO2's wearing gold with 3 or 4 gold hash marks.

[Jim Baker]

Hi All,

 

Another CPO uniform (nuclear specialist):

 

 

PS.

 

MOH - Chief Petty Officer Recipients of the Medal of Honor

 

World War I

 

MacKenzie, John, Chief Boatswain's Mate, USS Remlik, 17 Dec 1917

Ormsbee, Francis E., JR., Chief Machinist's Mate, NAS Pensacola, FL, 25 Sep 1918

Schmidt, Oscar, JR., Chief Gunner's Mate, USS Chestnut Hill, 9 Oct 1918.

 

1927-1939

 

 

Badders, William, Chief Machinist's Mate, USS Squalus, 13 May 1939

Crandall, Orson L., Chief Boatswain's Mate, USS Squalus, 13 May 1939

Eadie, Thomas, Chief Gunner's Mate, off Provincetown, Mass., 18 Dec 1927

McDonald, James H., Chief Metalsmith, USS Squalus, 23 May 1939

 

World War II

 

Finn, John W., [then a Chief Petty Officer], NAS Kaneohe Bay, TH., 7 Dec 1941

*Peterson, Oscar V., Chief Watertender, USS Neosho, 7 May 1942

*Tomich, Peter, Chief Watertender, USS Utah, 7 Dec 1941

 

Best regards,

 

Ricardo.

 

 

And there was Chief John King. Two time winner prior to WWI.

[Jim Baker]

Before the Coast Guard went to their own uniform, it was basically the same as the Navy's with the addition of the shield on the sleeve.

I remember the regs saying the the gold was an option to wear on the uniform I assume the Navy was the same.

 

I think my gold crow and hash marks cost around 30 - 40 USD because it was the "high quality" set.

 

You won't see any red crows on present issue CG CPO uniforms because gold is the standard. Alomg with this there is no option for petty officers to wear gold for good conduct. I can recall seeing PO2's wearing gold with 3 or 4 gold hash marks.

 

Hey Chief,

 

As you know, my Dad threw his uniforms out, but I can't recall if he had gold either. I can remember the red ones. And that his sleeve was "full".

[coastie]

Hey Chief,

 

As you know, my Dad threw his uniforms out, but I can't recall if he had gold either. I can remember the red ones. And that his sleeve was "full".

 

 

He had enough good conducts to qualify.

 

Couple of things I don't know if gold was authorized for khaki's or whites, I think whites could have gold on them which would have doubled the expense of adding gold to a Chief's kit.

[dpcsdan]

Couple of things I don't know if gold was authorized for khaki's or whites, I think whites could have gold on them which would have doubled the expense of adding gold to a Chief's kit.

 

Good Conduct Gold chevrons were only used on the Blues and Aviation (Forest) Green uniforms.

 

Since I retired, 1990, I believe the White Uniform can wear Gold chevrons. (I'll have to research exactly when this change occured).

[Jim Baker]

I ended up selling the khaki set, jacket and trousers, for $35 at my antique mall booth. I don't recall what the price was for the blues set but I think around $50.

 

 

WOW!! Sure wish I would have seen these. That was my Dad's rating and the gold chevrons have been tough to find. For that matter, so have the red.

[KurtA]

How often do you see a CPO blouse without ANY hashmarks? This one was given to me by the vet (a long time family friend). He enlisted in July of 1942 and was discharged in Dec 1945. He made Chief in that short time, but wasn't in long enough to qualify for a 4 year hashmark. He was a Physical Fitness Instructor.

Kurt

[KurtA]

Close-up of the Physical Training Rate. Not the "coolest" rate to collectors, but a very scarce one in Navy Grey.

Kurt