We at the CAF Red Tail Squadron are on a quest to help people get their holiday shopping done early so they can enjoy other aspects of the season.
To do that, we invite one and all to purchase at least a couple of holiday gifts from the Squadron’s online store. Think of the benefits:
- The joy of being able to cross off names on your gift list – that always makes me smile and I’m sure you feel the same way!
- The comfort of shopping from home from a nice selection of gift items and having your purchases delivered to your door. Don’t you love the idea of outsmarting the shopping hoards at the malls and big box stores? Figure out what your time and energy are worth and you’ll know this is a biggie.
- The knowledge that the Squadron stands behind all of the merchandise and will refund or replace if there is a problem.
- The satisfaction of knowing that all proceeds from your e-store purchases go directly to fund our educational RISE ABOVE program.
So what’s big this season in the e-store?
Well, we have the ever popular T-shirts and cloth ball caps with the original art and logos on them. They are well made, nicely priced at $20 each and come in a choice of two colors – navy and khaki. (I have washed mine dozens of time and it still looks really good.) If you want to save $5, you can order the “Cooldown Combo” which is your choice of one hat and one shirt – you can mix or match colors. And remember… there’s no law that says you have to give one person both items – give one person the hat and another giftee the shirt and ta da! – you’ve crossed two people off your list!
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| The “Cooldown Combo” – a cloth cap and T-shirt for just $35. |
If you live in a climate that gets cold in winter (and yes, that includes Florida – I know that from firsthand experience!) and know someone who is not big on knitted hats but needs to keep his/her head warm, the Squadron’s black leather ball cap is a great solution. With all of the colorful Tuskegee Airmen unit insignia on it, it’s decorative and sure to draw admiring glances.
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| Durable and decorative black leather cap |
And then, for that special someone (or maybe even yourself?), we have the gorgeous full leather jacket in black or brown. This is a fun product for us to offer because people really love it. We always have a few jackets for sale at the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit when it’s at air shows. Our experience is that once people try it on, they just hate to take it off. We’ve had some folks buy this jacket and then ask us to put the outerwear they wore to the air show into a bag so they could keep their beautiful new jacket on. The quality of the jacket is amazing, but it’s the fabulous embroidered picture of the red-tailed Mustang in flight that really sells it.
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| The art may look like a painting but it’s embroidered on – very high quality. |
To view all of our apparel and apparel bundles in the e-store, click here.
So what else does the store have to offer? There are art prints – I particularly like the “Tuskegee Tales” print by Pati O’Neal of the Mustang in its vintage hangar in South St. Paul and the inspirational quote about his heritage from Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer.
So what else does the store have to offer? There are art prints – I particularly like the “Tuskegee Tales” print by Pati O’Neal of the Mustang in its vintage hangar in South St. Paul and the inspirational quote about his heritage from Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer.
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| Art print by Pati O’Neal |
There’s another print called “Red Tail By Request” by famed aviation artist Sam Lyons, too. Both of these prints and more are offered at a reduced price for the holidays.
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| Art print by Sam Lyons |
We also carry a number of good books, including a few that are autographed by Tuskegee Airmen. A couple of informational books cost just $5.00 – a great price for a stocking stuffer.
Actually, we have quite a number of gifts in the $5-$10 range. You can really pamper your budget with prices like that. Follow this link to see those. And, if I’m allowed one more plug, the 2013 CAF Red Tail Squadron calendar will be a welcome gift for anyone who has birthdays, anniversaries and appointments to keep track of next year. We’ve created yearly calendars for some time now and they are very popular.
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| The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s 2013 12-month Calendar features photos by Max Haynes |
I could dedicate many more words to what the Squadron’s e-store has to offer, but it’s time to sign off. The Squadron team puts a lot of thought into what products are carried in the store and always have one focus – to have items for sale that support the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. We invite you to shop with us for the holidays and help our educational mission at the same time. Thank you.
Texas
The Mustang and RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit are Wings Over Houston (TX) this weekend at Ellington Airport. Hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days.
Countdown to the election: 12 days. If you got a sample ballot, be sure to review it before heading to the polls. The Florida sample ballot is many pages long because of numerous amendments up for decisions. That seems to be a good way to settle amendment questions, but I was sure glad I remained eligible to vote by absentee ballot in Minnesota where the ballot was only two pages long!
The CAF Red Tail Squadron is a volunteer-driven 501c3 non-profit organization that operates under the auspices of the Commemorative Air Force. For more information, please visit redtail.org.
