Nearly every Cav trooper remembers the scene in
"Apocalypse Now" when Robert Duvall prepared for his assault in his
Stetson.
The fearless American badass. Cav, Hooah.
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In 1865, with $100 in his pocket, John B. Stetson rented a
small room, bought the tools he needed and $10 worth of fur; and the John B.
Stetson Hat Company was born. more
The most distinctive uniform item worn by air cavalrymen in Vietnam
was the Cav hat. This tradition is believed to have been originated in early
1964 by LTC John B. Stockton (Commander of 3/17 Cavalry) at
Fort Benning
,
Georgia
. The hat was adopted in an effort to increase esprit de corps in the new air
cavalry squadron and was meant to emulate the look of the 1876 pattern campaign
hat worn by cavalry troopers long ago. Once units deployed to
Vietnam
, the custom slowly spread to other air cavalry units, and by the cessation of
hostilities, virtually all air cav (and some ground cav) units had adopted the
Cav hat.
The Cav Hat was a private purchase item that cost a wallet-stretching $29 in
1972. It was most often supplied by the Stetson Hat Company. Because Stetson supplied most of the hats, the name "Stetson" became interchangeable
with Cav hat. Several Asian suppliers provided "knock off" copies, but
the quality of workmanship was greatly inferior to that of the Stetson.
While unit commanders did not mandate the wearing of the hats, there was
considerable peer pressure to conform, and most troopers quickly added the Cav
hat to their wardrobes. Just as World War 11 paratroopers were fond of their
jump suits, wearing them long after issue had ceased, so too did the Cav hat
instill fierce pride and loyalty in the units where it was worn. Most air
cavalry veterans interviewed by the author proudly cherish their Cav hats today.
Because the hats were delivered from the manufacturer in the
U.S.
there was an understandably long turnaround time between ordering and delivery.
In some units, members were killed in action or MEDEVACed to the
United States
before the arrival of their hats. Thus, current unit members sometimes accepted
hats meant for departed comrades.
Stetsons were constructed of a high grade fur felt with an interior leather
sweatband and a silk hat ribbon around the base of the crown. The manufacturer
provided a black leather chin strap, which also held the hat cord in place. The
type of hat cord worn varied according to rank, as follows: general officers,
all gold braid; officers, gold and black intertwined braid; warrant officers,
silver and black intertwined braid; enlisted men, yellow wool or nylon.
The cord was a copy of the acorn-ended 1899 pattern, worn on the 1885 pattern
campaign hat. Members of B-2/17 Cav further garnished their Cav hats with the
addition of a beaded "Indian" hat band and feather, D-3/5 Cav appears
to be the only unit that wore gray Cav hats. When D-3/5 Cav exchanged
designations with C-3/17 Cav in 1971, C-3/17 carried on the Light Horse
tradition of gray Cav hats.
On the Cav hat, most officers and warrant officers wore some combination of
officer rank insignia and crossed cavalry sabers. There were instances in which
several troops of different squadrons wore the distinctive red and white
background trimming-commonly referred to as a jump wing oval-on the front of the
cav hat. This oval was authorized for 1/17 Cav, a non-air cavalry squadron of
the 82nd Airborne Division, located at
Fort Bragg
,
North Carolina
.
The Cav hat was remarkably durable and was easily cleaned of dirt and lint by
buffing with a shoe brush. In several units, a "wetting down" ceremony
was conducted, during which the newbies were accepted as members of the troop.
Before they could wear their hats, however, they were required to
"chug-a-lug" a hatful of cold beer. There are several instances in
which air cavalrymen, after being shot down, raced back into their burning
aircraft to save their precious Cav hats.
The tradition of "Breaking in a Stetson" has many various forms -
most consist of pouring some form (or forms) of alcohol in it and having the new
wearer drink from it. This is actually an old tradition which began when riders,
upon reaching a steep river bank, would dismount and fill their hats with water
for their horses to drink!
The U.S. Officer's Slouch Hat was authorized for all
officers by regulation. This same hat was used by Confederate officers in both
Black and Grey.
Many units have specific requirements regarding the wear of the Stetson
(Spurs also!).
Some are memorandums and some are created as an addition to the Army Regulation
670-1 - Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia.
