Now here's something you don't see every day: a set of elastic shirt-stays (also called shirt garters or shirt holders) used by an airman in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War era of the mid-to-late 1960s.  The shirt-stays attach to the bottom of your shirt tails and the top of your socks so that when they were adjusted to the correct length, the elastic in the center would continually exert just the right amount of downward tension on your shirt, preventing it from becoming untucked.

There's no manufacturer's tag on them and I don't know think they were a military issued item but they came bundled with the military uniforms and clothing worn by an airman named Young who was a Senior Airman in the US Air Force's Tactical Air Command during the Vietnam War.  If they weren't government issued then they were probably purchased in the Base Exchange (BX) of Young's air base so that he could make sure his shirt didn't come untucked during the rigorous and detailed inspections the US Air Force demanded of its airmen.

The very rare patches (see my other eBay listings for the patches) that came with this airman's shirt-stays, fatigues and other uniform items, indicates that he was a member of the little known 7th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron based out of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho which was active for less than four years from December 1967 to October 1971 according to one website I found.

According to another website, the 7th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was part of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing which had been reactivated at Mountain Home AFB in 1966 and trained pilots for reconnaissance missions.  "The 67th Wing became Tactical Air Command's replacement training unit for the McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II and from 1968 to 1970, it acquired a fighter unit and also trained fighter aircrews on the F-4."  That makes sense because one of the other patches that was with this airman's uniforms was a McDonnell Phantom II patch (see my other eBay listings) which it can be assumed was the type of plane he was trained-on at Mountain Home AFB.  Another website said, "After activation at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho in 1966, the wing began training in the United States for aerial, visual, optical, electronic, thermal, and radar reconnaissance. In May, the wing added training of replacement McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance aircrews to its mission."

The two shirt-stays included in this listing (one for each leg/sock) are in excellent condition and the elastic in the center still has all of its elasticity.  I wouldn't hesitate to use them today if I was a Vietnam War re-enactor.  See photos to judge the shirt-stays' condition.

See my other eBay listings for additional uniform items, all from this same airman including his green fatigue shirts and pants with Tactical Air Command patches, two different garrison caps (one with silver trim for company-grade officers), tan dress pants and shirts, dress hats, green baseball caps, belts, patches, a USAF yellow t-shirt and a pair of USAF blue athletic shorts.

Please email me ("dagist" on eBay) if you have any questions or search for "Rob McElroy" and "Buffalo, NY" on Google and you will find me.

Note: All photographs appearing in this eBay listing are the copyright of Rob McElroy (2016) and may not be copied, duplicated, transferred, transmitted, or in any way displayed (electronically or in print) without express written permission. This includes restrictions on any internet or website display, usage or transfer.

SHIPPING: Domestic shipping is $3.50 via USPS First Class Mail or $8.00 via USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation.  Shipping discounts are available for multiple purchases shipped to the same address in the same box.

The shipping fee also includes the additional fees imposed by EBay and PayPal on the shipping charges, which amounts to an additional 15% on top of the fees charged by the post office. Shipping discounts are available for multiple purchases shipped to the same address in the same box.

International buyers please note: The shipping charges you pay when purchasing this item do not include import duties, taxes, broker's fees, or other charges that may be imposed by government officials or Customs brokers in your country. Please check your country's import regulations if you want to be informed about any additional charges that may be imposed on your package when it arrives.

PAYPAL PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Visa and MasterCard are accepted through PayPal for domestic purchases. For international purchases, because of PayPal and eBay's very strict rules regarding proof-of-shipment for sellers, if you want to pay for the item using PayPal, and the item sells for less than $750.00, I can only accept a PayPal payment if you are willing to pay for USPS Priority Mail Express International or Priority Mail International shipping. They are the only on-line-trackable shipping methods offered by our US Postal System to international destinations, and an on-line-trackable shipping method is a PayPal and eBay requirement. If the item sells for more than $750.00, then Priority Mail Express International is the ONLY shipping option available because it is the only service that requires a signature upon delivery. PayPal and eBay both require signature confirmation on packages worth more than $750.00.

Additionally (for both domestic and international purchasers), if you pay for the item using PayPal, there are two Priority Mail services I cannot offer, their Flat-Rate Envelope and Small Flat-Rate Box. Neither of these two services are trackable (or insurable), and they are therefore against PayPal and eBay's rules.

PAYMENT OPTIONS: EBay has made changes to their payment rules whereby (in eBay's own words) "Beginning in late October [2008], sellers will no longer be allowed to offer [any traditional person-to-person paper] payment methods on eBay. Only approved electronic methods will be allowed." As a seller, eBay now prohibits me from even using the words that describe what those traditional paper-transaction payment methods are. EBay strongly encourages all buyers to pay for their items by using PayPal (previously an eBay-owned company). I accept PayPal, and encourage you to use it, but I will not force you to use it. EBay's rules also state "A seller can accept [paper payments] from a buyer if (and only if) the buyer requests it. We will not take action against a seller who is trying to accommodate their buyer, complete a sale and be in compliance with the policy. Sellers cannot in any way solicit [paper payments] from a buyer."  So, let me be clear, I am not, in any way, soliciting you to use any payment method other than PayPal, I am simply informing you (the buyer) of all of eBay's rules, which state that if you (the buyer) request a different payment option other than PayPal, I can accept it.