Chesapeake Chris

Next up is Chris (I like that name) whom I called Chesapeake Chris because of the area of the country he's from. He is a veteran of the Afghanistan War whom I very much admire for his service to our country. We corresponded six or eight times by email back in 2018 when he first asked a question of me:

"Chris: Hi there, love my union suit. When I was stationed in Afgthanistan, my mother sent me out a package including a nice red union suit with the fireman's flap in the back. Now I need a new pair for the upcming winter season. She can't remember where she bought them...do you know of any websites that sell them. I love wearing them in the snow with my bib overalls! ...Chris" (last name redacted). 

Makes me wonder how many other service men appreciated long, warm one-piece, red underwear?!

He sent along this photo of himself in his new bid overalls and that red union suit.

And here's another photo of him out in the snow:

Chris eventually bought him a couple of other suits, from Tractor Supply if I remember correctly. All our connection was back in 2018. Now and then, I wonder about him and how's he's doing and whether he is still a Union Suit Fan. 

 

A True Patriot, From Armed Services to Our International Brotherhood. Salute!

Note: Remember my March 6, 2019 posting in Union Suit Fans in the Limelight?

It featured Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce of the M*A*S*H hit TV Series,

Season 1, Episode 19 wherein his dad sent him a union suit

to keep him warm in the cold Korean winter. 

Chris reminded me again of this great M*A*S*H episode.

Here's Hawkeye in his cherished long-handled union suit:

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans

The wearing of Union Suits in San Antone?! Hard to believe until I received word from one of the city's businessmen, San Antonio John.

You've heard the saying, "Everything's Big in Texas."  Well, this man's story was big. Living in the far northwest all my life, I really hadn't thought much about those in the deep south who wore long underwear, let alone union suits. Was I ever in for a surprise when I heard from San Antonio John. He had worn union suits since he was a boy growing up on a ranch near the Alamo City. To this day on those cool, sometimes cold days if the humidity is high, John still pulls on his one-piece underwear, the long ones, one leg at a time as they say in Texas!

Well, best let this big man tell his storied background from an email I received in March, 2018 and posted March 16th:   

In that email John reported to me that he has been wearing union suits since he was a little boy growing up in south Texas. Like several of us his dad had always bought him two-piece thermal long johns. John pulled these on to wear while hunting and running around the ranch with his dad.

He told me that while trudging along on hunting trips as a twelve year old, he would complain to his dad about how uncomfortable his underwear was. “The elastic waistband bothered me and the bottoms would eventually start creeping down making it uncomfortable for any extended period of time. Man was I surprised when dad came home one day with a supply of Sears union suits for me. I started laughing and told him there was 'no way I was wearing old man underwear!'

 

“His only comment to me was, 'Oh you will wear them alright.'

“Of course I knew what that really meant. I started wearing those union suits when hunting and working with him outside and discovered, wow, they were really comfortable. Since that time I have only worn the one-piece style.

“I live in San Antonio, Texas, and if you know anything about Texas weather, we can get all four seasons in one day.  Temperature swings of 30 degrees or more are not unusual.”

John went on to say, “We are so use to our warm / hot weather here that anytime the temps drop below 70F it’s time to pull on our long handles. I think my initial resistance to union suits was the early age they were bought for me. They were always comical in the movies and on TV. I’m happy that my dad required me to wear them because I discovered how comfortable and practical they are.

“I grew up with cowboys since we had a ranch in north San Antonio. So I think I wore the correct underwear. I liked the picture of you in your boots and hat. It reminds me of when I was that age. (See USF posting, “Me and My Union Suit,” dated December 15, 2016.) Unbelievable, I starting out resisting wearing union suits and was embarrassed if anyone knew I had one on."

So there you have it, not embarrased anymore.

This long time union suit wearer is now a member of our "International Brotherhood." Welcome, San Antonio John!

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans!  ...Cornhusking Robbie

We now go from an eighty year old man to a fifteen year old boy. Anybody remember Robbie from Hastings, NE, sitting in a tree in his long red underwear, posted June 3, 2017?  

His dad sent in a couple of his photos, goofing off the previous winter. Brrr... Nebraska in winter? Talk about macho!

Unlike recently posted Charlie, there was no referencing "Underwearing" from Robbie's dad. I think the term must have been invented after 2017. But underwearing, he did, like being outside in the snow, standing on his head, wearing only socks, boots and a union suit!

Here you go Robbie! You very much deserve to be in "the Brotherhood." Thanks dad for a fun memory!

In that posting of Robbie in his underwear back in June of 2017, I also added these two up a tree in their underwear. But for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why two grown men climbed a big oak in their union suits! 

And for good measure, I added Frank Sinatra in his Union Suit to that posting with him rehearsing his movie, Dirty Dingus Magee but not because he was up a tree... 

...but because he was in the bushes and....

because he made famous the song, "Button Up Your Overcoat" with one of the versus about wearing your flannel underwear when you climb a tree. Robbie is the epitome of that old song:

 Button up your overcoat
 When the wind is free
 Take good care of yourself
 You belong to me.

        Wear your flannel underwear
        When you climb a tree
        Oh, take good care of yourself
        You belong to me.

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans!

Next up is shy guy, Bay Area Bill aka John Suiter from Union City, California, may he rest in peace. As a union suit aficionado myself, I always appreciated him being from Union City! Bill was around 80 years of age and one of the very first emailers to my new blog, Union Suit Fan. He passed away a couple of years ago according to Coach who traded emails with him on a regular basis. 

