My "Simple" AAF Costume: A Cautionary Tale of Obsessive/Compulsive Behavior

[LHR]

So I got invited to a Halloween party this year. First time in a long while. (Kids have dominated my Halloween activities for the last 10 years or thereabouts). Actually I got proper invites to three parties. So I am thinking, "Nice! Well, I had better get a cool costume, then." My lovely wife is going with me.

My brothers both have full 101st Airborne gear that they all got on our tour with the Band of Brothers folks and I am thinking that, since I have an A-2, some sort of AAF getup might be in order. After mentioning this to one of them, suddenly it is a deal, we are all going en masse and WWII-style. All good, right? A crusher cap and some Dockers and I am all set.

Right...

They both spent a ridiculous sum on their re-enactor type gear. I have an A-2. Both their wives are attempting Rosie the riveter and USO, respectively. My wife has nothing. Another friend will be joining us in some sort of full RAF outfit. People are flying in from out-of-town for all this. They are talking about taking pictures as a group. Jeez!

I ordered a "Noriega" crush cap from ArmyNavy whatever and put the whole idea to rest. Then it showed up. I tried it on with some khaki Dockers and my jacket. Looked in the mirror. And "Yecch!"

So I decided to step it up a notch. My wife thinks I have lost my mind. She might be right. For me the shopping list was quite impressive:

Tan aviator shirt;
Tan work/dress pants (matching);
NOS AAF HQ shirt patch;
Winged prop, U.S. insignia, and pilot wings;
Repro OD crush cap;
Real Khaki crush cap;
AAF A-2 shoulder decal;
Brown leather short gauntlets;
Small AAF stamp;
Tan and OD WWII neckties (couldn't decide);
Prescription aviator sunglasses;
Khaki/brass belt;
Leather A-2 nametag;
Repro M-3 holster;
Plastic M1911 .45 pistol;
Tan socks;
Repro GI wristwatch;
Russet brown dress shoes.

For the wife so far:

Size 36 A-2;
Fifinella jacket patch;
Unissued summer AN-S-31 flying suit;
White silk scarf.

I got some amazingly great deals: the glasses ($12), the brand-new A-2 ($41) and the tan aviators shirt ($11) the flying suit ($90) are the best ones I think. But still...I am nuts. I seriously, seriously contemplated a repro Mae West vest (like what the heck would I do with that after the party?!)

I'll take a picture and upload it when everything comes together. Cheers!

 

[Edward]

I know exactly how you feel. I've never put together a complete military uniform, but I've long been borderline C.D.O. with costume. Partly a Rocky Horror induced thing, partly I've just never been able to settle for less than as good as I can make it. There are two things I like to bear in mind while spending a fortune on a costume:

1] Find, hell, invent more opportunities to wear it. That costume that cost you $500 to make while your friends all hired something for $75.... once you've worn it ten times, you're coming out ahead at $50 per wear. Score.

2] Looking fabulous is always its own reward.

I can't see me putting together the fulluniform in the near future - my interest in WW2 USAAF is largely limited to the flying jackets themselves. I do, however, have every intention of going to a party as Steve MacQueen in The Great Escape as soon as I find the right theme. Should be a little bit easier than full on uniform, bearing in mind that everything (the sweater asied, probably) is stuff I'd wear day to day.

 

[LHR]

Well, thanks anyway for attempting to validate my perverse obsession. I will say that I have spent quite a long time researching the "correct" uniform for an ETO AAF summer flight officer. (Of course, the irony here is that the uniforms worn by the AAF were hardly uniform at all. So incredibly varied, often off-kilter and almost anti-regulation WRT the Army of the day, from cartoons on their issue clothing to the purposeful destruction of their caps.) But it has been a enjoyable education into the USAAF of that time and the WASP. And I found this place. Cheers!

