Original U.S. Vietnam War Navy VAW-121 Carrier Air Wing 3 Patched Winter Flying Suit Jacket of Robert B. Bachman - Size 38 Regular
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 (VAW-121), also known as the "Bluetails", is an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and Command and control (C2) squadron of the United States Navy, operating the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Established in 1967, the squadron is based at NAS Norfolk. Along with VAW-122, VAW-123 and VAW-120, VAW-121 was created out of the "super squadron" VAW-12 on 1 April 1967. Until then, VAW-12 had deployed 4-plane detachments to accompany carrier air wings.
Unlike its siblings, VAW-121 flew the E-1B Tracer, until the mid-1970s. This was due to the fact there were still carriers in the fleet that were not capable of handling for the larger E-2 Hawkeye, principally USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Essex-class carriers.
This is a heavily service-worn Vietnam war era flight jacket identified to Robert B. Bachman Jr., a Navy aviation electronics technician who served in several different VAW units across his career. The jacket bears patches for VAW-121, Carrier Air Wing 3, the USS Essex, and the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club.
The jacket retains its makers tag which is heavily worn and partially faded:
BUAER- U.S. NAVY
JACKET - WINTER FLYING SUIT
SIZE 38 REGULAR
SPECIFICATION MIL-S-183428 (AER)
AVIATORS EQUIPMENT CORP.
CONTRACT N383-67366A
The VAW-121 patch shows heavy stitching loss to the left side, and the Carrier Air Wing 3 patch has stitching loss to the left side as well. The interior lining shows extremely heavy tearing and other damage. This jacket saw very heavy use. The zipper is CONMAR and still works fine. The name Bach is written over the left breast pocket and on the lower lining is stenciled
BACHMAN R B
543 77 35
VAW 12
We were able to find a very small blip of text written by Bachman when attempting to find men from his unit online years later: My name is Robert Bachman and I was an ATR2 with Det 60. I was in VAW 12, VAW 121 then RVAW 120, CAEW12 then VAW 121 Det 11. I was in VAW 12 in Quonset Point RI when the first FUDDs were arriving from Bethpage Long Island, 1961.
This is a great heavily worn jacket, and we were able to find a photograph of Bachman online in a newspaper article which we have put in the pocket.
Comes ready for further research and display.
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