WWII FLYING TIGERS Leather Flight Jacket ~ 14th AF 23rd FG ~ CAREER COLLECTION For Sale

WWII FLYING TIGERS Leather Flight Jacket ~ 14th AF 23rd FG ~ CAREER COLLECTION
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WWII FLYING TIGERS Leather Flight Jacket ~ 14th AF 23rd FG ~ CAREER COLLECTION:
$9500.00

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Item Description


Important Note:This item will be shipped, insured, via USPS Priority Mail andwill require a signature upon delivery.


My father served for 31 years in the Army, the Army Air Corps, and the USAF, from March 1943 until his retirement in July 1974.
Born (in 1923) and raised in the teeny, tiny farming town of Grace City, North Dakota, my dad graduated from high school in 1941, valedictorian of his class of ... wait for it ... nine! Following graduation, he attended college at Jamestown College, Jamestown, ND, but dropped out during his sophomore year, in March of 1943, to enlist in the Army.In 1943, my dad was an Army private when he was selected for pilot training. In 1944, following completion of his pilot training (including training at San Antonio, TX, and Tallahassee and Bartow, FL), he was sent to China where he became a pilot in Gen. Claire Chennault\'s 14th Air Force, 23rd Fighter Group, 76th Squadron, and flew 40 combat missions against the Japanese in China, in P-40 and P-51 aircraft.
Following the end of the war, my dad was stationed at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine, and then, from 1949 or 1950 through January 1952, during the Korean War, he was stationed in Tokyo, Japan, where he served as aide de camp to, and, eventually, personal pilot for Gen. George Stratemeyer who was the commanding general of the Far East Air Forces. Also during that time, he flew 60 combat missions in Korea. Following Gen. Stratemeyer\'s heart attack, my dad was appointed and served as aide to Gen. O.P. Weyland, who had taken over for Gen. Stratemeyer.
At the same time my dad was stationed there, my mother also was in Tokyo; she was a civilian secretary serving in FEAF military intelligence, in Gen. MacArthur\'s former office building, and, it was in Tokyo that my parents met, dated, got engaged and, finally, married, in Nov. 1951. In Jan. 1952, they returned to the States and my dad was assigned to Williams AFB, Chandler, AZ, where he was a flight instructor and operations officer.
I was born in 1955, at Letterman Army Hospital on the Presidio, San Francisco, CA, while my dad was attending UC Berkeley, to complete his college degree, and, upon his graduation, we went to Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, NV, then, in 1957 or \'58, we were off to Europe. During our time in Europe, my dad was stationed at Etain AFB, France, and Spangdahlam AFB, Germany, where he served with the 7th TFW.
In early 1960, we returned to the States, and my dad was assigned to England AFB, Alexandria, LA, where he was commander of the 614th Fighter Squadron and, then, commander of the 613th. In 1962, my dad led his squadron, on what evidently was to be a regular rotation, to the base at Incirlik, Turkey, where he ended up commanding the NATO squadron as they sat nuclear alert during the most crucial days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1963, my dad was off to Saigon, where he lived in a hotel, just a few blocks from the palace, when a military coup \"removed\" the Diem regime from power. Note: Among the listing photos is a letter, along with the postmarked envelope, which my father wrote to his brother and sister-in-law, on Nov. 3, 1963, in which he describes the events of that day, in Saigon, from his position at and near his hotel, and the events of the following day, when he dressed in his uniform and sauntered down to the palace (see listing photos).
From Saigon, my dad was sent to Vientiane, Laos, where he flew missions and trained pilots of the RLAF, and served as assistant air attache, and, finally, he went to Savannakhet, Laos, where he became the first air attache in that town.
Following my dad\'s return from Southeast Asia, in August of 1964, we were sent to Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, NM, then, from the summer of \'65 until Jan. 1969, he was stationed at the Pentagon, where he worked in Studies and Analysis.
In Jan. 1969, we were sent to Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ, where my dad suffered a very mild stroke, an event which grounded him, so, in the summer of \'69, we were off to Langley AFB, Hampton, VA, where he was director of personnel orders. Finally, from Jan. 1972 until July 1974, my dad served as base commander at George AFB, Victorville, CA, retiring on July 1, 1974, after 31+ years of active duty.
