Were Servicepeople Allowed to Keep It?

1961MJS · Apr 11, 2011

Hi

The USAAF and US Army both used the "ruptured duck" insignia to show that the person wearing the uniform had been honorably discharged. There was apparently very little clothing manufacturing being done during WW2, so the boys were expected to wear their uniforms at home for a while. My Dad gave me his Class A tunic (not an Ike Jacket), and his two olive drab shirts. He said that he wore the two pair of pants all of the way out. He still has his rough-outs, and they still fit. He also brought home a flight jacket of some kind, but it rotted away over the years.

On the other side of the coin, I have an old friend who went AWOL to stay with his girlfriend when he was in service back in the 1970's, so he was less than honorably discharged. He was so happy about being let go, that he told me he emptied his duffel bag along the turnpike then started stripping and tossing that too. He arrived at his girlfriend's (or parent's been a while) home in tightly whitey's and nothing else.

Later

Harp · Apr 12, 2011

I discharged twice-after Vietnam ended from the 101st Airborne and later after resigning
from the Army while serving as a reservist with the 12th Special Forces-keeping only
from standard issue the uniform for official separation: beret, Class A greens, and jump boots.

SGT Rocket · Apr 12, 2011

I haven't E.T.S.d yet, so I'm not sure. But, I believe you are allowed to keep anything that touches your skin. Any sort of TA-50, or I.O.T.V. or something that other soldiers can use, you turn in. That seems to be the way it goes when you move from one unit to the next.

All that being said, there is all sorts of weird stuff that our supply puts out on a "free" table. You just pick it up and take it home (everything from markers to cammelback cleaning kits).

Big Man · Apr 12, 2011

My Dad was in the Army Air Corps during WW II. I still have his shirt, Ike jacket, and boots. I know that he was discharged with another uniform, as he said he took the jacket and two pair of GI pants to Mr. Coleman Ziegler at the Man's Store in Asheville, NC and had him cut them up to make him a three-piece suit.

I remember my Dad also telling the story that he picked up a very nice sidearm from a dead pilot while in France. He carried it with him for the rest of the war. When he returned to the states and was being mustered out (at Fort Dix), there was a long line and the closer he got to the end he noticed that the soldier's belongings were being inspected. My Dad said he noticed most of the folks were going "out the gate" while some who had "contraband" were being held back. Dad said he'd "been gone from home since 1943 and NOTHING was going to stand between him and the train headed for Nebo, NC." Dad said he pulled that pistol out of his bag, took a last look at it, and "gave it a sling as far as he could."

WH1 · Apr 12, 2011

Current Marine Corps policy:
You are issued your uniforms on enlisted side and they are yours, dress uniforms, cammies, boots, etc. Officers pay for their own, price of command.

You are also issued unit/command clothing/equipment which you sign for and are expected to turn in when you depart the command. Includes items such as Packs, canteens, sleep systems, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), poncho liner, wet weather gear, etc. In some cases depending on the unit uniform items such as Dress Blues will also be a Unit issue item which is turned in when you leave the command.

When deploying there are items which are issued and you are expected to turn in upon return includes goggles, Danner boots, Flame Resistant Organizational Gear (FROG) suits, and Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK). Some is considered combat consumables and the command doesn't expect to see it back upon completion of a combat deployment. During early Iraq operations they would just hand us a lot of the gear no signature required with no expectation of recieving it back so most of us have accumulated a fair amount of kit after numerous deployments. Some I am still using as it is comfortable and I have a high degree of familiarity with it and muscle memory is everything...

Spitfire · Apr 12, 2011

When I got back into civil clothing in 1968 - after 14 month of service - we were told/ordered to turn back everything, Except a pair of wooden sandals used for bathing/showers, some shooepolish and two brushes - which we were supposed to bring, when/if we were called up again.
Everything else should be given back. Need I say there was a huge pile of wooden sandals, brushes and shoepolish just outside the gate? In fact somebody managed to set fire to it!!!

1930artdeco · Apr 13, 2011

From what my grandmother said, Papa ditched all of his stuff after getting home from the Pacific except his Class A uniform that he got married in. Then I think he chucked everything but the jacket, he did not want to remember the war-fair enough.

Mike

Atticus Finch · Apr 13, 2011

Officers in the USAAF were required to buy their uniforms, so I now have my father's "Pinks and Greens" and other dress uniform parts. My frugal Dad darned sure wasn't going to leave anything with the military that had cost him money! Flight jackets and other equipment were issued by the military and were classified as "flight gear". They had to be returned when the airman separated from the service.

This is a bit morbid, but I have heard that a common way for an airman to procure more than one A-2, was to report that his issued A-2 had been borrowed by some unfortunate crewman of a missing plane. Lt. Buzz would tell the QM that poor Sgt. Tommy, Crashanburn's tail gunner, had borrowed his jacket just before Crashanburn did. The quartermaster would then wink and tell Buzz to go draw another jacket.

