Every girl crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed (Enlisted) Man

Hats are one of the most personal items of any uniform. They are ideal for collecting as they vary widely in price, styles, and are easily available. Even a hat that has been neglected or damaged can, with care, be reassembled or formed back into shape and look great on display. While the majority of hats out there don't have any sort of identification, sometimes you will be lucky enough to come across one with a name written or stamped inside, or, in higher quality caps, have a name card inserted into the lining. Understandably, the nicer caps I have seen have always belonged to an officer, as they had the funds to privately purchase tailored uniforms. But the other day I came across an anomaly that I hadn't seen before.
I was at an outdoor antique fair and came across a guy who was selling his recently-deceased friend's 30+ year militaria collection. On a table he had a few hats, and there this one sat on top of another. I am  familiar with the early war uniforms that were made in what they call "chocolate brown," as opposed to the olive drab. I actually own a couple, and they are very nice, but I had never seen a hat that was in the same chocolate brown shade. But here was this hat, in brown, and not only that, but with an enlisted man's insignia, not an officer's. It was in incredible condition, no moth holes or tears or rotting leather. To my surprise, I was holding a privately purchased, tailor made Army enlisted man's hat.

"All eyez on me."

The leather just by itself is amazing. It shines almost like it's plastic, with only a few scuff marks on the bill, which could have happened during transport (I think the guy had to bring it in from another state). There isn't any name inside, which is a shame, because I would have liked to know more about the guy who sported this thing. He obviously had a sense of style, because this hat is no joke. It must have cost a fortune on his salary, and you know you can't have a good hat with a sub-par uniform. I bet that was tailored as well.

Even the inside is pristine, so either it saw very little use or was very well taken care of. Either way, it tells a story in itself. Just the multi-colored label is a great representation of American patriotism in commercial advertising and labeling of the time, and the innumerable ways they managed to work a "V" into everything.

V for Victory!

So no surprise, I had to have it, and the guy dropped his price for me to $25, which was a gift in itself. I ran home and (carefully) put it on a head form on display in a bookshelf behind glass. When I look at it, I just try to imagine how sharp this soldier looked walking down the street or heading into a USO dance, the envy of his buddies in their issued garb, on a mission from god to snag the eye of every lady he passed. I mean, let's be honest, why else would a guy put that much effort into what he wears?

Return of the WAC

Yesterday I went to a gun show, primarily rooting around for military things. I have been trying to find more dog tags, as the information out there is more accessible now to do further research, but it seems their prices skyrocketed the instant I decided to do so. I finally came across the table of a guy I have purchased from in the past, and he had a small pile of tags in one of his display cases. I asked how much he was asking, as I noticed there were a few that were WWII, and he said, "Oh, I don't know, a couple dollars or so, I have so many of them." He let me see them, and I rifled through, finding a woman's tag. Now, I rarely come across women's dog tags, and all the ones I have seen are dated from the 50's, at the earliest. Every dog tag, including the early ones, has the date the soldier had their last tetanus shot, marked by a T[year], so one that says "T50" would mean they got it in 1950. Anyway, this woman's single tag (I could not find the other) had not only T43-44 on it, but her serial number was A-906701, meaning she was in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which was shortened in 1943 to just the Women's Army Corps (WAC). Their serial numbers always started with an A, where the men's has no letters. When I saw this I tried not to show how excited I was. I've never actually seen a legit WAAC dog tag, as women's items are rather hard to come by, and I had to have it. I picked out a couple other tags as well, and asked how much for all of them. He said, "Ehhh, gimme $3 for each of these and," he picked up the WAAC tag, "eh, gimme a dollar for that one." I very calmly said okay, and wound up paying $10 for four tags (lately it seems people want $30 and up for a set). I ran off like Charlie waving the Golden Ticket.
   I got home and looked up the information on her on the National Archives site. I've been going here first when I find soldier's names and especially serial numbers. They have a database to look up WWII draft cards, and while it doesn't explain everything they did during their service, it gives a basic picture of the person: where they're from, what their occupation was, their level of education, where and when they enlisted and what branch, etc. So this is the information I got from there:

JENNIE I CLARK
Born 1904
From Portland, Oregon
Enlisted April 23, 1943 as a private in the Women's Army Corps, Inactive Reserve
White, single, no dependents
Education: post-graduate
Civilian occupation: Teachers (secondary school) and Principles

So just from this info, we've got a 39 year old single, highly educated, high school teacher. What is she doing joining the army at 39 years old?! You have to admit that even by today's standards, that is pretty steep. In 1943, your life was 75% of the way over. I believe the cut off for joining the WAACs was 41, but still. I hopped back online and ran her name through google, and miraculously, with very little effort, a rather large obituary appeared---two slightly different ones on three different sites. I was shocked, because usually I spend hours trying to find anything on a name. However, it appeared she had married, and her middle initial wasn't I, it was C, which at first made me think I had the wrong woman. But here is the obituary posted on gazettetimes.com, originally published in 2002:

Jan. 26, 1904-Aug. 1, 2002

Jennie Clark Austin, a former longtime resident of Corvallis, died Thursday. She was 98.

She was born to William C. Clark and Jennie F. Evans in Portland. She was a third generation Oregonian. She loved discovery and learning and her family enjoyed camping trips on the Sandy River and trips to the Coast.

