US ARMY UTILITY SHIRT P-58 P58 1960’S 3RD ARMORED DIVISION SPEARHEAD SERGEANT PATCHED(Us Army Vietnam Shirt Utility Sateen Patched)

The Army’s first pattern utility shirt was standardized in 1958¹ and replaced the near identical utility jacket. It was made from olive green (OG-107) 8.5oz cotton sateen and boasted two patch pockets with straight cut flaps. The shirt also had an unusually low first summary and no summary cuffs.

Designed to be loose fitting, it was typically worn over a white T-shirt and was tucked into the utility trousers. Though the lighter and quicker drying Tropical Combat Uniform had been developed in 1962, three years prior to the introduction of U.S ground troops in Vietnam, the utility shirt and trousers were still worn by infantrymen early in the war.

1. Military Specification MIL-S-3001C. (17 October 1958)

The 3rd Armored Division (“Spearhead”) was an armored division of the United States Army. Unofficially nicknamed the “Third Herd,” the division was first activated in 1941, and was active in the European Theater of World War II. The division was stationed in West Germany for much of the Cold War, and participated in the Persian Gulf War. On 17 January 1992, in Germany, the division ceased operations. In October 1992 it was formally inactivated as part of a general drawing down of forces at the end of the Cold War.