Getting A Great Custom Military Shirt is a great question of your command or association for example just assigned you the task.
Before you get down to the brass tacks when it comes to getting a great custom military shirt design you have to think about it beyond the normal wanting it “fast and wanting it cheap” mentality. It’s the wrong approach when it comes getting quality.
You can have great quality but it comes with a price. The question is why. Simply put a custom shirt requires a custom design and that means someone has to think it up and draw it. Not easy for most people or everyone would be doing it and there are far less affordable and qualified illustrators out in the world that know both how to design, understand how to create original concepts and finally do it in a way that makes the end result truly fantastic. If you want great, well it is possible and for less than you might imagine if done it’s correctly.
So what does it cost?
Before we get into that let’s see what you think is affordable. Let’s take the average military shirt. Most on-line military shirt companies are going to try and sell a basic subdued shirt with few colors and a sleeve print on average for around 19.00 to 23.00. Anyone selling a military shirt on-line for more than this needs to have their head examined. Anything over 20 bucks is ridiculous.
So in the world of costs what does 19.00 buy you?
1. A really decent hamburger, fries a shake and a drink at a better than average restaurant. Not talking a drive through extravaganza.
2. 3.5 cups of coffee with a minimum of three shots per. Maybe 4 if you are dating the barista.
3. Almost a decent car cleaning if you don’t get the lifetime wax and polish treatment. You got a chance to keep it under 19.00 if you miss this wonderful option.
4. Maybe a ride share to work. Maybe and only if there is no tip involved.
5. 4 packs of really good water bottles
6. An overpriced military shirt if the graphics are 1 and two color, the cotton is so thin you can see through it and it’s a “Brand”. Not very exciting.
7. Or you can get involved in a fully custom designed shirt with top-notch military art, professionally printed, on a great shirt. It does happen and it can happen.
So how do we get started? If you have gotten this far then it means you are interested and want a killer designs. We want to help you to achieve this.
Quick Step Guide to Great Custom Military Shirts
1. The best place to start is to have an idea of what you want on the front and back of the shirt, if sleeve printing is involved, if the design will be a black and white or full color and the style of the art. Do you want the art to be comic oriented, serious, maybe something in the middle? Do you know what the text will be on the front and back of the shirt? Is there a motto or slogan that you would like to see. What are the elements you envision? The way to look at this is if you could make a list for example of the top 5-10 things that are most important inn a design what would they be?
2. Quantity. How many items do you want? Quantity plays a major role in how much your shirts and items cost. If you don’t know but think you know offer a range. I would like pricing for 25-100 items. Are there discounts, bulk pricing options and can I get a better price if I order more items? The answer is typically yes.
3. Shirt or apparel color? Important but not crucial. If you know please provide but keep mind most printers understand these things can change. Can I mix and match colors? Absolutely. You want Navy Blue but also a Type 3 Chestnut brown, athletic heather or pink? No problem.
4. What about hoodies, long sleeve, tank tops? Yes. Adding more to your quantities includes these types of items. The price of a hoodie is more than a shirt but overall it helps bring the overall cost down because they can all get printed at the same time.
5. Cotton or dry fit shirts? You bet.
6. Where in the world are these shipping to? APO FPO? No problem. On base or off base housing. No problem. If it can get there with USPS, DHL, FEDEX, or UPS we can get them to you. Having an address helps us know the best and most affordable way to get your items shipped to you.
Don;t have a cool military shirt idea to get started with?
That is never a problem and a whole lot of custom US Military shirts started out as a napkin sketch or even worse but developed into so amazing concepts with the US Military and Vision-Strike-Wear.Com work together.
When the United States warship USS Mesa Verde LPD-19 and its FCPOA called VSW for a shirt they got it! Alligators and Bulldogs the perfect combination of US Navy Sailors and US Marines!
US navy Cruise Shirts. Absolutely. When VFA-211 Rough Riders asked for a shirt for their role in Operation Inherent Resolve and the CVW-1 Tarbox they got it. Colorful. Detailed and all US Navy!
I want to start with a brief synopsis of who we are. Naval Beach Unit 7 (NBU7) is the first of its kind, by merging Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCAC’s), Landing Craft Utility (LCU), and Beach Party Team (BPT) into one command, and our base is located in Sasebo, Japan Typically they are separated into 3 separate commands in the states. Our job is to assist the amphibious Navy by transporting Marine equipment and personnel all throughout the Asian Pacific (7th Fleet). The LCAC’s are hovercrafts that are extremely fast but limited by how much we can carry.
