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The other day I was talking to a friend and noticed that he used the term "pea
coat," which, actually and officially, is a Naval or fatigue coat that is part of the
Army and Marine Corps uniforms. Reminded of this militaristic and antiquated article of
clothing, I was sent off into a reminiscence proper to the celebration of Memorial Day
this Monday.
As a child in a working class neighborhood in the 1950s, I remembered that a remarkable
number of people wore pea coats --- not just those in the military, but also young boys
like myself who identified with them. In those days, guys joined the service in hopes that
military training would "make men" of them, while also giving them the
opportunity to learn a trade. These coats, I had figured as a kid, gave the wearer a shot
at being heroes if a war broke out someday. In a way, pea coats came to symbolize the
potential glory for the people who wore them as well as their nation.
But this potential glory was not actualized a few years later when war did break out in
Vietnam. Throughout Vietnam's intense escalation, pea coats had somehow transformed into
another diminished symbol. The wearers were no longer seen as the pride of its citizenry,
but rather as foolish dupes of the government. The very same coats that had once uplifted
America's men into broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped soldiers, now seemed oddly ill-fitting
and out of synch with the times. During and after the Vietnam War, American military
uniforms lost the sense of honor that was accorded them all those years dating back to the
Revolutionary War --- they no longer transformed men into heroic citizens but into
marginalized members of society.
Yet over the last few years I've noticed that the pea coat has become the outer garment of
choice for much of the American population. Whether or not the masterminds at J. Crew are
behind this fashion trend, it does appear that the pea coat has regained its
respectability and even honor once again. The pall of the Vietnam War has begun to be
lifted by revisiting not that era but the one of W.W.II. A whole list of books and movies,
including THE GREATEST GENERATION and the recent Pearl Harbor, has given Americans
another look at the last "good" war. In memorializing this untainted war, people
have now allowed themselves to see that there is honor in serving and dying for one's
country, a sentiment so utterly lost during the Vietnam era.
As a result of this resurgence of things past, it seems that Memorial Day is taking on
some of its old glory. People are beginning to remember that the day does not merely
announce the coming of summer but commemorates and honors the 1.09 million American
soldiers who lost their lives while serving their country.
--- Martin J. Brennan
(c)
Copyright 2001, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
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