Uniform

A few years ago I went through my grandpa’s old shop. It had stayed pretty much how he left it 14 years before. There were old pictures from his horse farm on the wall, gardening tools everywhere, and his Viking and Twins memorabilia hanging from the ceiling. I can’t remember what I was looking for, but it didn’t matter once I found this trunk on the floor tucked under a shelf. It was old, dusty, and a little broken. Once I opened it, I was surprised to see what was inside! I found a couple of pictures, old baby books from the 50’s and the most treasured item, my grandfather’s World War II uniform. One of the pictures was of him wearing the uniform. I dragged the 50 lb solid wood trunk across the driveway and into my house for a better look.
The uniforms smelled old and musty. There were actually 3 long sleeve shirts and two pairs of pants complete with a hat. The tops are similar to each other. This wool uniform shirt is navy blue with a v- neck collar and three white strips moving along the collar. There is a pocket on the left side of the front of the shirt. The tag on the collar reads “manufactured by Naval Clothing factory”. You can barely make out his last name on the collar. Looking at it from the back, it’s plain except where there is a flap and two stitched white stars.
The pants are very different from what we’re used to today. The pants, in the same dark navy blue, had buttons that go up the left side, across the top and back down the right. Above the buttons there are two horizontal pockets. Looking at the back of the pants, you notice a weave of string that is going up to the top of the pant where it ties. The hat, I think, completes the whole uniform. Also in navy blue, it’s squared on the head then goes out into a circle top, with the words “U.S. Navy” in white lettering on the brim. Most uniforms at the time were one standard size. I found out from relatives that he paid $100 to have the uniform tailored to him.
I picked this item to be my essay because my grandpa, who I was named after, was very special to me. It has a lot of historical and family value. He was a very sweet man who took care of his family and friends. I want to be able to show my children and grandchildren the uniform so they can understand who he was and what he did.