EDIT: You know I should share a few of the cool things I found. First, the aviator shirt on clearance., which was $15, not $11, I find. It looks great for this purpose, even though it is poly/cotton. A re-enactor would have to change the buttons. Much like the tropical wool. Color is nice. Aramark Uniform LINK

Second, is something that truly surprised me: $8 eyeglasses. No kidding. Eight bucks. And, well, $5 for the green tint. I know this is not a bargain hunter-type website but I was shocked. If you wear prescriptions, check them out.
$8 Glasses LINK

 

[Edward]

Nice looking shirt. Very close to one that I have, which is actually a recent issue Dutch Army shirt (bought it in an army surplus store about six years ago for about USD10 equivalent). I reckon it'd look pretty good with an A2, actually...

Good price on the glasses too. I'm hoping not to buy any more as I want to get lasik in the medium term, but if I did need a pair, at that sort of price for the frames, it'd make it a lot more doable even if they were only for a brief while.

 

[Fletch]

The problem with doing a uniform as a "costume" is that once you get a really nice piece of vintage or repro stuff, it makes everything else look cheesy, and you want to chuck it all out and begin again.

Then once that's done, you want to upgrade.

But you can't. Because this guy has copped all the good stuff.

 

[Jovan]

I've kept myself from going overboard on my Battlestar Galactica costume. I'm doing the simple sleeveless tops and casual OD uniform pants with combat boots, and that's it. I could spend an eternity trying to find the right shape, colour, etc. of the tops alone, not to mention custom making the BDU trousers to have wide belt loops, but I don't feel it's worth the hassle. Everyone will know what I am trying to be, provided BSG is the most accessible sci-fi show ever created.

I, however, admire your dedication. Someday I might have a full uniform "blues" made up. For now, this will do.

 

[LHR]

The problem with doing a uniform as a "costume" is that once you get a really nice piece of vintage or repro stuff, it makes everything else look cheesy, and you want to chuck it all out and begin again.

Well, I am already heading down that slippery slope to some degree. I bought an honest-to-God issue crusher, an decent A-2 for my wife, and a dead stock WASP-appropriate flight suit. The rest of our getups will be approaching the "Garcia Aviation" level of authenticity. Which for Halloween is outstanding. For re-enacting, not good enough, I gather.

However, I have no plans to do any AAF re-enacting. I do not understand it, anyway. In Europe on all our Easy Company stops I met hundreds of re-enactors. Nice fellows all, mind you, (even though seeing an "American G.I." drinking Leffe and speaking Dutch was oddly incongruous). But I found their jobs curious. They would all bound in, and then more or less just stand around looking soldiery, at ease. If that is the point of re-enacting, then I don't get where the fun is. Being a human mannequin for hours at at time, standing under someone else's airplane is not my idea of joy. I could probably do that without feeling self-conscious or outright bored to tears for about 15 minutes, I reckon.

I do not wish to seem inflammatory toward all those who participate in such activities; please forgive me if I do. And I suppose I can understand the motivation. For instance, if I were to buy a Willys Jeep and restore it, then, of course a Ike jacket would be nice, right? If some nice matching trousers and rough-outs came along, well...

 

[Cracker]

What did you do with Band of Brothers?

 

[LHR]

Sorry to be vague. I went on a September 2006 tour with a group called WWII Historical Tours. Babe Heffron and "Wild" Bill Guarnere and their kin went along. It was a pretty small group and we went all over Europe visiting every stop for the 101st Airborne 506 PIR E Company from Aldbourne to Bechtesgaden. Because of the odd, miniseries-generated cult status of the vets who traveled with us, a lot of our time was occupied by "official" events: wreath layings at National Cemeteries and local 101st monuments, public liberation ceremonies and parades. Anyhow, as you can imagine, the journey was littered with re-enactors.

I should state that if I seemed a bit cranky about re-enacting in my previous post, let me assure you I am not. It is all good. We (me and my son) thoroughly enjoy seeing folks dressed out with all the right gear, especially when vehicles and aircraft are involved. The scene is just not for me, is all. Cheers!

 

[Mojave Jack]

LHR, I completely understand your position on re-enacting. There are some that just want to dress in cool uniforms without joining the military or exposing themselves to danger. Real coffee shop commandos, those, and they can really ruin it for folks. Typically they are the stitch counters that sneer at anyone that can't recite contract numbers for A-2 manufacturers. Those types kept me away from that world for a long time.

