United States. The Service Uniforms Belonging to Code Breaker Rear Admiral Redfield B. Mason

The service uniform tunics and trousers belonging to Code Breaker Rear Admiral Redfield B. Mason, consisting of: 

1. A dress uniform tunic, constructed of thick and high-quality dark blue whipcord wool with a fold-down collar peaked, rolling lapels, and an open front. It is semi-fitted to allow for comfortable wear, with a single left open-slit breast pocket that is lined with black rayon material. Above the breast pocket, sewn directly to the uniform, are a series of fourteen ribbon bars. The ribbon bars themselves feature a cardstock core (broken between the ribbons) with a silk ribbon upper. The ribbons include from top to bottom, left to right:

• Distinguished Service Medal
• Legion of Merit with “V”
• Navy Commendation Ribbon
• Navy Unit Commendation
• China Service with 1 Star
• American Defense Service with 1 Star
• American Service Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Service with 2 Stars
• WWII Victory Medal
• WWII Occupation Ribbon
• National Defense Ribbon
• Korean Service Medal
• United Nations Service Medal with 1 Star
• WWII Philippine Defense Medal

The front closure is double-breasted with a button-through design featuring three prominent vertically mounted gilt bronze buttons on each side of the coat, but missing the middle button on the right side. On the obverse of the buttons is a leftward-facing bald eagle perched on an anchor and surrounded by thirteen stars. The buttons measure 22.6 mm in diameter, of which the two on the right side are directly sewn to the tunic. In contrast, the three buttons on the left of the tunic are secured via retaining rings to allow for them to be removed to avoid damage when the coat needs cleaning and pressing. The reverse of each button is marked “Superior Quality”, with three vertically mounted reinforced buttonholes on both sides. There are two additional open-slit welp pockets at waist height, one on each side, and equally lined in black rayon material. The cuffs are of a folded no-button design with one broad strip of golden bullion wire tresse nearest to the cuff, with a narrow matching strip of tresse above, and ordained by an embroidered five-pointed star, all signifying the rank of Rear Admiral. The rear of the tunic is that of a sack design with a seam running up the center to join the two halves together. The interior is fully lined with black rayon material, with an additional horizontal-slit pocket on the right side featuring a blank name tag. It measures approximately 42 cm across the shoulders (seam to seam), with a sleeve length of 59 cm, and an overall body length of 75 cm.

2. A short tunic, constructed of high-quality black whipcord wool with a fold-down collar, peaked rolling lapels, and an open front. The front closure is double-breasted with a button-through design featuring three prominent vertically mounted gilt bronze buttons on each side of the coat. On the obverse of the buttons is a leftward-facing bald eagle perched on an anchor and surrounded by thirteen stars. The buttons measure 22.6 mm in diameter and are sewn directly to the tunic.  The reverse of each button is marked “Waterbury Button Co, Conn” in capital letters. There is a single reinforced buttonhole on either side of the opening with a matching gilded chained button clasp to close the jacket. The cuffs are of a folded no-button design with one broad strip of golden bullion wire tresse nearest to the cuff, with a narrow matching strip of tresse above, and ordained by an embroidered five-pointed star, all signifying the rank of Rear Admiral. The rear of the tunic is that of a sack design with a seam running up the center to join the two halves together. The interior is fully lined with black rayon material, with two vertical slit pockets built into the tunic, one on each side. The interior of the tunic has a tailor's label with “US. Navy - Naval Uniform Shop, Brooklyn, NY” embroidered in yellow lettering. It measures 48 cm across the shoulders (seam to seam), with a sleeve length of 62 cm, and an overall body length of 52 cm.

3. The pleated trousers are equally constructed of high-quality black whipcord wool. The front features one vertical-slit pocket per side, lined with off-white cotton material. There is an additional lined horizontal-slit pocket on either side of the rear, both secured shut via a black button meeting a reinforced button-hole. The 25 cm long frontal opening is secured shut via a magnetic metal zipper, with two white buttons. The waist features 8 elongated loopholes on the exterior with six white buttons at the waist for the attachment of suspenders. The trousers are unlined except for the waist, which is lined in matching off-white cotton material. The trousers measure 41 cm across the waist, with an inseam of 68 cm, and an overall length of 96 cm. 

Footnote: Redfield B. Mason (July 15th, 1904 - July 9th, 1995) was a Rear Admiral and Lt. Commander of the US Navy. He was raised on a farm in Indiana, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1925, and learned Japanese at the American Embassy in Tokyo in the 1930’s. He served as a cryptologist in naval operations during the Second World War at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington. His most significant work was aiding in the breaking of the Japanese Code, which helped defeat the Japanese in the Pacific when he informed his commanders that Japanese Admiral Yamamoto was flying into the Pacific theatre to inspect various installations. This information led to the shooting down of his plane by P-38 fighters. Although Mason’s work as a Codebreaker was top secret at the time, he was later awarded the Legion of Merit “for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States, as well as the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for “exceptionally meritious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States while attached to the Division of Naval Communications from April 13th, 1942 to September 2nd, 1945. Redfield Mason appeared on the NBC quiz show “The Big Surprise” in 1956, winning USD 20,000 on February 25th, 1956, USD 50,000 on March 3rd, and $100,000 on March 20th of the same year. Following his retirement at the rank of Rear Admiral in 1966, Mason lived a quiet life on a farm near Warrenton. He passed from old age (91) on July 9th, 1995 in a nursing home in Warrenton, and was interned on July 18th, 1995 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Section 60, Site 6352. He is survived by a son, Michael, and two daughters, Virginia and Jo-Anne, and a granddaughter.