AF

Monsoon · Apr 13, 2011

SlyGI said:
I haven't E.T.S.d yet, so I'm not sure. But, I believe you are allowed to keep anything that touches your skin. Any sort of TA-50, or I.O.T.V. or something that other soldiers can use, you turn in. That seems to be the way it goes when you move from one unit to the next.

That's what I was always told. You were issued thru supply longjohns, you got to keep them. Parka, well, that has to be turned in. It can be cleaned and reissued.

In my squadron, leather flight jackets, like all other flight gear, an issue item and has to be turned in. But, if you retire, you get to keep your leather jacket.

My father was career aircrew with the AF, too. He managed to keep two N3B parkas and his MA-1. I know when he left Vietnam on his second tour, he was in such a hurry he left all his uniforms behind except for his 1505s that he was wearing and a brand new pair of jungle boots he carried back.

scottyrocks · Apr 14, 2011

My Dad gave me some of his Korean War Navy blues and whites, and I got some of an uncles Vietnam era Army stuff, the latter of which had to have certain insignia removed upon discharge. I wore all of it through my late twenties (late 1980s).

Gene · Apr 14, 2011

You can thank the top AAF brass for destroying more than half of all painted A2 jackets. They were old stock and rather than be surplussed (who would've wanted any of that old crap?) they were cut up and burned.

dhermann1 · Apr 14, 2011

My mom used her old Marine Corps fatigue uniform for camping and picnicing gear through my whole childhood. Those old herringbone uniforms held up really well. I still have both my parents' hats, and my mom's 2 leather purses were around for a long time, even tho parts had dissolved. Without implying that anyone in my family would ever dream of PLUNDERING US Gov't property (

) , but we always had a nice little drafting table with "LEATHERNECK PROPERTY" stenciled on the bottom.

doctor dan · Apr 14, 2011

My dad was in the Army from 39-46 he brought back all he could carry. His friend from the same town when he got home and emptied his duffle bag found that someone had put a 50 cal in it, another found that a Jeep had followed him home. All of them would reminise and say how they missed the Army.
When it was my turn, in 1970, I figured I better have two duffle bags for that is all that I could carry. Remember in the 70's they did not xray your baggage, so one bag was for clothes and basic field gear and the other was for what ever accidentaly fell into it. Just remember to say," I don't know how that got in there or, that is not my bag."

Edward · Apr 14, 2011

Gene said:
You can thank the top AAF brass for destroying more than half of all painted A2 jackets. They were old stock and rather than be surplussed (who would've wanted any of that old crap?) they were cut up and burned.

I suspect that was, at least in part, tied to them trying to take the painted stuff out of circulation after the propaganda-headache they incurred when some of the USAAF boys with "Murder Inc" on their jackets were captured.

normanpitkin · Apr 14, 2011

My father,a major in the New Zealand Tank Corps,gave me all his uniforms from the war ,including his battledress,beret,ties,shirts,etc.The most interesting story was that he had to pretend his wristwatch(an Ebel no less)was in a tank that had "brewed up"(burnt) in battle.This was the only way he could keep it and ,eventually,give it to me! Still keeps pretty good time too although I had the mainspring replaced a few years back.

Monsoon · Apr 14, 2011

Gene said:
You can thank the top AAF brass for destroying more than half of all painted A2 jackets. They were old stock and rather than be surplussed (who would've wanted any of that old crap?) they were cut up and burned.

The AF urban legend that I heard was that the AF buried most of the left over leather jackets in the desert somewhere.

Gene · Apr 14, 2011

Monsoon said:
The AF urban legend that I heard was that the AF buried most of the left over leather jackets in the desert somewhere.

Now wouldn't that be nice to find. Anyone got a leather detector???

Chas · Apr 15, 2011

My dad was RCN in WW2 - he could keep most of his kit but it all was lost or misplaced by the time I was old enough to ask about it, except for a gunshirt that I had of his that I wore 'til it fell apart.

MPicciotto · Apr 15, 2011

dhermann1 said:
My mom used her old Marine Corps fatigue uniform for camping and picnicing gear through my whole childhood. Those old herringbone uniforms held up really well. I still have both my parents' hats, and my mom's 2 leather purses were around for a long time, even tho parts had dissolved. Without implying that anyone in my family would ever dream of PLUNDERING US Gov't property ( ) , but we always had a nice little drafting table with "LEATHERNECK PROPERTY" stenciled on the bottom.

My father was in the Coast Guard when I was growing up. those black retractable ballpoint pens with the metal band and clip that had printed "US Govt Property" were EVERYWHERE in my childhood.

Matt

Monsoon · Apr 15, 2011

MPicciotto said:
My father was in the Coast Guard when I was growing up. those black retractable ballpoint pens with the metal band and clip that had printed "US Govt Property" were EVERYWHERE in my childhood.

You know you're getting closer to a military base by the amount of those pens you find in the hands of retail clerks, gas station attendants, bar tenders, strippers......

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