Stars, Stripes, and Paracord
The history and expansion of paracord in the USA
U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.
Go anywhere in America, start that chant, and I can almost guarantee the room
will erupt into a thunderous roar of national pride. OK, don’t try that in a
movie theater or at a silent auction, but you catch my drift. Say what you will
about Americans and the shortcomings of the United States, but one thing we
have in surplus is pride in our country. The Home of the Brave and Land of the
Free also deserve a lot of credit for the discovery and expansion of paracord.
As the 4th of July approaches, I want to dedicate this blog post to
the unique relationship between my beloved country and paracord.
The History
Image from WW2 in Color
To trace the lineage of paracord, we have to journey to the
battlefields in World War II. The United States Military introduced a new form
of cord—“paracord,” as it would be later known—to be used as the suspension
lines for their parachuting expeditions. Once paratroopers were in the field,
they began to develop new uses for this paracord. The slender,
strength-resistant rope fulfilled many functions including attaching equipment
to harnesses, tying rucksacks to vehicle racks, securing camouflage nets to
trees and vehicles, and being used as a pace counter to estimate ground
coverage. Outside of the initial uses discovered by the military, paracord’s
versatility continued to expand domestically. In 1997, during one of the early
shuttle missions (STS-82), NASA astronauts accessed the highly useful cord to
repair damaged insulation on the Hubble Space Telescope. It could be said that
over the seventy years since its inception, paracord has subtly shaped American
history.
USA-Themed Paracord Projects
The popularity of the red, white, and blue combination amongst bracelets is indicative of how prideful paracord crafters from the States truly are. We love our country, so why shouldn't our crafts indicate that?! Displayed below are some of my personal favorite USA-themed paracord products. How sweet are these?!
Image from Etsy
Image from Survival Straps
Image from The Hansens
Image from Unique Rope Craft
The "Made in the U.S.A." Promise
To be honest, before interning with Paracord Planet, I didn't realize the intangible added-value of a domestically-made product. Paracord Planet is a true American company. We hire employees right here in Fargo, choose domestic suppliers to responsibly source from, and pride ourselves in helping the U.S. economy continue to climb upwards. Not only that, but parachute cord was originally created by Americans. We can manufacture the best paracord, because we invented it. Every package you receive from Paracord Planet displays the "Made in the U.S.A." emblem to serve as a reminder to our customers that they are helping their country with every purchase they make. Stars, stripes, and paracord: that's my America.
Have an awesome Independence Day!! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us to your Google+ circle, and check out our Pinterest. Also, add us on Snapchat at "ParacordPlanet." We are giving out free paracord ALL THE TIME on all five social media venues!! Don't miss your opportunity to win all you can!
Written by: Jack Yakowicz, Paracord Planet Intern
Contact at jacksony@imsetc.com
For more of Jack's work, view his full blog.
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