The LCU’s are slow but can carry 3 times what an LCAC can carry. BPT work on the beach and assists in guiding the LCAC’s and LCU’s into the desired beach. We all do different jobs but without us the Amphibious Navy would not be able to complete their missions. This is the information we at Vision-Strike-Wear.Com receive at the onset of a design. This is why we love to work with the US Navy!
Attached to a Division and a MEU the US Marines do conduct operations involving the Queen of the battlefield and by that we mean their tanks! What is more dangerous than a US Marine with a rifle? A US Marine with an even bigger rifle!
Let’s show you a little USMC Fury!
GOD LOVES THE MARINE CORPS!
They keep Heaven packed with fresh souls!
MISSION OF THE TANK BATTALION
The mission of a tank battalion is to conduct operations ashore utilizing maneuver, armor protected firepower and shock action in order to close with and destroy the enemy, as well as provide expertise in anti-tank operations. Currently, tank battalions utilize the M1A1 Abramsmain battle tank and the M88A2Recovery Vehicle. Tank battalions consist of an headquarters and service company and four or six (4th Tanks) tank companies. Each tank company is equipped with 14 tanks and the H&S Co. has a section of two tanks in the battalion headquarters for use by the battalion CO and XO. (Source – www.quora.com)
The coat of arms of the 1st Tank Battalion is a jousting shield of blue with a scarlet border and a large numeral “1” (in the 1st Marine Division font) in scarlet behind an M2A4 tank painted as used at Guadalcanal during World War II all behind a diagonal lightning bolt (striking from the shields upper left to the shields lower right). The crest is a Marine Corps emblem of silver and gold contained within a green laurel. A gold banner above the arms is inscribed “First Tank Battalion” and another below the arms inscribed “August-Guadalcanal-1942” in scarlet.
The battle of Guadalcanal began in August 1942 and was the first combat action of the battalion and the M2A4 tank was the first tank used by the battalion. Additionally, the battalion was the only American military unit to ever use the M2A4 tank in battle. The use of this tank memorializes the first combat action of the battalion. The jousting shield is a unique device of mounted and armored warriors and has the upper corner cut away to better wield one’s weapons. The colors of the shield and the 1st Marine Division numeral “1” identify the battalion with its parent division. The lightning bolt represents speed, shock effect and firepower. The laurel, in the crest, is an award of honor, recalling the courage, valor and sacrifices of the battalion.
This coat of arms has existed in Marine Corps records—in varied forms—since at least 1970. Other variations exist, often placing the emblems from the coat of arms (the number “1”, the tank and lightning bolt) on a differently shaped shield or on the diamond insignia of the 1st Marine Division, often substituting a more modern tank for the original and sometimes rearranging the emblems. This latter device (the number “1”, tank, and lightning bolt upon the diamond insignia of the 1st Marine Division) is commonly used as the distinctive unit insignia (or DUI, a badge-type device) of the battalion.
The coat of arms of the 3rd Tank Battalion is that of the 3rd Marine Division, differenced by surmounting the caltrop with a M3A4 Sherman tank, as used on Iwo Jima during WWII and stenciled with a number “3” on the turret and “USMC” on the hull in gold, all above a Marine Corps emblem of gold. A gold banner above the shield isinscribed “Third Tank Battalion” and another below the shield has “Shock, Mobility, Firepower” in scarlet. Subsequent insignia and devices are variations of this original insignia, typically changing the tank to a more modern version.
The B-52 Stratofortrees or the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F#ucker), Heavy, Monkeyknocker and Coconutknocker to name a few is perhaps the most widely used and oldest of heavy strategic bombers in the United States military and the history of the US Air Force. It is also widely known that multiple generations of Americans have served in the same air frames a trait not common with US Military aircraft. This bird is unique and exceptional.
THE LEGEND!
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s. The bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons, and has a typical combat range of more than 8,800 miles (14,080 km) without aerial refueling.
Beginning with the successful contract bid in June 1946, the B-52 design evolved from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52 with eight turbojet engines and swept wings. The B-52 took its maiden flight in April 1952. Built to carry nuclear weapons for Cold War-era deterrence missions, the B-52 Stratofortress replaced the Convair B-36. A veteran of several wars, the B-52 has dropped only conventional munitions in combat. The B-52’s official name Stratofortress is rarely used; informally, the aircraft has become commonly referred to as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fucker).