Fortunately there are also those that love to share their knowledge and are friendly and welcoming to people looking to learn something. For them, re-enacting is not about play-acting, but is about recrating a sense of what it was like to be there and experience the peirod they represent. It is those people that I look forward to meeting. I take my inspiration from them, and when I deliver lectures on historic topics I occasionally dress in period uniforms, like when I delievered my presentation on the glider pilot program at Condor Field two years ago. It was a big hit, and I got a lot of positive feedback on it. I've been requested to deliver the program again, but since I may be delivering to an audience containing two Brigadier Generals, I am a little uncomfortable wearing rank I did not earn. Since I am an enlisted hisotrian in the reserves, I've decided this time to put together an Army enlisted historian uniform, circa 1943. After reading Forrest Pogue's book, Pogue's War I think it would be a great way to present the information.

 

[The Wingnut]

One of the first things I did after coming back from tech school was put together an enlisted uniform that had only items I'd earned on it, or WWII equivalents thereof. Turns out my modern uniform has 4 more ribbons than my vintage one, although one of the modern ribbons translates to a very nice sterling expert marksman's badge.

...I haven't worn any of my officer items since. It just doesn't seem right. Having been through basic and advanced training and served for a year and change, wearing something I didn't earn just doesn't set right.

The reenacting hobby seems to attract a fair number of starry-eyed hero-worshipers(I'll admit I fell into that category for a while) and overbearing peacocks. The last event I attended in a vintage uniform featured a civilian with a 4-star general's uniform...the stars disappeared halfway through the night. Someone took General Nuisance to task, from the look of it. I've seen plenty of Private; Hardlys, Captain Obviouses, Major Pains, and General Nuisances...on the other hand, you've organizations such as the WWII ADT.

It takes all kinds...I started as a farb and learned by trial-and-error. I'm sure I offended a few people along the way. There's a strange phenomenon with age and rank that threw a lot of people off(at 28, I was still getting, 'Aren't you a little young to be a major?' and no mercy when I explained that 28 was old for that rank, especially in the Air Corps!). One stripe seems like underkill now.

I've run out of time and money, now I mostly do what a lot of people would call living history. There's an attitude that if you're not firing blanks and getting muddy, it's not really reenacting.

 

[Vintage Betty]

<snipped>

But you can't. Because this guy has copped all the good stuff.

I have a feeling he's not the one driving prices of vintage woman's uniforms to $450 US on ebay...

Vintage Betty

 

[MrBern]

I've done some reenacting as combat photographer.
And with the Easy101st groups here in th northeast.
We've strapped into vintage chutes to be the guides on C47 flights w/ veterans(BillGuarnere) & the public at Airpower Flight museum.
And we helped w/ some history Chnl stuff on the combatdrop into Sicily.

Yes, its a lot of gear. A lot to pack away, let alone the price.
Sometimes it can be boring as I dont shoot blanks.
And there are some reenactors who really dont look like WWII combatants, so they throw off the pix & the mood.

I havent participated as much since in the last few years as the real War has changed my perspective.

But theres a whole lot you can learn from looking thru a book.
I have a lot of tactile memories from strugggling w/ gear & sleeping in tents or jsut riding in the back of a jeep. Hot in July, Freezing in January.

Its not for everyone. But I know guys who have been reenacting for over 25 years & they LOVE it.
And I do miss fielding with them.

 

[The Wingnut]

I have a feeling he's not the one driving prices of vintage woman's uniforms to $450 US on ebay...

Vintage Betty

I've met him, specifically, I got an invitation from him in person to participate in that shoot and bring some of my own stuff. He showed me some of the gear in those photos which were in the trunk of his car at the time, some of which are actually high-quality reproductions made with NOS hardware.

Kicking myself for being too lazy to wake up before dawn and drive 200 miles to stand around looking pretty all day long. He got some younger bucks for it, anyway. I'd have been a war-weary looking veteran by comparison.

