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"Pinks" Ike jacket

Hi guys,

Anyone have photos, black and white or color, of a "pinks" Ike jacket?

Rumor has it that both General Hap Arnold and 4th Fighter Group Ace Johnny Godfrey wore them 'in theater' but I can't find a pic of either wearing one or a pic of one at all. What say you guys?

Dan
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Does it look like this?

hap_arnold_patton.jpg
 

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
David, both of those are OD. Here's a photo of me wearing an original officer's OD uniform while honoring veterans at a local VA nursing home:

VAEvent.jpg


Getting back to the "pink" Ike, I'm not sure such a thing ever existed as I've never seen one in a book, photo, movie, or anywhere else. However, there was a khaki "tropical worsted" Ike as depicted on Page 90 of Stanton's U.S. Army Uniforms of the Cold War. The photograph is dated May 1953, but I'm unsure when the jacket would originally have been produced or in what numbers.

I always thought the "pink" trousers were rather odd in the first place because although they are a winter garment, light colors are typically associated with summer attire. In any case they're damned fine-looking with the dark OD jacket, whether Ike or 4-pocket.
 
Jim,

Just thinking about it now Silver Wings Pinks and Greens (or the second volume) has a pic of a 'pink' ike, but like you I've never seen one clearly in a photo worn by anyone, that's why I was hoping one of you may have. I'd love to see a pic of one on someone back then if anyone has one.

Dan
 

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
If you can post the picture from Silver Wings it would be great. What confuses me is the fact that a completely "pink" uniform is unlikely to have been authorized for winter wear, bearing as it does a closer resemblance to summer khaki.
 

Tim P

Well-Known Member
I agree that such a thing would not be authorised but a junior officer taking such a thing off base in a liberty bag would be able to don it whilst in the civilian domain and it would not be the most bizzarre thing ever seen at that time uniform wise. senior officers were a law unto themselves in both the US and British armies.
Len deighton wrote a book about the USAAF and he talks of an officer having had a pink jacket tailor made and wearing it as a maverick, that is a work of fiction however. if pink garrison caps and crushers were made you can bet that the odd jacket got made to order too.
Rare enough however to be absolutely insignificant as anything but a curiosity.
I have seen a picture in Korea where a senior officer has had a tanker jacket made to wear like a blouson with the shell being OD shade 33 wool (that is the enlisted ike/pants shade isnt it? if not well apologies, that is the shade I mean)
 

Tim P

Well-Known Member
That officer was wearing it to match his pants with highly shined non regulation boots, shelby stanton, uniforms of the Korean war p110.
 
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