Is anyone familiar with a Staff NCO jacket?

[sixties.nut]

Back in the early 70's the Marines used to issue SNCO's a short olive drab jacket made of canvas and the inside had a short nap wool, it had diagonal slit hand warmers. The only other distinguishing feature was two canvas strap pull ties at the bottom hem.

I used to bug the squadron sergeant major to get me one, I must have drove the man nuts I tell ya. He always responded 'next enlistment' sgt. dundas, next enlistment.

Well then, he always had a habit of forgetting to lock the key locker. This this in turn drove the CO nuts in itself. Then this one day I walked into the office after morning formation to overhear him getting scolded once again.

I stood there until THE MAN took a break yelling to catch his breath, and I promptly fessed up to the deed cause I could tell this morning that something bad was going to develope. I took the beating.

Well then, THE very next day after work, I got into my car to leave and in the backseat was a brand spanking new SNCO jacket. I promptly tried it on, boxed it up and shipped 'er home. Of course by now I'd have outgrown it but none the less its been gone.

Does anyone know what the military designation for that jacket was? Now this jacket was the warmest jacket I ever tried on.

Sorry for the war story folks, it somethin new to read anyway. :eusa_clap

Regards,

 

[Phantomfixer]

Not familiar with the jacket but loved the story. I will go to a resdient expert in such things and see what he can find out. We have a great Army Navy store in out town.

 

[newsboy]

Maybe an n-1? I think that was the designation. I was USMC in early 80s. We called 'em deck jackets.

 

[Peacoat]

Is this the jacket?

It has the handwarmer pockets; they just don't show up in the picture.

 

[Phantomfixer]

If that is the jacket, they should be easy to get on ebay. I was thinking of one more in line with the old tanker jacket. A Marine recuiter buddy of mine in the late 80s wore a short jacket with slash pockets. It looked similar to the tanker. Same cut etc but a lighter outer shell

 

[Peacoat]

That's a pic of a Navy cold weather deck jacket (permeable). They are also available at Army/Navy surplus stores. When Sixties checks back in, we shall find out if this is what he was talking about.

 

[sixties.nut]

Peacoat That is the Exact Jacket

Whew man, I figure if I was looking for something as rare as Moon Rocks, you fella's here could find it! Thanks a bunch Phantomfixer, newsboy and Peacoat!

After a draining day at work, I sat down to unwind and leave a yarn over on DWH's Monteagle page (where I left favorable remarks for you Peacoat). Then just before I shut it down, I clicked New Post one more time and Bam you guy's hit me right on the punkin head with this one.

So thank you for saving the day I guess all isn't lost. And tomorrow the hunt continues !!!

All the Very Best to ya Gents !!!
Mike

 

[Peacoat]

Glad to be of service to a Jarhead. The exact nomenclature in the tag is: Jacket, Cold Weather (Permeable, A-2). They should still be available on ebay, as Phantom said, or if you hit it lucky, your local Army/Navy Surplus might have one in your size. There is also another cold weather jacket, but it is called an extreme cold weather jacket. It is non-permeable, and is quite a bit different from this jacket. Semper Fi.

 

[Blueworm]

Would this be them ?
They are all on the small side but some nice pics anyway.

 

[Peacoat]

Sure looks like it. The buttons threw me off until I looked at mine and saw it does have the buttons. Sixties is in luck!

 

[Fletch]

So this is a piece of general-issue Navy gear that came to be a badge of a certain job for Marines.

It'd be interesting to know how it came to be the privilege of staff NCOs.

 

[Blueworm]

The marine corps air wing is a whole different world from the grunts.

Staff NCO's only have 2 people in general who are going to bust there chops.
The SGT MAJ who is usually a grunt. They tend to go native after a few years assigned to the air wing. The other is The Maintenance Master gunnery SGT, he's a native anyhow...

PTA big Island Hawaii 1995
I remember seeing our AMO wearing a flight suit with G1 and an air force B-9B with an EGA stuck on it. (B-9B is a Russian looking hat, popular style often seen in korean war era photos.)

He was a major no big deal, several junior NCO's where wearing all kind of mismatched gear, navy blue submarine coveralls with a CWU-45, nomex green flightsuits with gortex jackets, cammies with a navy deck jacket. It was cold as hell people would wear whatever they had.

In all honesty we looked NASTY! The grunts really did not appreciate our dress code and longer than regs hair cuts, no boot bands, no rank insignia or even less the upside down name patches when at the e-club.

 

[sixties.nut]

RE: Staff NCO Jacket

Real quickly, I have to get off to bed.

Fletch:

This jacket would of course be prescribed by the Uniforms and Equipment Department at Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington. It would not have been a local unit designation item. The way this garment was worn was with the class "B" green wool uniform. Green wool trousers, khaki long sleeve shirt with tie and p*** cutter cover. It would never be worn with class "B" tan trousers.

The thing with this jacket was this, even though it was a Staff NCO item, most Gunny's and Staff could not wear this item for the most part. Their uniform of the day was utlity's / BDU's. This made for a very sharp looking uniform. Coming or Going when you saw this jacket, you knew instinctively it was a person of importance. Square your trash away ASAP!

Peacoat/Blueworm

Looking over the internet this week, I see that the N-1 was a chevron woven material like the utility's worn during Saipan, etc. Peacoat since you apparently are reading from the label and have the item in hand. It looks from the photo to be the real deal. It should be made of canvas like a Carhartt only in olive drab color. The flight deck issues in cotton I have seen aboard ship, both in green for the gyrenes and dark blue for the sailors. These in fact were cotton but I was never able to successfully trade for or 'steal one fair and square' HA HA HA.

Blueworm

Brother, your not kidding! I landed in PSB from day one. Muster with the grunts then deploy with the wing. Bast***'s at best from both points of view and consequently hammered by both! I see you are familiar with PTA. Sometime I'll tell you about the time I found an Air Force survival rifle 22LR/410 shotgun, over and under. While out scurrying for some mountain goat for stew. Well since I'm halfway done I'll finish the story.

I found this rifle on one of the lava peaks while going to fetch my prize. On the way down the mountain, I saw this brown looking mess that stood out from the black molten landscape. I picked it up and saw that it was a collapsable rifle. I took it back and cleaned it up. When we got back from the field, the armor informed me that I would have to check it into the armory. Which I did, I received a hand written receipt and all.

Over time when I went to clean my issued rifle I also cleaned that one. Then came time for me to return to CONUS, he claimed the rifle was confiscated as contraband. I knew it was a lie and he had already mailed it home. SO. On my last day I waited and took the liberty bus to Wakiki like the rest of the crowd. Just as soon as we got off the bus, I commence to wailing on his punkin head right there in front of God, everybody and the Honolulu Police Department.

He got a ride back to the base. I got a ride to Hickham. Only I had a Police escort, they didn't shackle me, but they weren't smiling either!

Later People!
Mike