Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Uniform, Military |
Catalog Number |
1985.029.06 |
Description |
U.S. Army WWII Eisenhower jacket, olive drab serge wool, two front pockets with flaps, two shoulder flaps that button, 6 buttons down the front, metal snap button that closes the waistband of the jacket, straps on the hips of the jacket to adjust the size. 3 patches on the left arm: one has a two gold chains, a blue star in a white cloud, a red and gold lightning bolt, and a blue and gold lightning bolt on a blue background, another has three upturned gold arrows on a blue background, and the last one has three horizontal gold bars. There are two patches on the right arm: one is three upturned gold arrows on a blue background, the other is a gold laurel on a green background. The cuff of each sleeve has two buttons. All buttons on the jacket are brown plastic. The front of the jacket has a patch on the right side above the breast pocket that looks like a gold eagle inside a gold ring on a rhombus-shaped khaki background. Above the left breast pocket are 4 bar shaped pins covered in different color patterns: one is red with white stripes, another is blue with red, white, and black stripes, another is orange with rainbow stripes, and the last one is brown and green with white, black, red, blue, and green stripes, and has two small metal stars on it. The inside of the jacket has a small tag at the neck which reads "36 R", and there are two inside pockets. The inside lining also has the words "Charles J. Pavek 16049168" written on it. The collar of the jacket also has two gold colored metal pins: the one on the right has a picture of an eagle on top of a wheel with two swords crossed over it, the other has the letters "US." |
Other Name |
Jacket |
Year Range from |
1942 |
Year Range to |
1945 |
Provenance |
Charles Pavek was born October 5, 1908 in La Crosse, WI and died January 1, 1992 in Madison, WI. The patch with the three upturned gold arrows means that he was a staff sergeant. The patch with the gold laurel is a Meritous Service patch, meaning that his unit received an award. The gold eagle patch is an Honorable Discharge patch. The patch with 3 gold bars is an Overseas Patch, with each bar representing 6 months of service. This means that Charles Pavek served 18 months overseas. The lightning and star patch is called an "Advanced Section, Communication Zone" patch. The lightning bolt is supposed to symbolize the Allies breaking the chains of Nazi oppression. The pin with an eagle on top of a wheel with crossed swords is a WWII U.S. Army Quartermaster pin. |
Event |
World War II |
Material |
Wool |
Dimension Details |
The jacket is size 36 regular. |
People |
Pavek, Charles J. |
Subjects |
Clothing & Accessories Military |
Search Terms |
World War II WWII Uniform |
Relation |
Show Related Records... |
Notes |
Pavek enlisted in February 1942 and completed his basic training at Camp Lee, Virginia, a quartermaster replacement training center. The training center was responsible for preparing soldiers for key support specializations such as supply, fuel, food, mortuary affairs, and laundry services. Camp Lee trained more than 300,000 officers and enlisted soldiers for service in both the European and Pacific theaters during World War II. While serving in Belgium, Pavek got a taste of home when he ran into fellow La Crosse native Arthur Serres, who took the above photograph of Pavek in April 1945. Serres wrote home to his parents, "Today I had a surprise. While eating chow, who should walk past but Charles Pavek. He almost fell over when he saw me." After his service, Pavek returned to La Crosse and worked as the Vice President at the family business, J. J. Leinfelder & Sons Structural Steel until his retirement in 1964. Like his father, Pavek was a well-known musician and enjoyed playing the piano. In 1985, Pavek moved to Madison, where he spent the rest of his life. |