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Special Forces ODA 7113 Combat Shirt Group

Combat top, Lucky 13 t-shirt, modified BDU trousers, boonie hat, patrol cap, and 509th helmet cover laid flat together.

Back of the tailor-made combat top, printed with a skull gripping a V-42 knife and crossed raft paddles, and "ODA 7113."

CJSOTF-A (Afghanistan) patch with hook-back, bearing the Afghan flag, on the combat top's sleeve.

JTAC patch with hook-back on the combat top's opposite sleeve.

Tailormade knee reinforcement pocket added to the BDU trousers.

Tailormade ankle pocket with hook-and-loop closure added to the BDU trousers.

Separate tan Lucky 13 unit t-shirt, with a "Made in Tanzania" tag, included with the group.

Back of the separate Lucky 13 ODA t-shirt, printed "We Make the Number 13 Lucky."

Woodland helmet cover associated with the 509th, worn prior to Special Forces selection.

Interior of the UCP patrol cap, showing NCO rank tabs, redacted name tape, and a cut-down panel marker sewn in as a pocket.

Exterior of the UCP boonie hat, showing an NCO chevron patch and redacted name tape.

Close-up of the cut-down VS-17 panel marker fabric sewn into the crown as a pocket.

The combat top at the center of this group is a union of two garments: an ODA 7113 unit t-shirt, printed with "Lucky 13" and a skull gripping a V-42 knife with crossed raft paddles on the back, and the sleeves of a woodland BDU top, grafted on by a tailor during an Afghanistan deployment.

Each sleeve carries a hook-and-loop patch: one a JTAC patch, the other a CJSOTF-A (Afghanistan) patch.

The trousers are modified BDUs, with Crye-inspired, tailormade knee reinforcement pockets and ankle pockets with hook and loop flap closure.

A separate tan "Lucky 13" ODA t-shirt came with the group as well.

Two salty UCP pattern pieces of headgear from a prior deployment were included: a patrol cap with NCO rank, cat's eyes, name tape, and a sweated-out panel marker resourcefully sewn inside the crown to double as a pocket. The other, a similarly configured boonie, with evidence of a panel marker that has since been removed.

A woodland helmet cover associated with the 509th rounds it out, worn during an earlier airborne enlistment before the soldier attempted Special Forces selection and became an 18-E, a Special Forces communications sergeant.

The group surfaced near Eglin Air Force Base, home to 7th Special Forces Group. The veteran confirmed directly that the pieces were his — he'd sold them years earlier to a surplus shop, without expecting them to resurface intact as a group, and was helpful in providing context.

Collection Details

Combat Top

Tailor-made in Afghanistan
Melding of an ODA 7113 unit t-shirt and woodland BDU sleeves
CJSOTF-A (Afghanistan) patch, hook-and-loop, sleeve
JTAC patch, hook-and-loop, opposite sleeve

Lucky 13 T-Shirt

Polyester ODA t-shirt with made in Tanzania label

Trousers

Modified woodland BDU trousers
Crye-inspired, tailormade knee reinforcement pockets
Tailormade ankle pockets with hook-and-loop closure, one on each leg

Helmet Cover

Woodland pattern helmet cover with 509th PIR patches
Worn during an airborne enlistment prior to Special Forces selection

UCP Boonie Hat & Patrol Cap

UCP patrol cap: cat's-eye reflective tabs, name tape, and a discolored panel marker sewn as a pocket
UCP boonie hat: cat's-eye reflective tabs, name tape, NCO rank, and evidence of a removed panel marker