The B-52 has been in active service with the USAF since 1955. As of December 2015, 58 were in active service with 18 in reserve. The bombers flew under the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was disestablished in 1992 and its aircraft absorbed into the Air Combat Command (ACC); in 2010 all B-52 Stratofortresses were transferred from the ACC to the newly created Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service despite the advent of later, more advanced aircraft, including the canceled Mach 3 B-70 Valkyrie, the variable-geometryB-1 Lancer, and the stealthB-2 Spirit. The B-52 completed sixty years of continuous service with its original operator in 2015. After being upgraded between 2013 and 2015, it is expected to serve into the 2040s.The B-52s will reach the end of their service lives by 2045, will be replaced by B-21 Raiders. (Source – Wikipedia)
ADAPTABILITY! 18 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE B-52!
1) The B-52’s very first flight was April 15, 1952 – over 64 years ago.
2) The B-52 Stratofortress was engineered to carry nuclear weapons during the Cold War, but it has only carried conventional ordnance into combat.
3) There were enormous improvements in aviation happening when the B-52 was first being designed, and it went through 6 major redesigns during its 5 year design period. The YB-52 pictured below was the second-to-last major redesign.
4) A B-52A Stratofortress was used to carry the USAF North American X-15. The X-15 aircraft achieved the record for fastest manned powered aircraft, with a speed of Mach 6.72.
5) Over its life there have been 744 B-52s built, but presently there are only 85 in active service, with 9 in reserve.
6) The B-52 Stratofortress can carry up to 70,000 pounds of ordnance which is the equivalent of 30 fully-loaded Cessna 172s. That is 35,000 tons to put it in perspective.
7) She is both young and old. B52 production ended in 1962, which means the youngest B-52 is 53 years old. Can you believe it?
8) The B-52 Bomber has a very unique ejection system; the lower deck crew eject downward. They go north and south.
9) The B-52 is expected to remain in service until the 2040s. That’s over 90 years of service. A proud and distinct heritage of flight and service.
10) In the year 1964, a B-52 configured as a testbed to investigate structural failures flew through severe chop, shearing off its vertical stabilizer. The aircraft was still able to continue flying, and landed safely. A fortress indeed.
11) The aircraft’s navigator and radar navigator sit in the lower deck and part of the aircraft. These are the two seats that eject downward which is rare among aircraft.
12) To comply with the SALT II Treaty requirements, cruise missile-capable aircraft had to be identifiable by spy satellites. Sure let’s tell you exactly where they are at! To comply, the B-52 “G” models were modified with a curved wing root fairing.
13) Early models of the B-52s had cabin temperature problems; the upper-deck would get hot, because it was heated by the sun, while the navigation crew would sit on the freezing fuselage floor.
14) In 1961, a B-52G type broke up in midair over Goldsboro, NC. Two nuclear bombs on board the aircraft were in fact dropped in the process, but didn’t detonate. After the bombs were recovered, the US Air Force found that five of the six stages of the arming sequence had been completed.
16) After the USSR fell in 1991, 365 B-52s were destroyed under the START treaty. The aircraft were stripped of usable parts, chopped into 5 pieces with a 13,000 pound steel blade, and sold for scrap at 12 cents per pound. Someone made a killing!
18) Currently, B-52s cost $70,000 per flight hour to operate. And while they might be ugly, they’re still a pretty amazing and adaptable aircraft. No question about it.
Back in July of 2011 when Vision-Strike-Wear.Com was hand delivering CPO365 shirts to the Chief’s Mess at Whidbey Island, the announcement of the first Growler transference at Hangar 5 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was being announced. We got to hear the incredible “Thunder” these amazing aircraft gave off when they launched from the airfield. The Chief’s, Senior Chiefs, Master Chief and for a brief time the Command Master Chief greeted us in the most respectful way. VAQ-135 transitioned from the EA-6B Prowler to the EA-18G Growler.VAQ-135 is the fourth operational squadron to have achieved the qualification following the proven paths of VAQ-132, VAQ-141 and VAQ-138.
“One thing I’ve noticed throughout this entire process in all the Black Raven Sailors is this; even though the entire squadron was split up attending schools in Oceana, Va., being trained over at VAQ-129, and then reconstituting at VAQ-135, our Sailors never forgot that at the end of the day they are all Ravens,” said Johnson.
“They never went away from what makes this group of people awesome,” he added. “This day would have never arrived, nor would the squadron have performed as well as it did during this transition if it weren’t for these outstanding Sailors and their ruthless work ethic and spirit. Our Sailors are who got us to where we are today.”