In 1926, she earned her bachelor's degree from Oregon State College. Her first teaching positions were in Grangeville, then Wallace, Idaho. After a few years, she returned to Portland to teach at Jefferson and, later, Grant high schools.

She returned to college, earning a master's degree at Columbia University in 1942.

During World War II, she served in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific between 1943 and 1945. After the war, she was appointed an assistant professor at Oregon State and served as the county Extension Service agent for 4-H and home economics in Hood River County from 1947 to 1956.

She married Kirby Austin, a widowed friend from her college days, in 1956. For years they lived in Tuckahoe, N.Y., while he worked in electronics.

They retired and moved to Corvallis in 1969. They were active in the Methodist Church, two garden clubs, a photography club and community service. In addition to gardening, she enjoyed traveling, including cruises and staying at elder hostels. She also belonged to Kappa Delta Sorority, St. Mary's Order of the Eastern Star and the American Home Economics Association.

In 1990, she moved to Hillside Manor in McMinnville.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her brother, Floyd Austin of Boise, Idaho; and her stepson, Clifford Austin of Indio, Calif. Survivors include many distant relatives and friends.

This was posted on findagrave.com

When I read that, and especially saw the picture posted of her grave, I was pretty floored. I mean, who knows where this tag has been the last 11 years, if it was even still with her until her death. And here it is, a little flat piece of metal, what's left from the life of a remarkable woman who lived a pretty incredible life. Just looking at it in context of the times, this woman received a college education in the '20s, and then just went back to Columbia to get a Master of Arts (this was noted in another obituary) in the '40s. That's not exactly what the average woman was doing at the time. To top it off, she joins the military during the war and goes to the South Pacific theater when she's 40--because she wanted to. Remember, women weren't drafted, it was completely voluntary. She definitely sounds like a woman who did whatever the hell she wanted to. I never did find anything on why her middle name was listed as I in military records but C on her headstone. It's too bad there isn't any more information on what she did during the war. I couldn't find a photo of her either, and I definitely want to see what this lady looked like.
   This is exactly what validates collecting, for me. Here is a little thing, a misplaced dog tag in a box that a guy sells to me for a shrug and $1, and it represents so much more: a life. Jennie Clark was 98 years old when she died 11 years ago--is anyone who knew her still alive? Do her "distant relatives" even remember her? I am going to guess no to both. But now here's a chance for someone to remember her as more than just another tag in a pile.

Jumpin Jabos!

If you're wondering what the hell a "jabo" is, it was the name the Germans gave the American P-47 fighter plane. Since it is my favorite fighter, and what I named this blog after, it seems only fitting to start it off with an awesome snapshot I bought online. It is, no surprise, one of my favorite pictures as well.

We'll never know if this guy was a pilot, mechanic, or just a dude that could squeeze into an air scoop, but he definitely knows how to deliver a badass pose.

(Also, I'm not the biggest fan of watermarks, but I only add them because I physically own the original photo. I'm not going to watermark every image that shows up here, considering most will be online crap, only my own photos. If you want to save it or link or whatever, I only ask that say where it's from. Thanks.)

Welcome to the blog to end all blogs

This is a place dedicated to the history, collection and preservation of militaria from World War II. While I may often use irreverent humor, I do acknowledge the ultimate cost of war, and take respect seriously. These items were owned and used by real, living people. Regardless of which country they originated, they are what is left behind of a time that is becoming increasingly forgotten and discarded.
I am an avid collector, primarily of American and German militaria (yes, stereotypical), spanning all branches. While there are some areas I do have more of an interest in (like Army Air Force), I'll pretty much collect whatever I can get my hands on, whether it be small things like insignia and photographs to uniforms and helmets. I am by no means a high roller, and everything I have found has either been through luck or scrounging around dirty flea markets, antique stores, thrift stores, everywhere. Really amazing things are out there if you take the time to look closely.
I don't know when or why I got into it, it just happened, so it's no use trying to psychoanalyze. Although there is a theory bouncing around that I'm some reincarnated pilot or soldier, I doubt that's the case (however, if someone wants to pay for a boardwalk fortune teller or whoever to see my past in a glass paperweight or whatever, feel free). I've been collecting for several years and have accumulated many things, but I don't really get to show anyone. So I decided to create this blog to share what I've found, and publicly revel in some of my greatest victories. Obviously there is always some monetary value attached to items, but I use it mainly as a barometer for how other collectors view them, or how difficult something is to find. I've never sold anything, and I have no intention to. I don't like to place the value of something strictly by how much it is worth in cash. A 50 cent photograph of a soldier is worth just as much as a helmet to me. I'm not claiming to be an expert or know everything there is to know about something, and if you have something to add, or have a constructive comment, please share. However, I am tired of going onto collecting sites and everyone is just being a dick to everyone else because they think they're the only authority. I have no patience for that.
Idealistically, my hope is that you'll see these pieces and get a little education out of it, and be reminded that, while these are just things, they are what's left behind of individual people whose lives have ultimately been forgotten. They're just names in record books now, if even that, but we can celebrate their lives by remembering they were actually once here and wore these same uniforms, carried this same gear, and were the ones who posed in these 50 cent photographs.