Vets donate 1950s U.S. Navy uniform to Museum

Two Graham veterans donated a 1950s-era “Crackerjack” U.S. Navy uniform to the Olney Heritage Museum, along with dog tags bearing a service number rather than the social security numbers used to identify modern military members.

The uniform came from the estate of Davy Jones of Graham, who served in the Merchant Marine and in one of the U.S. intelligence services, his friend and former Graham VFW Commander Dan Ferris said.

Mr. Jones, who served in Vietnam, died earlier this year, he said. The wool uniform and dog tags belonged to Mr. Jones’s father, Milton Hamilton Jones. The elder Mr. Jones first served a hitch in the Navy, left the service to attend college then joined the U.S. Army as an officer, Mr. Ferris said.

Mr. Ferris and Billy “Bubba” Hamilton helped Mr. Jones’ family dispose of his estate when they discovered the uniform and dog tags. “It is still on the original chain,” Mr. Ferris said of the dog tags. “You will probably never see another one like that. Back in the day, they ran with the service number and in the late 1960s, they went from service number to … social security number. That was the original dog tag.”

Mr. Hoffman, who often visited Mr. Jones, plans to hold a memorial for him. “His niece gave me all the uniforms and I thought the best place to put them was the museum. I even got his black patent leather shoes and they are still as shiny as the day he wore them.”

The legendary “crackerjack” uniform, synonymous with the United States Navy, traces its roots back to the late 19th century. Unveiled in 1886, this distinctive attire featured a dark blue double-breasted jacket adorned with gold buttons and stripes, along with matching trousers. Its name, “crackerjack,” is derived from the slang term for something of excellent quality. The Olney Heritage Museum, 213 E. Main St., is open to visitors Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or by appointment at (940) 564-5558.