Shirts<The Real McCoy's OPEN-COLLAR SHIRT / FOURTH BUT FIRST ECRU

The OPEN-COLLAR SHIRT / FOURTH BUT FIRST is a relaxed fitting open collar shirt featuring an all over aviator print that can be seen on custom aviator scarves of the 4th Fighter Wing. Customisation and design motifs that distinguish squadrons continue to counterpoint the uniformity of the United States Airforce; with motifs appearing on scarves, emblems and uniforms containing a deep history, which makes some of these units so iconic.

The 4th Fighter Wing, also known as the Fighting Eagles, have been operating since 1942, first being activated in England and comprising of former U.S. members of RAF Eagle Squadrons. Earning a reputation as a unit that can achieve significant results during the Second World War, the entry into the Korean war in the 1950s would ultimately see the unit produce six ace pilots.

For 70 years the 4th Fighter Wing have persisted in setting a standard of excellence in air power and defence. The motto ‘Fourth but First” is a phrase that follows a series of “firsts” in the squadron, having being the first airforce unit to be activated in the European Theatre of war during WW2, where they were the first group to engage in the destruction of enemy aircraft. They would also be the first wing to deploy to Korea, where they responded to USS Pueblo crisis in 1968. They were additionally the inaugural wing to receive the F-15E Strike Eagle, which was deployed during Operation Desert Storm.

It is the F-15E Strike Eagle Aircraft which can be seen printed on the OPEN-COLLAR SHIRT / FOURTH BUT FIRST alongside the squadrons famous Fighting Eagle Mascot. Construction details of this shirt include a fabric-reinforced back yoke, cotton thread sewing and bar tack reinforcements on the chest pocket.