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An Old Navy Peacoat
(January 25, 2010)
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Growing up on Navy bases as a kid, there were always sailors
about, wearing peacoats. A peacoat is a heavy wool short top
coat, which is dark Navy blue in color and has a set of double
breasted anchor inscribed buttons on the front. In 1970, my
father then an active duty Master Chief was assigned to Great
Lakes Naval Training Base, just 40 miles north of cold, windy
Chicago. So when we moved there from sunny South Carolina while
I was in high school, my first request was for my own peacoat.
That peacoat is still hanging in my parent's basement, the
problem is I was a little thinner in my younger days and the old
size 36 peacoat does not fit anymore.
The name peacoat comes from the type of material that the coat
is made of. It was called pilot cloth, which eventually became
known as “Pee” cloth. Sailors first called them pea jackets and | |
Van E. Harl |
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then just peacoats. They are made of 30 ounce wool, so they are
very heavy and warm. I found a picture dated 1881 with some US
sailors wearing peacoats, so the coat has been in Navy service
for a long time. |
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I was in the “Antiques on the Square” shop in Altus, Oklahoma
(the most south west corner of the state) this fall when I found
an absolutely pristine Navy peacoat hanging there in my size. I
told my wife if she was looking for something to get me for
Christmas, I would love to have the coat. I was back in the
store a few weeks later and it was gone. I wrongly believed this
was the end of my owning that peacoat.
On Christmas morning there was my new-old peacoat. While
inspecting the coat I found the original owners name and service
number stenciled on the inside. I figured it had to be old
because it was an actual “service number” not a social security
number that all military personnel use now-a-days. The military
stopped using service numbers in the late 1950s. I called my
father and he advised me he knew all about stenciling peacoats.
While he was going through boot-camp he spent one of his twelve
weeks of basic Naval training performing “service week.” This
meant for seven days all he did was stencil uniforms. He told me
he worked so hard stenciling that he wore blisters on his
fingers.
Because the peacoat has a black lining he had to set up a
special white stencil just to mark this one uniform item. The
white stenciled name in my new peacoat is J.M. Strunk. Written
on an inside label is John Martin Strunk. So now I know that the
coat once belonged to Seaman Basic John Strunk. I figured the
Navy veteran who received this coat during his basic training
was from the local Altus, Oklahoma area and perhaps I could find
out something about this former sailor. Going back to “Antiques
on the Square” I was surprised to learn that the peacoat was
bought after answering a newspaper add in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Over 15 years ago Seaman John Strunk who was in his approximate
70s at the time was selling off parts of his life and the
peacoat was being offered to strangers. I spent quite a lot of
time trying, with no luck, to track down Seaman Strunk. I have
no idea if he is still alive or what other veteran related items
he has sold off over the years. Air Force veteran, Leon Freeman
purchased the peacoat from Seaman Strunk and eventually brought
it to Altus. His widow Mary Ann Freeman advised me her husband
had always wanted a Navy peacoat and Seaman Strunk's coat was in
virtually unused, new condition. The buttons on a peacoat tend
to show wear because of scratching. The buttons, on Seaman
Strunk's peacoat look like they just came out of the box. The
great condition was what attracted my attention the first time I
saw this peacoat.
A third old military veteran now owns this wonderful piece of
naval history. The peacoat is going to be worn, but worn very
carefully. I can envision Seaman Strunk standing the
four-to-eight watch topside of his WWII ship as it heads for
England on convoy duty. It's wet and cold; he has his watch cap
pulled down over his ears and the big collar of the peacoat
turned up to keep him warm. Seaman Strunk got to come back after
his war and bring his peacoat home with him. I have it now and
will take very good care of it. Thank you, Seaman John Strunk
and Airman Leon Freeman. The peacoat tradition will continue. | |
By
Van E. Harl
Copyright
2004 About Author:
Major Van E. Harl, USAF Ret., was a career police officer in the U.S. Air
Force. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the
Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. Major Harl is a graduate of
the U.S. Army Infantry School, the Air Force Squadron Officer School and the Air
Command and Staff College. After retiring from the Air Force he was a state
police officer in Nevada.
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