And now, on to the items included in this listing .......
The Flying Tigers leather flight jacket:This jacket is in good shape, but the leather is stiff and, clearly, worn. However, there are no holes, no rips, no damage to the leather, and the knit cuffs and waistband are in perfect condition. The Flying Tigers patch is in what I would call very good condition, with only a bit of the stitching coming loose from the leather piping around the edge of the patch.
Additional photos available upon request.
The medals:As far as I can tell, all but two (2) of my dad\'s medals are presented and accounted for. The medals which came in fancy cases are still in those cases. One is in an original plastic case, others are in their original small paper boxes, and still others are just loose, with no boxes or cases.
One of the items I have is a 4 1/2\" x 3 1/2\" plastic case, with hinged lid, which contains small (approx. 1 1/2\" each) copies of what appear to be all of my dad\'s medals, including oak leaf clusters that seem to be accurate. I don\'t know when or where my dad might have gotten this little case of medals, but I have to suspect it might have been at his retirement, because, how else to account for the presence of all of his medals? So, I looked over all of the little medals in that case, and I found two medals there that don\'t seem to be accounted for anywhere among his regular medals, nor have I been able to find medal citations or correspondence relating to those two medals. The only indication I have that my dad actually received those medals is the little replica in the plastic case and the ribbons, that my dad wore on his uniform, that reflect those two medals.
The two \"missing\" medals are theRepublic of Viet Nam Servicemedal (my dad served there in 1963 and \'64) and theUN medal, which reads \"For service in the defense of the principles of the charter of the United Nations,\" with a horizontal bar on the medal frame which reads \"Korea.\" My dad was in Tokyo during the Korean War, from 1949 until Jan. 1952, and one of the large photos I have is of a group of about three dozen men, all in military uniforms from a variety of countries; my father is among that group of men, and I have to believe that that photo depicts a UN meeting of military officers from many countries.
Bottom line, I don\'t know where those two medals are, don\'t have them, and doubt, at this point, that I\'m going to run across them.
Additional photos available upon request.
The squadron patches:The only squadron patches I have are the ones reflected in one of the listing photos, above. These are the only patches I\'ve been able to find, and I feel sure that this is all there is.
Additional photos available upon request.
The Mac Improved Pilot\'s Log:This little book is in beautiful condition. Entries start in 1944 and run until sometime in 1946.
Additional photos, of pages from within the log, available upon request.
Newspaper Article from the Fargo (ND) Forum, February 27, 1951:The photo accompanying the article shows my dad receiving congratulations from Gen. George Stratemeyer at the presentation of one of my dad\'s Distinguished Flying Crosses and one of his Air Medals, and the article offers a bit of information about my dad\'s career, to that point. I\'m sure that the fact that my dad was born and raised in North Dakota explains the posting of this article in the Fargo newspaper.
Additional photos available.
And now, onto the items for which a hundred listing photos might not be enough ....
The gods, in all their wisdom, have decreed a maximum of 12 photos per listing, and I just don\'t know what they expect a seller to do when she wants to post a listing that includes dozens of items. At this point, the only solution I am able to see involves you, the potential buyer, sending me a message, through \'s message service, in which you request photos that space limitations have prevented me from posting. I can attach 10 photos to each of my reply messages, and I\'ll be happy to do that. So, if you\'d like to see more photos, please don\'t hesitate to let me know and I\'ll get back to you just as soon as I am able. As far as I can tell, this is the only way to proceed.
201 Service Record:This legal-size manila folder contains the following dividers:Awards & Decorations~Flying Status~PCS Orders~Promotion Orders,andInsurance & Allotments.
At this point, I\'m trying to photograph a lot of the documents in this big folder and I believe that it is, essentially, complete. I\'ve found a few loose pages that probably belong in this folder, and I will either replace them, in their proper order, before shipping this item, or I will include them for the buyer.