From the very beginning, Bay Area Bill refused to send in front view photographs of him in his union suit. I think eventually, he might have as some of my blog contributors are, in the beginning, reluctant to appear facing the camera in their long underwear.  But most of you have no qualms in doing so and even the shy guys eventually realize they are clothed from neck to ankle so acquiesce. Lord knows there are people on the internet, on Facebook, TikTok, TV and in the movies who wear alot less than those of us pictured in our union suits.

Bay Area Bill sent in a couple "about face" shots of him in his underwear and even contributed to an article about the arguments we had whether to tuck the bottom cuffs of your union suit into your socks or not. You older contributors remember? I know Joe of NYC does. Boy, did I catch it for leaving my cuffs unstuffed and always showing them outside of my socks!! Bill did too as a matter of fact.

So, here's Bill, God bless him, in his union suit, back to the camera, another newly inducted member to the fraternity: 

If you want to read his article, "Stocking Stuffers" go to the posting of April 10, 2017 featuring these photos of Stuffed and Unstuffed.  For illustrative purposes, these stocking feet photos were used in that posting are mine, not Bill's: 

Bill also had sent me this very entertaining ad featuring the comic,

"Out Our Way" having characters in Duofold Union Suits, 

posted March 28, 2017: 

And he also introduced us Union Suit Fans to the band,

Thee Long Johns, who perform in their Union Suits,

posted in my other blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight,

on July 3, 2018. Be sure and take a look there:

He was quite the Guy!  Congrats to Bill on becoming our newest Interational Brother:

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans! 

More "internationals" for our International Brotherhood inductees. Two more long, one-piece, underwear wearers to recognize for whom I don't happen to have anecdotes about. But a couple of years ago, they did send in their union suit photos to be posted in Union Suit Fan.  So, I consider them brothers.

Here's Ian from Nova Scotia, Canada: 

And this selfie is of Dalton from Melbourne, Australia:

Welcome to our International Brotherhood. Congratulations, Mates!

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans! 

Coach William turns head-over-heals for long underwear. As you may remember, my favorite octogenarian has been contributing to our fraternity for years now, sending photos and updates of what he's been up to. He stays in contact by email with me a couple times per week. 

Coach Always Exercises in his Union Suit!

Here, he is exercising in his "Upside Down Inversion Machine," manufactured by California's Teeter Company. Coach resides in a community of other seniors that could hardly be located further from  the Golden State. Interesting that the machine resembles a Teeter-Totter for adults. Hence the contraption's name, I believe.  

Another interesting fact about Coach for Union Suit Fans is that he wears long underwear 365 days a year, unless he is participating in his facility's talent show. When he and his lady friend dance, he admits to briefly wearing abbreviated underwear. In addition to Union Suits, he does enjoy wearing two-piece thermal long underwear, but not as much. 

Did I mention, he plays the piano too?

Sometimes on especially chilly days, Coach does not hesitate to double-up by wearing two union suits, one over another. 

So, it's quite appropriate for my Ole Friend 

to be inducted in to our International Brotherhood.

Keep 'em Buttoned, Coach!

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans!

Yikes, How the heck did he sneak in?!  

Oh well, just like any camper, one occasionally has to water the bushes. This is Jeff, Torrie's boyfriend. He was next pulled at random.

She and he were camping near Flagstone, Arizona a few years ago. She heard him get up early one morning, pull on his jeans and quietly leave her sleeping in their tent, or so he thought.

Little did Jeff know until, that is, he saw his back-side turned to the camera captured and posted in Union Suit Fan! Good one, Torrie. She couldnt' wait to share this with the world. And now her boyfriend is the next union suit underwear wearer to be added to the brotherhood!

"Answering Nature's Call" was posted May 21, 2018.

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans! 

Talk about a true Blast from the Past...remembering Sam from Upper Lower Michigan. Before RC, Buckeye Mike, Retro Jeff, Charlie and others who claimed fame by running around outside in their Union Suits, "underwearing" as Charlie liked to say, Sam was climbing up and onto his John Deere tractor in his long union suit underwear! 

Sam introduced Union Suit Fan to Grant Wood's 1923 Pencil and Wash on Paper from "Savage Iowa" kept at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Posted April 20, 2018:

When he wasn't working outside, Sam relaxed in his easy chair with a good book... in his union suit, naturally:

 

And speaking of good books, Sam gave us "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Union Suits, But Were(n't) Afraid to Ask. Presented in a post on February 6, 2020. The book "covered union suit facts for men and boys, extensively."

This 1920's book was title "Tips and Pointers for Underwear Dealers and their Salesmen." It was hoped it would help union suit sellers sell more, what else, union suits. It surely did. 

And one more thing!  Sam was adamant about me (and you) not calling Union Suits, "Long Johns!"  Long johns are long underwear in two pieces (drawers on the bottom and undershirts on top), not one-piece unions.

Sam: Thanks for your many contributions to Union Suit Fan!  A Hearty Welcome to one Worthy Wearer to our Union Member fraternity!  And as you said to me once: "Stay Cool While Staying Warm."   Keep 'em Buttoned my cool friend...Chris 

Vive la France!

International Brotherhood of Union Suit Fans! 

Next, a well timed name drawn out of my hat resulted in identifying French Union Suit Fan, Jérôme aka Kore, a man of many combinaison colors and designs. What a world renowned Union Suit Collection he has, singled and layered! Yep, these long underwear photos are all him. Really!

So, our now self-described "International Brotherhood" is pleased to welcome him into our aptly named fraternity. Welcome mon ami en sous-vêtements longs: