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PACAF Unveils 60th Anniversary Aloha Shirt

by Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais

A brightly printed, comfortably causal Hawaiian shirt epitomizes the laid-back culture of the islands. In Hawaii, they're called "aloha shirts," and locals find them appropriate attire for business, pleasure and everything in between.

Pacific Air Forces officials wanted a special aloha shirt created for the Air Force's 60th anniversary this year, so command officials went to Reyn Spooner, an organization who has offered limited edition prints on their Hawaiian aloha shirts since 1956.

"It's worn for business. It's worn for pleasure," said Tim McCullough, the president and chief executive officer of Reyn's/Reyn Spooner. "It's essentially our navy blue blazer or perhaps our three- or four-button suit," he said. "It's essentially the accepted attire for the island experience."

In a ceremony this afternoon, as part of the Air Force Week Honolulu celebration, the Reyn Spooner 60th anniversary Air Force aloha shirt was unveiled and officially made available to the public.

Lt. Gen. Loyd S. "Chip" Utterback, the commander of the 13th Air Force at Hickam Air Force Base, took the stage at Ala Moana Center with Mr. McCullough to publicly unveil the new shirt.

"This is all about our heritage as Americans," General Utterback said.

The print features the Air Force logo, the Air Force 60th anniversary logo, and the PACAF logo, as well as drawings of the PACAF headquarters building and numerous aircraft.

"It's all about our horizons as you look at these old airplanes - that P-38 that owned the sky of the Pacific during the '40s, coming on through the F-4s during the Vietnam War, the Korean vintage F-86's which my father flew - so this shirt is all about America. It's all about the greatness that comes with the airpower that we in America are happy to enjoy," the general said.

Mr. McCullough presented General Utterback with two koa wood frames: One containing the shirt's original artwork, created by Big Island artist Eddy Y., and the other containing one of the limited edition shirts.

Air Force Week Honolulu runs through Sept. 15th and includes more than 20 events, including a performance by the Air Force's premiere entertainment showcase, Tops in Blue, and performances by the Air Force Thunderbirds.

Source: U.S. Air Force