Photos available upon request.
Original leather flying helmet~ \"U.S. Air Force\" leather (perhaps flying) gloves ~ Air navigation calculator instruments: These items are included in listing. Were I not to know better, I would think that the leather flying helmet had never been worn; it is in perfect condition, but I have photos of my dad wearing the helmet, so I know it\'s not unworn! The leather gloves are in what I would call very goodvintage condition. The air navigation calculators look new.
Photos available upon request.
Maps of China:I have two large paper maps of China -- one of theKunmingarea and one of theKweilinarea -- both of which are in near-perfect condition and are included in this listing. I also have one map of China -- \"Asiatic Series\" -- printed onwhite fabricand folded (No. 32, French Indo China, on one side; No. 33, Central China, on the other side), which also is in beautiful condition and which also is included in the listing.
Photos available upon request.
Wings, Insignia, & Ribbons: I have what I believe was my dad\'s final set of pilot wings, from the latter part of his career. I also have three silver metal colonel eagle insignia and the \"US\" pin, all of which would have been worn on his uniform. Also included in the listing is the big \"thing\" of medal ribbons that my dad wore on his uniform, the little ribbons that signify which medals he received over his career.
Additionally, I havebrasspilot\'s wingsfrom the country ofChina, in their original paper box, which probably were presented to my dad for his service in China in WWII, but were held, by the US government, for a number of years. And, finally, I havebrass pilot wingsfrom the country ofBelgium, given to my father following a pilot instruction course provided for some Belgian pilots. All of these items are in very nice vintage condition, and I have the paperwork that accompanied these items, as well as paperwork from the American government, in which the items are released to my dad, along with permission to wear the items.
Photos available upon request.
Flight suit: Also included in the listing is one (1) of my dad\'s flight suits, from the later part of his career. On the shoulders of the flight suit, underneath clear plastic, are silver colonel eagle insignia. Stitched to the front of the flight suit is a patch with my dad\'s name and \"Colonel / USAF\" printed on it, also under clear plastic. On the other side of the chest is aTactical Air Commandsquadron-type patch. The flight suit is in beautiful condition; it looks nearly-new, with no holes, tears, or stains.
Photos available upon request.
Group of hats & caps:I have a few of my dad\'s AF hats and caps, including one (1) of the large, brimmed officer\'s hats that he wore with his dark blue AF uniform; one (1) AF blue \"cap\" -- kind of narrow, no brim; I don\'t know what this cap is called -- with a silver colonel eagle insignia on it; a black baseball-style cap with \"613,\" in yellow, appliqued on the back of the hat (from his time as commander of the 613th TFS in the early \'60s); and two (2) caps -- one a baseball hat, one a navy blue French beret -- with the number \"7\" (in European style, with the cross bar over the stem of the 7) embroidered on the caps. I\'m sure those two caps are from my dad\'s time with the 7th TFW, when we were in Etain, France, and Spangdahlam, Germany. All of these items are very good shape and all are included in the listing.
Photos available upon request.
Flight School\"Yearbooks\" : I have four (4) yearbook-type publications from 1952-1955, when my dad was a flight instructor, and, finally, flight operations officer, at Williams Field, AZ, from 1952-1955. These items are in perfect condition, and feature photos of all of the pilots and instructors in the various classes, including pics of my dad. These are included in the listing.
Photos available upon request.
\"Individual Flight Records\" Folder:This is a light gray legal-size folder that contains what appear to be hundreds of pieces of paper, which chronicle my dad\'s flight hours throughout his career. I must confess that this folder is a bit of a mess, in that many of the papers have come loose from their moorings, and the buyer of this listing might have to spend some time reassembling this folder. However, I believe that all of the relevant papers are there, in the folder, albeit in a state of disrepair.
Photos available upon request.
Newspapers & Newspaper Articles: I have about 20 newspapers and newspaper clippings that feature events in which my dad was involved. The bulk of these items are from USAF base papers, such as Tiger Talk, from England AFB, Alexandria, LA, and Vapor Trails, which was the base paper at Spangdahlem, Germany.
Photos available upon request.
Photos: I have to tell you that it is absolutely killing me not to be able to include snapshots of my dad\'s photos on this listing page. I have lots of them, and it\'s a crime that I can\'t post them here.
I have exactly one (1) photo of my dad when he was an Army private, in basic training, when he was only 19 years old. I have a good number of photos from the year before my dad went to China, when he was an air cadet, pics taken at Tallahassee, FL, Bartow AFB, FL, and San Antonio, TX.
I have a tiny handful of pics from when he was in China, including the one I posted in the listing photos, the only shot I have of him wearing the Flying Tigers jacket. I have four (4) aerial photos (think Google Earth) of China, one of which is a detailed shot of Kowloon Bay, with captions indicating what I suppose were targets for bombing, e.g., \"pier,\" \"seaplane ramp, \"assembly plant,\" and \"runway.\" I have a few pics from when my dad was stationed at Dow Field, Maine, following the war.
I have a good number of wonderful pictures of my dad with Gen. Stratemeyer, pics of the general in which my dad was not present, pics of the general with his wife, Annalee. I have two shots of my dad with Gen. Weyland, one in which Gen. Weyland has presented a medal to my dad, and one of Gen. Weyland and his wife, with my dad and my mom, at my parents\' wedding in Tokyo in 1951.
I have one photo of my dad, in his flight suit, posing with his airplane, on the runway, when he was with the 7th TFW in Etain, France. I have one shot of my dad with four-star general Walter Sweeney, taken when the general was visiting England AFB in 1962, and only a couple of pics of my dad in Vietnam and Laos.
I have about 15 large photos of airplanes, probably planes my dad flew, the bulk of them published by the manufacturers of the planes .... and others. Many, many photos.I have a number of official USAF portraits of my dad, starting when he was an air cadet and spanning his career.Important: There will be periods, over the course of the next week, when I will be away and without computer access, but as I am able, I will respond to all messages and requests for photos or information. I\'ll do my level best to provide you with whatever it is you\'d like to see or know, so please don\'t hesitate to message me with your requests and/or questions. Please be as specific as possible, as to what, exactly, you\'d like to see or know. If you\'re wondering about items that I have failed to mention in the listing information, just ask! I may have things that would be of interest to a collector that I just haven\'t thought to list class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: large; line-height: normal;\">If you are considering purchasing one of my items, I hope you’ll take a moment to read theimportant informationI’ve postedbelow. Additionally, please look carefully at all of my listing photos, as they constitute a significant part of the item description.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

I ship ONLY to confirmed addresses within the United States. NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING.

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Payment is due within two (2) days of purchase, both for “Buy-It-Now” items and for sale items.

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I’m eager to help you save on shipping charges, thus,I’m always happy to combine shipping, whenever possible,on multiple items which arepaid on the same invoice.

If you will be purchasingmore than one item,YOU MUSTCONTACT ME AND REQUEST A FINAL COMBINED INVOICE,BEFORE PAYINGFOR ANY OF YOUR ITEMS.Once you havepaid for any individual item, Icannotthen issue a combined invoice.

To request a combined invoice, send me a message using the“Ask a Question” link, toward the bottom of the listing page of one of your purchased items.

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I shiponlywithin the United States. NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING.

I package carefully, and shipUSPS(withtracking, so you can chart the progress of your purchase), and will make every efforttoshipwithin 3 business daysof verified payment. If you are in a hurry to receive your item, please message me and I will provide you with information about expedited shipping options.


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