Ladies Military Halloween Costume Ideas

Posted on October 21, 2011 by patriotsurplusblog

GI Jane

In our last post, we gave you lots of ideas for the guys, including a group costume that’s sure to be a hit at your next Halloween party. But don’t think we forgot about the ladies. Women who want a badass costume this Halloween can check out some of these great costume ideas using Patriot Surplus gear. Trust us – you’ll have the rest of the party saluting when you rock one of these awesome women’s military Halloween costumes:

Top Gun Hottie: Ladies, you can have all the attitude of a Maverick without having to wear the flight suit. All you’ll need is a pair of olive drab womens shorts, flight jacket, aviator sunglasses, and a pair of jungle boots. Simple but sizzling.

G.I. Jane: Get ready to kick some serious ass at your next Halloween party. Slip on a pair of woodland vintage paratrooper fatigues, an army tank top or t-shirt, dog tags, black jungle boots, and a fatigue hat. You’ll be putting the rest of the party guests through drills in no time.

Pinup Girl: Everyone loves a pinup and if you’re looking to capture a vintage classic, well, channel your inner Betty Grable with a white halter (or a white button down tied at the waist), a pair of blue sailor booty shorts, women’s military boots, and a classic sailor hat. Anchors away, baby.

Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley from Alien: Sigourney Weaver showed us that women can kick an extreme amount of extraterrestrial ass. Channel her with dog tags, a military tank top, a pair of women’s military boots, olive drab paratrooper fatigues, a short curly wig, and a look of pure steel. Accessorize with a large gun if possible (artificial, of course).

Which military maven are you planning on going as for Halloween? Have some other costume ideas? Be sure to share them with us in the comments!

Introducing the Belleville Flyweight: The Perfect Garrison Boot

Posted on October 19, 2011 by patriotsurplusblog

Belleville Flyweight Boots

The perfect Garrison boot is set to arrive in November. If you haven’t heard about the Belleville Flyweight, you’re in the dark, man. This is seriously one of the coolest boots we’ve seen in awhile and if you’re dying to find a pair of comfortable and lightweight boots that are perfect for garrison duty, well, look no further than Patriot Surplus.

Next month, we’ll be introducing the Belleville Flyweight Boot to our selection. Weighing in at a mere 1.5 pounds per pair, this boot is incredibly lightweight. Factor in its three layers of cushioning comfort for superior shock absorption and you’ve got boots that are always ready for duty. Belleville Flyweights also come made with some innovative design features that add both comfort and stability to your step, including:

Side air vents to keep your feet cool, dry, and comfortable
Highly breathable unlined upper
Athletic feel and fit
Double and triple stitched seams for enhanced durability
Tough VIBRAM premium rubber outsole
Built-in VANGUARD Sole System for high performance

We carry the Belleville Flyweight Boot in both Sage Green and Desert Tan, so you can choose the pair that best suits your tastes – or the requirements of your uniform. Did we mention that this boot wears like a sneaker but performs like a champion? To put it simply, this is the boot you want to wear if you’re on garrison duty or just prefer a lightweight pair to take you from the base to home and back again.
Want to save on this hot new item? If you preorder your pair of Belleville Flyweight boots before 10/31, we’ll give you 15% off. Just enter in “FLYWEIGHT” at the checkout to take advantage of this special promotion. Don’t wait though – get your order in now so that we can ship your pair out to you ASAP once they arrive in November.

Be a Hero at your Next Party with Military Halloween Costumes from PatriotSurplus.com

Posted on October 12, 2011 by patriotsurplusblog

Top Gun Olive Drab Flight Suit

Halloween is a great time for all of us. Free candy, costume contests, and the chance to be Maverick for a day. Every boy wants to be a soldier and every guy wants to be in Top Gun. If this sounds like how you’ll want to spend your Halloween, be sure to check out these military costume how-to guides. We’ve taken some of the best military-inspired Halloween costumes (from both Hollywood and the battlefield) and broken them down to the essentials so you can equip yourself with everything you need at Patriot Surplus. Just pick a costume and follow the guides:

Maverick from Top Gun: “Goose, it’s time to buzz the tower.” Maverick is every guy’s dream costume. Okay, maybe not every guy, but if you’re cool enough to want to be Tom Cruise’s most memorable character (without the couch jumping), then we’ve got you covered with the right costume essentials. You can be Maverick with an olive drab flight suit, a pair of aviator sunglasses, and black jungle boots. You’ll need a hot shot attitude to go with it, but we don’t sell that…yet.

Patton: You may never be a Patton, but at least you can pay homage to his memory and outstanding leadership by dressing up as him this Halloween. You’ll need a G.I. Helmet, shirt, tie, Ike jacket, leather gloves, Jopdhur pants, riding crop, boost, and a shit ton of medals.

Lt. Aldo Raine from Inglourious Basterds: Pure unadulterated badass. Put together a blue double breasted coat (a blue BDUshirt works), belt with knife holster, gigantic knife (prop preferred, of course), blue scarf, black pants, black boots, moustache, and a side part to strike fear into the hearts of every Nazi.

Rambo: A Halloween classic that everyone will recognize. Grab a bushy haired wig, a red bandana headband, a pair of BDU pants, jungle boots, dog tags, a black tank top, and a bullet belt.

