September  |  M1928 Carrier, Haversack

Shown here is an M1928 Haversack Carrier, sometimes referred to as a haversack “tail” or “diaper.” Haversacks were essentially packs worn by Soldiers to carry around items such as rations and equipage like shovels. This triangular piece of equipment was designed to be attached to the M1928 Haversack to provide additional carrying capacity for items such as a shelter half or blanket.

This carrier consists of a triangular piece of olive drab cotton canvas to which is affixed two horizontal 5/8” olive drab cotton web straps tipped with black metal buckles. Two smaller cotton web straps are attached to the bottom with D rings at the ends. A leather strap is threaded through slits across the top. The front of the carrier is marked with the letters “U.S.” in black, while the back bears the maker’s mark of “E.A. Brown Mfg. Co., 1944.” Models produced later in World War II such as this tended to be olive drab, while earlier models were more likely to be khaki to match older versions of the M1928 Haversack to which they would be attached.

An item like this, along with the haversack, was standard infantry gear. However, it was somewhat unpopular with Soldiers, as the methods for packing and fastening them were considered unnecessarily cumbersome.

August  |  M1859 Carbine Socket

This month’s artifact is an M1859 carbine socket (also known as a “thimble”) believed to date to the 1880s. A carbine, for which these were developed, is essentially a rifle with a shorter barrel length. As they were easier to handle while riding on horseback than a full length rifle, these weapons were commonly used by Cavalry Soldiers. The socket would have been fastened to the lower right side of the horse’s saddle using the attached buckle. The rider would have worn his carbine across his body suspended by an attached sling. While mounted, he could insert the barrel of the weapon into this socket to stabilize it and prevent it from slapping into the horse while in motion. This model had been developed to work with the McClellan saddles that had come to replace the earlier Grimsley models. So many of these were produced during the Civil War, that not only were they left over for use during the following decades, but many never saw service at all.

This socket consists of two layers of harness leather folded over and stitched together forming a cylinder which flairs slightly at both openings. A strap with a buckle is attached around the cylinder for fastening the item to a saddle.

July  |  No Artifact

June  |  No Artifact

May  |  Multinational Force and Observers Beret

This month’s featured artifact is an example of the berets worn by the Multinational Force and Observers, a peacekeeping force that operates in the Sinai Peninsula. As part of the Camp David Accords, which ended hostilities between Egypt and Israel in 1978, the treaty called for the establishment of an international peacekeeping force to make sure neither country sought to remilitarize the border between the two. After a United Nations force was not able to be created because of Russian and Chinese objection on the Security Council, the Multinational Force and Observers was formed outside the UN framework. Currently twelve countries contribute Soldiers to the mission, including the United States. These Soldiers wear the uniforms of their home countries’ militaries, but all wear the orange beret depicted here.

In addition to the orange color, the beret bears an orange and white patch depicting a dove and olive branch (symbols of peace). For most of US Army history, berets have been reserved for special operating units such as the Airborne (maroon), Rangers (tan), Special Forces (green), Security Force Assistance Brigades (tan), and peacekeeping missions such as this and those of the UN. However, the Army has on occasion used berets with regular units, including from 2001 to 2011 when standard headgear was the black beret.

April  |  WWII W.A.S.P. Jacket

The artifact we highlight this month is a World War II-Era Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) flight jacket. This jacket, which is what WASPs would have worn during flight, is essentially a blue “Ike Jacket” (the short-waisted jacket with belt favored by General Eisenhower that became popular with American officers during World War II). The jacket was typically worn with a long sleeve blue shirt and a black tie. During flight, WASPs were permitted to wear blue slacks with the outfit, but otherwise wore skirts. The single-breasted jacket is made of lightweight wool gabardine and has two patch pockets with flaps. The shoulders are padded and feature loops.

The Women’s Airforce Service Pilots were a group created during World War II in 1943 when the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and Women’s Flying Training Detachment merged. Entrance into the service was very competitive, with only 1,830 accepted out of more than 25,000 who applied. After receiving training on multiple aircraft (and these were women who already had to have pilot’s licenses to join the service), they flew non-combat missions such as ferrying aircraft, flying test missions, towing aerial targets, and transporting personnel. This was not only a valuable service in its own right, but also freed up male pilots for combat missions. The WASPs didn’t last long, however, with the service disbanding on December 20, 1944. Despite their contributions to the Allied cause, and the fact that 38 died in service, they were not recognized as veterans until 1977.

March  |  Vice Presidential Flag

This month we highlight a Vice Presidential flag as our featured artifact. As with the Presidential flag, it was the Navy that first recognized the need for a Vice Presidential flag, such that it could be flown when the executive was aboard a ship. In anticipation of a trip in 1915 on which Vice President Thomas R. Marshall would be representing President Woodrow Wilson, Navy officials noted that there was not yet a flag for the Vice President, and that one should be created. The Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Navy chose to use a version of the Presidential flag of the time, but with a white background instead of blue. On the white background was centered the image of the Great Seal of the United States—essentially the eagle holding arrows in one talon and olive branches in the other, with a cloud containing thirteen stars above. This flag was used a few times, but was never officially adopted.

In 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt issued the executive order that authorized the first official Vice Presidential flag. Once again, the flag acted as a sort of “inverse” Presidential flag, using a white background instead of blue, and a blue eagle instead of a mostly white one. Like the Presidential flag and that of other high government officials, the flag had a star in each corner.

background. In this version the eagle holds only one arrow and olive branch, and is surrounded by a ring of thirteen stars. This particular example is 12’ high by 6’ 8” wide, made primarily of wool bunting, and dates to about 1950.

The version featured here is not the one in use today however. The flag would undergo another redesign in 1975, as President Ford’s Vice President Nelson Rockefeller was unhappy with the 1948 design. This current version largely returns to the look of the 1936-1948 flag, with the white background, Vice Presidential Coat of Arms in the middle, and four large blue stars surrounding it. In this version however, the eagle is brown and white instead of the blue used in the earlier example.

February  |  Civil War-Era Enlisted Frock Coat

Shown here is an Enlisted Frock Coat dating to the Civil War. The coat originally belonged to Nathaniel Davis, who served in “I” Company of the 12th New Hampshire Volunteers during the Civil War before being discharged in 1864. As evidenced by the stamp inside the right sleeve, it was produced by the J.T. Martin Company, which was the largest contractor for the Federal Government during this period. Frock coats such as these had become regulation for the Army in 1851, and though undergoing some changes to the pattern over the decade, would remain in use through the Civil War up until 1872.

In contrast to the sack coats commonly worn during the Civil War, the longer frock coat has a skirt that extends down midway between the hips and knees, and features a stand-up collar as opposed to the sack coat’s turnover version. The frock coat was more expensive than the sack coat to produce, and while more formal in appearance, was less comfortable than the latter as well. These coats were comprised mainly of blue wool, with this particular example having sleeves lined with white cotton and a quilted brown chest lining. This version of the coat is single breasted with nine buttons down the front as was standard for enlisted Soldiers, and features light blue piping lining the collar and sleeves indicating service in the Infantry.