D-Day US Army Air Forces IX Airborne Troop Carrier Command Jacket, size 39R

  
Original WWII US Army Air Forces uniform jacket. Insignia on left shoulder is IX Airborne Troop Carrier Command.

This unit was responsible for carrying airborne troops for Operation Neptune (Normandy invasion), Operation Market Garden (Netherlands), and Operation Varsity (airborne crossing of the Rhine). This was the uniform of an air crewman who was a staff sergeant, radio operator, as indicated by the antenna patch below the sergeant's stripes on the right sleeve. Given his rank, this soldier may well have participated in all those operations. The label shows that the uniform was manufactured by Israel Kleinman, Inc.

This jacket contains the discharge patch, also known as the "ruptured duck, " over the right breast pocket. This patch was authorized November 29, 1944, so that military personnel could wear their uniforms for 90 days after discharge. This facilitated their ability to obtain transportation home once they reached the US. Often, they were entitled to free train or bus tickets since they were recently discharged veterans.

Also, they had often not been able to obtain civilian clothes yet in their haste to return to home and family after their war service. The jacket is in remarkably good condition, considering its age. The only wear is on the collar (see picture).