SWAT Team Member: Walking into a party or taking the kids around the block to trick or treat just got a lot more interesting. Alright, so this might scare the neighbors a bit, but that’s half the fun. A SWAT team costume is well worth it to make an impression, especially if you want to play a prank on a friend or a coworker later on. To put together this costume, you’ll need black jungle boots, fingerless duty gloves, knee pads, a black Ranger vest, a black SWAT tee, and a pair of black BDU pants.

G.I. Joe: An American classic, G.I. Joe is a great costume idea for any guy. I mean, c’mon, who DOESN’T want to be an action figure? To get this costume right, you need to make it yourself. Not sure what’s up with all of this G.I. Joe ninja crap, but if you look in costume stores, that’s all you’re going to find. To become America’s hero, you need is a pair of olive drab BDU pants, black jungle boots, a solid military t-shirt, dog tags, an olive drab military shirt, and a G.I. style helmet.

Group Costume Idea – The A-Team: Going with a group? Get together with the guys and really make an entrance. Explosives optional. The A-Team is a memorable costume idea that’s sure to win any costume competition. With Mr. T in the mix, how can you lose? To make up this costume, here’s what you’ll need for each member:

Mr. T: Denim bib overalls, red long-sleeved shirt, a full beard, mohawk, and lots of gold chains.
Hannibal: White hair, fatigues, jungle boots, leather gloves, and a cigar.
Howlin Mad Murdock: Black baseball cap, leather bomber jacket, t-shirt, and BDU pants.
Lt. Faceman Peck: Volumizing hair spray, a slick dinner blazer suit jacket, a white button down, khakis, and a belt.

As for the kids, we’ve got plenty of opportunities to find the right Halloween costume. Your kid can be a sailor, marine, soldier, or pilot with our flight suits, kids military clothing, and kids army costumes. We also have lots of cool accessories like patches and canteens. Don’t forget about glow sticks to help you light your way as you trick or treat through the neighborhood!

Stay tuned. In our next post, we’ll serve up some military Halloween costume ideas for the ladies.

New Addition: Smith & Wesson Boots

Posted on October 7, 2011 by patriotsurplusblog

Smith & Wesson Boots

It all started with firearms. Now known throughout the world for superior craftsmanship and performance, Smith & Wesson is a brand that echoes throughout history. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson has become the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States; however, it’s not just the handguns that have our attention. It’s their line of footwear.

Patriot Surplus is proud to now carry Smith & Wesson Boots, which offer performance that exceeds all expectations. Each pair of Smith & Wesson Boots is designed to meet a specific need, whether it’s traction, comfort, or protection. When you need a pair of boots that can keep up with you when you’re on active duty, you need the tactical footwear by Smith & Wesson.

In our selection of Smith & Wesson Boots, you’ll find options made for on-the-job performance. Choose from boots that feature details like:

Waterproof construction
Side zips
GORE-TEX Construction
Slip resistance
Polishable leather uppers
Lightweight designs
12X Performance Insoles

With so many options in a pair of boots, it’s no wonder that Smith & Wesson is a trusted brand for law enforcement officers and security personnel around the United States.

Check out the latest Smith & Wesson Boots at PatriotSurplus.com. They’re an ideal fit for any man in uniform.

Airman to be Awarded Air Force Cross

Posted on October 6, 2011 by patriotsurplusblog

Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Gutierrez will receive the highest award an Airman can receive outside the Medal of Honor in late October. To us, that’s an amazing feat – but waits until you hear his story.

On October 5, 2009, Sgt. Gutierrez was assigned to the Pope Air Force Base’s 21st Special Tactics Squadron. He was with a team of Green Berets from the 7th Special Forces Group inside a building in the Heart province of Afghanistan. They were pinned inside, outnumbered by Taliban fighters. There was no escape route.

As combat controller, it was Sgt. Gutierrez’s duty to call in and direct air support during the attack. A gunshot wound to his chest had collapsed a lung while narrowly missing his heart, rendering him barely able to talk. But despite his injuries, he kept fighting, using his M-4 rifle to fend off enemy fighters. He refused to give up his radio.

“Throughout the four-hour battle, Sgt. Gutierrez’s valorous actions, at great risk to his own life, helped save the lives of his teammates and dealt a crushing blow to the regional Taliban network,” says a citation that will accompany Gutierrez’s medal. “Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Sgt. Gutierrez reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”

After a team medic treated his injuries and inflated his collapsed lung, Sgt. Gutierrez was able to cal in three runs from a A-10 Warthog, allowing the team to make it out alive while demolishing the enemy.

“I refused to give up on that soil,” Sgt. Gutierrez said in a recent media interview. “If I did, I would be a burden to my team and that was unacceptable. So I just drove on.”

A gunshot wound, a collapsed lung, two broken ribs, and multiple infections and blood transfusions later, it’s clear that Gutierrez is a fighter in the clearest sense of the word.

Sgt. Gutierrez will receive his cross sometime in October during a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, where he is currently assigned. The 31 year-old will be the second living Air Force Special Operations Soldier to receive the Air Force Cross and one of only five total, according to Air Force Special Operations Command. Since the medal’s start back in 1964, fewer than 200 awards have been given.

Sgt. Gutierrez, we salute you.