Ike Jacket and Family Halloween Costume

My dad passed away four years ago today. He was a Korean War Combat veteran and a member of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (187th ARCT) and the United Nations Partisan Forces-Korea (UNPFK). Today's Army Special Forces traces part of its lineage back to the UNPFK.

Pictured here is the Eisenhower Jacket my dad wore during his stint in the Army. It was put on display during an opening ceremony at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum on 19 August 2006. My mom and two of my sisters were guests of honor that day. The curator could not get over the great condition the jacket and other memorabilia were in.

The irony is: My four siblings and I took turns wearing this as a Halloween costume. As one of us outgrew it, the jacket was passed down to the next sibling. We're all amazed the jacket not only survived the ravages of time, but well over a dozen years of sugar-crazed trick-or-treating. I think my mom put the curator into shock when she told him this.

So if you ever find yourself in Fayetteville, NC; check it out. (Oh, and check out the rest of the Airborne Museum too).

http://www.asomf.org/