 

[Mojave Jack]

One of the first things I did after coming back from tech school was put together an enlisted uniform that had only items I'd earned on it, or WWII equivalents thereof. Turns out my modern uniform has 4 more ribbons than my vintage one, although one of the modern ribbons translates to a very nice sterling expert marksman's badge.

Wingnut, can you post (or PM me) a list of the equivalents you figured out? I tried to do that (and never even thought of converting my markmanship ribbons to the WWII badges! :eusa_doh: ) but the only one I have that was around then was my Marine Corps Good Conduct!

Here's my current list:

AF Commendation Medal (2)
Navy Achievement Medal
AF Outstanding Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal (3)
National Defense
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
GWOT Expeditionary Medal
GWOT Services Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
AF Longevity Service (3)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Rifle)
Navy Expert Rifle Medal

I'd really appreciate it! My uniform looks pretty bare!

 

[The Wingnut]

Jack,

The key is finding a resource that lists all of the qualifications for the medals, both old and new. Whatever qualifications you meet, that's the medal / ribbon you get. Giving it some thought, it's actually a better idea to have a full list of WWII army medals and their qualifications. Go through the list, read the criteria for each and determine if you've met it. Attempting to 'translate' what you've got now may not give an accurate picture, although it might assist in determining what you should put on the WWII uniform that you'd have missed otherwise.

The only ribbon I currently qualify for is the American Campaign: (6)(service) Within the continental limits of the United States for an aggregate period of one year. The USAF expert marksman award used to be a separate badge, but now it's just a ribbon...not so with WWII army, of course. I used the rule of thumb that it was very unusual for service members in WWII to have served in multiple branches, and the ribbons would be specific to the branch of the uniform itself. Occasionally another branch would give an award to an outstanding member that had served in a joint operation (I believe one of the three ribbons Eisenhower normally wore was a Navy Distinguished Service Medal)

This book is an excellent resource.

 

[Weston]

Suddenly "Lead us not into temptation" echoes in my ears.

Love the shirt – great deal on it. Do those glasses come in green tint, no-prescription? I'd love a pair like that.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Jack,

The key is finding a resource that lists all of the qualifications for the medals, both old and new. Whatever qualifications you meet, that's the medal / ribbon you get. Giving it some thought, it's actually a better idea to have a full list of WWII army medals and their qualifications. Go through the list, read the criteria for each and determine if you've met it. Attempting to 'translate' what you've got now may not give an accurate picture, although it might assist in determining what you should put on the WWII uniform that you'd have missed otherwise.

The only ribbon I currently qualify for is the American Campaign: (6)(service) Within the continental limits of the United States for an aggregate period of one year. The USAF expert marksman award used to be a separate badge, but now it's just a ribbon...not so with WWII army, of course. I used the rule of thumb that it was very unusual for service members in WWII to have served in multiple branches, and the ribbons would be specific to the branch of the uniform itself. Occasionally another branch would give an award to an outstanding member that had served in a joint operation (I believe one of the three ribbons Eisenhower normally wore was a Navy Distinguished Service Medal)

This book is an excellent resource.

Excellent, thanks! I should have a copy of that book on my shelf just for GP, too. Yeah, my rack looks a bit funny to most, having earned multiple ribbons in three branches of service. I prefer to think of it as "well-rounded" instead of "indecisive." lol

Thanks for the tips!

 

[LHR]

Suddenly "Lead us not into temptation" echoes in my ears.

Love the shirt – great deal on it. Do those glasses come in green tint, no-prescription? I'd love a pair like that.

Sorry for not responding. Yes, the glasses are green tint. "No prescription" seems like it would be awfully easy to do...just type +0.00 in all the fields!

Here is me enjoying a beer in the outcome, by the way. I went with the dark crusher and tie instead of the khaki ones at the last minute. Not sure why. Had fun anyway.

 

[Camille]

Hehe, this is really fun! I can totally recognize myself in your behaviour.

I first started collecting my uniform for a costume-party too, and boy, did that end in an expensive hobby.

I like the outcome!