Original Item: One-of-a-kind. The United States Navy A-2 deck jacket, the successor of the N-1, first appeared in 1962, canceling the N-1's fur collar, changing the original fabric lapel, adding a pocket to the chest, and changing the inner wool to chemical cilia. In the era of chemical products, the textiles have grown by leaps and bounds. Compared with the more durable and cheap new chemical fiber materials, wool is a military product, and of course it is more advantageous to use chemical fiber materials. The surface fabrics used in the early 62 and 63 versions are all the same as N-1. Jungle Cloth, olive green.

This example offered in very good used condition is a size 42 and is named over the front pocket COFFMAN along with USN Petty Officer rank insignia rating chevrons to the left shoulder. The reverse of the jacket is stenciled in black paint:

VF 213
SAFETY

This stencil was placed over another that appears to read VAW88. VAW-88 ‘Cotton Pickers’ were the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 88 (CARAEWRON 88) and operated during the Vietnam War.


In November 1965, VFA-213 joined Attack Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11) and made 9 deployments to Vietnam and the Western Pacific aboard USS Kitty Hawk as follows:

- From 17 October 1963 to 20 July 1964, equipped with F-4Bs.

- From 19 October 1965 to 13 June 1966. On 28 April F-4B #150645 was hit by antiaircraft fire over North Vietnam, both crewmen ejected successfully and were rescued.On 18 May F-4B #152257 was hit by antiaircraft fire near the Mu Gia Pass, both crewmen ejected successfully and were rescued.

- From 5 November 1966 to 19 June 1967. On 20 December a squadron aircraft and one from VF-114 shot down two Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) Antonov An-2 with AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. On 4 February F-4B #153007 was hit by antiaircraft fire over North Vietnam, both crewmen LT Donald Thompson and LT Allan Collamore were killed, their remains were identified in February 2001.

- From 18 November 1967 to 28 June 1968.

- From 30 December 1968 to 4 September 1969. On 3 July F-4B #153015 was lost, both crewmen ejected successfully and were rescued.

- From 6 November 1970 to 17 July 1971, reequipped with F-4Js.

- From 17 February to 20 November 1972. On 18 June F-4J #157273 was hit by antiaircraft fire, both crewmen ejected successfully and were rescued.

- From 23 November 1973 to 9 July 1974.

- From 21 May to 15 December 1975.