Locator: 49392VETERANSDAY.
Off the net for a couple of hours.
I'm off to a Veterans Day event at Sophia's middle school.
I'll see if Sophia can get a better photo of me.
I still fit in my old flight suit / jacket.
In 1984, I earned my "wings" and went on flying status. As part of the process, I was fitted with uniforms and helmet.
I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB, ND, so we were issued cold weather jackets as the standard-issue jacket. I don't recall ever getting a "regular" or warm-weather jacket. I wore this jacket almost every day for 30 years, regardless of where I was assigned, including the Middle East during the summer!
When one separated from the USAF, you returned your issued uniforms to be recycled for new recruits. I was new so I was issued a jacket that had been issued to a "Major Baird." He would have gotten this jacket no later than as a captain, possibly a lieutenant, which meant he wore this jack for at least ten years, probably as a B-52 navigator or weapons system operator.
So, this jacket was almost continuously worn for forty years. I retired in 2007 -- so now, another 18 years this jacket has been around, worn to ever Veterans Day event since 2007.
So, 58 years old -- this jacket. Not one sign of aging. No fraying of the elastic sleeves, no need to have the zipper replaced, no cuts or tears. Absolutely perfect condition.