Here is an example:
1. Stetson: The Stetson will be black in color. Only rank and regimental or
ordinary cavalry brass will adorn the Stetson. The braid will be worn around
the base of the Stetson. Troopers will wear the appropriate braid color. Braid
ends or acorns will be to the front of the Stetson and no more than an acorn
length over the brim.
a. Field Grade Officer: Solid Gold
b. Company Grade Officer: Gold and Black
c. Warrant Officer:
(1) CW4,CW5 - Solid Silver
(2) WO1,CW2,CW3 - Silver and Black
d. Non-Commissioned Officer: Yellow
(1) The nape strap will be threaded through the
appropriate eyelets in the brim of the
Stetson so that strap
goes around the back and the buckle is fastened and centered on
the wearers head.
(2) The sides of the crown shall not be pushed in
or otherwise modified. The brim will
be flat with a
slight droop at the front.
(3)The Stetson will be worn on the head with the
brim parallel to the ground.
(4) Occasions for wearing the Stetson: Squadron
dining-ins/outs, formal events in dress
blues, gatherings
of spur holders, professional gatherings such as AAAA and any
other event or
function as designated by Squadron/Battalion CDR.
HAT CORDS
The Stetsons worn by many Cavalry soldiers all include a
colored band just above the brim referred to as a cord, braid, or acorn.
"Legend has it" that the acorns at the end of the cords were designed to
bounce off the brim of the hat to keep riders awake.
"Legend also says" that in the olden days, there were no such
thing as combat patches, so the units had soldiers tie their acorns in a knot
to show they were combat experienced. This is done by tying the two acorns
around the hat cord. The knots are referred to as "Combat Knots."
I claim all this to be legend because there is nothing in writing about it.
It is all Cavalry Stetson tradition. Some of this dates back to the first
world war, some much farther back than that. Read on...
Dan,
I saw your post concerning combat knots on a couple of different forums
and thought I'd offer you what little info I know. I'm one of those dreaded non-19D Stetson wearers. I served in the 1st
Cavalry Division as an 11M for a number of years, including Desert Storm.
Although we were Infantry, our Commissioned Officers often wore
unit-specific Cavalry brass (or sew on) on their collars, and our unit
guidons were red and white Cavalry guidons rather than blue Infantry
guidons.
Researching Cavalry Stetsons a little less than a year ago and using
“combat knots” as a search term, I found an online auction selling what was
described as a WWI peaked campaign hat. It was brownish in color and
resembled a modern day Drill Sergeant's hat. The auctioneer claimed it had
been worn overseas by the auctioneer's ancestor, and had been recently found
in an attic. By way of establishing the authenticity of the hat, the
auctioneer specifically mentioned the knots and said that the ancestor had
explained when the auctioneer was a child that the knots signified combat
service.
The hat itself was out of shape and looked moth-eaten, but I saw the
knots that had been tied in the cord very clearly. Each cord end had been
tied into a half hitch by running them under and back up behind both cords,
then back forward and through the loop it had created. The half hitches were
snugged together toward the little sleeve that retains the cords in the
front.
As I was only looking for an example of how to tie the same knots into
mine, I didn't bother to save a copy of the images. It didn't occur to me
that I'd ever need or want to provide any verification on the subject. Unfortunately, I'm unable to find those pictures again and I haven't
found any others like them. Hope this helps you. First Team!”
Submitted from the site visitor above.
Thanks for the email!
The 1st Cav Division authorizes knots in their hat cords also, but
they do not call them Combat Knots. Here is a link to their MOI:
"When they grabbed the Stetson, the wife immediately
jumped up and followed them around to make sure that there wasn't TOO much crap
dumped into it...
I can specifically remember... Tequila, Rum, Beer, Soda, Vodka, Gin and Tonic,
Salad, Sour Cream, Cigar butts, and I think there was even a dinner roll or
two...Anyway...
I think there were 6 or 7 of us... we all had to drink that shit out of our
Stetsons... it was leaking through the felt and was the nastiest shit I've ever
tasted...But it was broken in correctly!!"
The Stetson Factory Outlet sells the
"cavalry" model for I believe $110 complete. This is the same one
Miller hats sells marked up to $165 or so. Although, Miller has a large
selection of "cavalry" hats here http://www.millerhats.com/cavalry_index/cavalry.html
They (Stetson) also sell factory
seconds. Most you can't even tell where the reject is. A little crease here,
etc. They'll tell you what's wrong with it. And the way they are broken in
just adds to the character of the Stetson. The factory seconds were reported
to be selling for $80.00. Also, they do not have a web site. You have to
contact them the old fashioned way...by phone.
Here's their info:
Stetson Hat Factory Outlet
3601 South Leonard Road St. Joseph, MO
(816)-233-3286
US Officers Slouch Hat, Cavalry Trim
CS Officers Slouch Hat, Untrimmed
Renton
Western Wear's
