Hello and thank you for looking. I have battled in my head for 24 years about what to do with this jacket. It is my fathers.....I will get to that in a moment. I thought that I would save it for one of my kids, but they are not interested in it...broke my heart. I have decided to sell it and use the money to put in a fund for my grandkids. I would like to tell you what I know about the man that had this jacket until his death in 2000.
This jacket belonged to Charles Henry Yates, who i am proud to say is my father.. He was born on March 22nd, of 1947. He quit school in the third grade to help his family in Statesville, North Carolina to pick cotton. He was drafted into the Army in January of 1967 as an Infantryman in the Fourth Infantry Division, serving in Pleiku, Vietnam. He was very small in stature......but large in actuality He was 5'6" tall and 128 lbs. One morning in 1976, He was taking me to school (I was 7), and a gentlemen pulled out in front of him. I watched my 5'6" father get out of the car, and beat a 6'4" man down like he was a little boy. I knew at that point that he was a superhero.I could tell more stories about this amazing man, but it may take away from my "Hero Version" of the actual man. My father let his demons destroy him, and died at the young age of 52. On his death bed he said..."I'm sorry I didn't leave your a fortune...but always know, I love you". He is, and always be my hero. Thank you for looking and hearing part of his story.....I am very proud of the man he made me become. I spent 8 years in the military to try and do justice to his name. Please look at the pictures as this is the exact item you will receive. Yes..I have tears in my eyes as i type this. Thank you for listening...I haven't said this much about my father in over 20 years, and it feels good. Have a great rest of your week.