Congress fights Navy decision to discontinue sailors' iconic peacoat [View all]

[TexasTowelie]

WASHINGTON -- When the late sculptor Stanley Bleifeld designed a bronze statue for the U.S. Naval Memorial in Washington, he depicted a lone sailor warning his hands in the pockets of his peacoat.

Both the statue and the double-breasted coat, with its classic turned up high collar, stand as symbols of the dedication and sacrifice of military service by Navy personnel throughout the nation’s history.

But come October, the peacoat will no longer be considered standard naval uniform issue, a bygone victim of government cost-cutting that has aroused objection from the U.S. companies that make the coat. Taking its place will be an all-weather raincoat with parka.

G. J. Littlewood and Sons Inc. of Philadelphia dies the wool for Navy peacoats, and Sterlingwear, an East Boston company, sews 40,000 of them annually for the Navy. They want Congress to reverse the Navy’s decision and save scores of manufacturing jobs.

Read more: http://www.meridianstar.com/cnhi_network/congress-fights-navy-decision-to-discontinue-sailors-iconic-peacoat/article_6f3426b1-3126-5910-90b6-90d974d73a09.html