The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Muehlendorf of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, issued an urgent plea to residents of the Houston stadium area in a Facebook post.

For more than 60 years, the black Stetson cowboy hat has been the iconic headgear of United States Army Air Cavalry units, meant to honor their ties to the horse-mounted cavalry troops of the 19th century.

The custom reportedly began in the mid-1960s when Lieutenant Colonel John B. Stockton, commander of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry—then part of the 11th Air Assault Division—wanted his air mobile and scout helicopter units to stand out and reconnect with their historical cavalry roots. The practice caught on across the Air Cavalry units during the Vietnam War, and the 1876-pattern campaign hat (as it was actually known at the time) became a symbol of pride and shared identity. The Air Cavalry’s connection to the hat is probably best known in pop culture from the screen presence of the surfing-obsessed Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall, in the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now; Kilgore wore the hat during the famous “Ride of the Valkyries” helicopter assault scene.

The mythos around the hat partially explains why the loss of one over the weekend is such a big deal.

On Saturday, during a flyover of a CH-47F Chinook and three UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, everything went as planned—until one of the Black Hawk pilots’ hats flew out of the helicopter he was piloting.

“US Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Muehlendorf with the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, based in Fort Hood, was one of the pilots who conducted the flyover Saturday, under a mostly clear blue sky,” Chron.com reported, adding that his hat fell out of the aircraft around 3 miles north of the stadium.

Unlike what some movies may suggest, pilots don’t actually wear their Stetsons while at the controls. Instead, “the hat had been hanging by its chinstrap on a hook behind his seat.” As the US Army helicopters flew in formation, they opened the doors to show off the flags inside, and “that’s when the hat flew out.”

Muehlendorf became aware of the loss only after the helicopters landed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The Stetson Hat Has “Irreplaceable” Sentimental Value to Aviators

This may not seem like a huge deal, but just as a cowboy hat is something treasured by its owner, so too are these Stetsons by the aviators. Muehlendorf had owned that hat for more than 20 years, which he bought at the Hat Store in Houston when he reached the rank of Warrant Officer.

“I’ve had this exact Stetson since I was a brand new WO1 in this very same unit back in 2004,” Muehlendorf wrote in a post on Facebook. “Now as a CW5, that hat has been with me through 22 years of my aviation career. The sentimental value is irreplaceable.”

Still, Muehlendorf admitted that it would take a “miracle” to recover the hat.

“If you live, work, or walk around the neighborhoods a few miles north of the stadium, please keep your eyes peeled for a black Cavalry Stetson in a yard, on a roof, or in the street,” he wrote. “If you find it, please send me a DM! The Longhorn community was amazing to us today—hoping for some of that magic to help bring this piece of history home.”

In general, beyond the sentimental value, the loss of headgear can be significant within the US military, which can view it as a direct violation of uniform regulations, a sign of poor accountability for issued government property, and a breach of strict military discipline and attention to detail.

Of course, the Stetson is a “private purchase” rather than a government-issued item, meaning that Muehlendorf won’t face any administrative issues. However, it is still very understandable why he is upset over the matter.

About the Famous Stetson Hat

Stetson is one of the country’s oldest and most iconic hat brands in the United States. It originated from John B. Stetson’s classic “Boss of the Plains” design, which was later modeled after the 1876 campaign hat. The Army Air Cavalry’s hats are typically adorned with crossed sabers that represent the cavalry branch, and a colored cord that denotes rank, with gold for general officers, black and gold for commissioned officers, black and silver for warrant officers, and yellow/gold braid for enlisted personnel.

Although it is not an official part of the standard daily uniform regulations, the Stetson is authorized for wear during formal military ceremonies, balls, veteran gatherings, and other unit tradition-based events.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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