Excellent original WWII U.S. Army Air Forces enlisted Ike jacket, fully identified to Staff Sergeant Joseph C. Haponic, ASN 32334795, a wartime Ninth Air Force veteran with an unusually impressive six overseas service bars.The jacket is hand-marked inside:HAPONIC
32334795Research confirms this as Joseph C. Haponic, who enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 11, 1942 at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York.The jacket retains a very attractive and complete wartime insignia configuration, including:* Original Ninth Air Force shoulder patch
* Army Air Forces shoulder patch on the opposite sleeve
* Staff Sergeant chevrons
* Enlisted Air Corps collar discs
* Six overseas service bars
* One three-year service stripe
* Original WWII wool Ike jacketThe six gold overseas bars are particularly noteworthy. Each represented approximately six months of overseas service, indicating roughly three full years overseas. Combined with Haponic’s May 1942 enlistment date and Ninth Air Force insignia, this represents a veteran with exceptionally lengthy overseas wartime service.The single service stripe represents three years of Army service and is entirely consistent with Haponic’s documented 1942 enlistment and a late-war/postwar return uniform.The Ninth Air Force was one of the most active American tactical air forces of WWII. After earlier operations in the Mediterranean theater, Ninth Air Force became the principal U.S. tactical air force supporting Allied operations in northwest Europe, including the Normandy invasion and subsequent advance through France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.Because Haponic accumulated approximately 36 months overseas, his service appears to have begun well before the final campaigns of 1944–45. Determining his exact squadron or group remains an excellent research opportunity for the next owner. Depending upon his specific assignment and dates, he may have participated in multiple European-African-Middle Eastern campaigns.Haponic survived the war and later lived in Southold, Suffolk County, New York. He was born in 1914 and died in 1989.This is considerably more desirable than the typical unidentified AAF Ike jacket because the veteran’s identity is firmly established through both his surname and complete Army Serial Number, allowing additional research through unit rosters, morning reports, discharge records, General Orders, and other archival sources.A particularly attractive grouping for collectors of:WWII USAAF / Ninth Air Force / 9th Air Force / Army Air Forces / ETO / enlisted aviation / named uniforms / Ike jacketsThe combination of named provenance, complete ASN, Staff Sergeant rank, dual AAF/Ninth AF shoulder insignia, and six overseas bars representing approximately three years abroad makes this an especially compelling WWII Army Air Forces uniform.Please examine all photographs carefully for condition and exact details. The jacket is being offered exactly as shown.
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