The next step for the squadron will be to accept their new Growlers and to begin routine squadron operations again. Black Ravens past and present are anxiously looking to the near future, when the squadron will once again deploy into harm’s way, this time as an expeditionary squadron, employing the world’s premiere Airborne Electronic Attack platform.
THEN CAME THE BLACK RAVENS SHIRTS!
Word spreads rapidly at NAS Whidbey Island and it was less than a week after the delivery of the CPO 365 Mess shirts that we received a call from VAQ-135, The Black Ravens requesting a USN Shirt for their FCPOA. Give it a Japanese feel, add a Raven of course, flags representing the area they were operating in and finish it with a Torii gate. Can do!
No other means of aircraft has been so widely displayed in movies, books, visual accounting, story telling as the UH-1H Iroquois over the skies of Vietnam. The Huey, Loach, helo and many other terms and slangs have been given to this bird over the years. So let’s take a look at what she is and what she has done.
WHAT IS THE HUEY?
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed “Huey“) is a utilitymilitary helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine, with two-blade main and tail rotors. The first member of the prolific Huey family, it was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet a United States Army‘s 1952 requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter, and first flew in 1956. The UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production in 1960 for the United States military, and more than 16,000 have been built since.[1]
The Iroquois was originally designated HU-1, hence the Huey nickname, which has remained in common use, despite the official redesignation to UH-1 in 1962.[2] The UH-1 first saw service in combat operations during the Vietnam War, with around 7,000 helicopters deployed. (Source – Wikipedia)
THE HUEY IN MOVIES.
Easily argued the scene with the 1st Cav screaming over the skies of Vietnam inbound towards the hooches off the Vietnam coastline strikes many memories as seen in the movie Apocalypse Now. Colonel Kilgore and his quote “I love the smell of Napalm in the morning. It smells like victory!” is synonymous with the Huey and its versatility as a weapons platform and a troops transport.
Charlie Doesn’t Surf!
Every Helicopter Is a Huey
Hollywood invariably produces at least one military movie per year but here are a few things that make the use of the UH-1 a bit funny when you stop to think about it.
It’s true Holly has a fetish when it comes to a Huey and for a variety of reasons. Every time the Hollywood heroes in an action or military movie or TV show have to go somewhere and someway by helicopter, there are big chances they will be doing it in a Huey. This is justified in Vietnam War movies cause well they were there and they were actually used: the UH-1D Iroquois is an icon of United States involvement in Vietnam, with over 7,000 birds seeing service (and many, many more of other military and civilian models since—Bell is still making Hueys today believe it or not). As a dedicated troop transport helicopter, it’s a natural choice for thePlatoon. The Huey looks like the perfect helicopter that conveys a tough, militaristic feel and suggest a military movie in the way that a less easily-recognizable helicopter might not. Maybe its because so many of them have been used they are simply the go to helicopter when it comes to movies. In a gunship, Huey situation, one can expect two heavily-armed attack Hueys flown by nameless pilots in formation (ton of movies that have this) with a Huey carrying a hero. Though the United States military started replacing Hueys with Black Hawks as the general-purpose transport helicopter as long ago as 1979, they still keep a lot of them flying for various odd jobs and things. The same is true of the other branches, except the Marine Corps, who not only still use them in a front-line role but are also currently taking delivery of the new and highly-advanced UH-1Y model. It’s commonly said in the US Military that when the last Blackhawk is deleted from the inventory, it will be slingloaded to the Boneyard by a Huey. In the movies they still show up everywhere even now from movie to movie – even places they have no right to be, in countries that never flew them as funny as that may be. As a general rule:
Hueys have a 50-50 chance of showing up in a fully civilian movie, where Bell JetRangers and other models appear just as often;
A somewhat-military movie, or a movie featuring the military that skimped on research, will almost invariably have Hueys and follow this pattern.
A well-researched military movie will only feature Hueys as appropriate – for instance, when dealing with the Vietnam War era, or for Marine Twin Hueys.
Hollywood characters in action films are particularly prone to stumbling across Hueys all fueled up, ready to fly and very often fully-armed (often as not with weapons no real Huey ever dreamed of carrying).
Rambo 2
It flies, turns, banks and survives against all odds when taking on a Russian MiG
WE WERE SOLDIERS
Col Hal Moore takes his Troopers into the jungle of Vietnam and with the use of the Huey survives against impossible odds. The Huey made the difference.
“We will ride into battle, and this will be our horse.”
