GUEST: This is my mother's, uh, flight jacket, two pictures of her, and her flight log.
In the Navy, she was a stewardess.
She was one of only 30 WAVES who were, uh, taken into a squadron and given the namesake "The 30," uh... Guys, when they were being discharged, there was a guy that was slashing the back of the jackets, and she just refused.
So she ended up stealing it from the Navy and had to stand the captain's mast for that.
So, we're very proud of it.
(chuckles) APPRAISER: As you should be.
So, what is the captain's mast?
GUEST: It's one step below a court-martial, and, uh, she could have been in serious problem for, uh, stealing it.
But, uh, fortunately, they let her go.
APPRAISER: They were demilitarizing...
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: ...all of the material from the Navy.
GUEST: Yeah.
The, the 30, uh, jackets were all being destroyed, and as far as I know, that's the only one that has survived.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
I've never seen another one for a WAVE before.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: The WAVES, Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Services.
The WAVES were formed in, in 1942 to alleviate some of the services, get men out into, into ships and in combat.
So they did all sorts of jobs, from working in hospitals to, like your mom, be working on an aircrew of an aircraft.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: To be crewing a plane at that time was pretty impressive.
They were in service through the end of the war, and were demobilized in, in 1948.
They had done that so that they could be actually integrated into the regular Army, Navy.
And that was due to their service, um...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...during World War II, that they actually became regular members of the, of the military.
And she served when?
GUEST: The very end of World War II into peacetime.
APPRAISER: So it looked like from...
The... ...the, the logbook here...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Looked like the fall of 1945 into '46, '47?
GUEST: Yeah, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And it seems like she did some traveling.
She flew around quite a bit.
She did.
GUEST: Her main unit was covering from Boston to Miami, and then she did Bermuda to San Francisco.
APPRAISER: Well, it's wonderful that we have a leather flight jacket, a U.S. Navy version AN-J-3A.
The only ones I've ever seen before were worn by men.
You've got a wool waistband, cuffs that have a few holes, it's got a little wear from use, but it's still in good condition.
You said your mother is wearing it in this photograph?
GUEST: Yes.
Her jacket there and her boots.
Her flight boots.
Yeah.
She stole, actually, the flight boots... APPRAISER: (chuckles) GUEST: ...also, from the Navy.
APPRAISER: For the group, we would put an auction estimate of $1,000 to $1,500.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: Part of the value being in the jacket itself, but the historical value is what's really important with it.
I'm sure glad that we could see this today...
GUEST: Thank you, Mom.
APPRAISER: ...and talk about your mom.