us army | The Eye of Faith Vintage 11.11.11.

A rather fantastic thing happened the other day.

It seems that one of our recent sales, a vibrant turquoise 1950’s Nat Nast bowling shirt that featured a fantastic diamond embossed on the back ( ‘Ray Jewlers’ it proudly proclaims in the most elegant lettering), was embedded with some very strange history. . .

It always seemed to possess a mysterious energy, and was for so long, a most precious piece of our collection. Excited to have found a home for this exquisite find, we would never have expected to learn what would soon be revealed and unraveled.

Upon undergoing some alterations to properly suit its new owner, some peculiar mysteries emerged. Embedded within the collar stays was a very old social security card for “Charles Beckweth, Born 1929” that was halved and in a fragile state.

Looking into a bit more about the mystery man uncovered an important man in history. . .

Charles Beckwith, or “Chargin’ Charlie’”was a Korea & Vietnam Vet and Colonel with the United States Army and is accredited with creating “DELTA FORCE”.

Footballer and frat boy, this Delta (of the Sigma Chi Fraternity of The University of Georgia) rose the ranks of the United States military system, and was also able to have some fun in-between, by the looks of this incredible shirt.

But why was his social security card cut in half and used as collar stays? Was getting dressed to impress a smart way to go undercover? Dapper “Dean” makes a statement to not make a statement. If you’re found dead, then they have something to properly identify you by when looking in the collar? This is the secret of the Nat Nast shirt.

That “vibrant green bowling shirt” was already unforgettable, but this truly shows how remarkable the history behind vintage pieces can be. It’s a powerful force really, and the mystery of it all is undoubtedly part of the fun.

We might never know the full truth of the Nat Nast shirt and its secret history, but we will enjoy knowing that this shirt truly was something special.