C-1 Sustenance Vest

Gift of Allison Van Wormer, 2011.098.013

In 1944, the US Army Air Forces standardized this piece of survival gear for aircrews. In the event an airman was downed, the vest provided the airman with the tools he needed to live off of the land. The vest's pockets contained rations, water, first aid supplies, flares and signaling equipment, and fishing gear.