During the Cold War the Army created Night Desert camouflage as a way to remain hidden from the, then, Soviet, night vision devices (NVD). With a grid system on the clothing, it was thought that the pattern would be undetected due to the way the NVD images appeared with grids on them.
During the Gulf War the camouflage was used, but unfortunately it did not work. The advancement in night vision technology made the camo obsolete and soldiers actually stood out more in the Night Camouflage than in standard desert camo. The military discontinued use of the Night Camouflage but the pattern became a popular in fashion and is still used in the clothing industry.
This parka is part of a collection of artifacts that was donated by Specialist Ronald Ivan Marvin Jr., who served in the 548th Engineer Detachment, 1st Infantry Division during the Persian Gulf War. Specialist Ronald Ivan Marvin Jr. served in the United States Army from November 22, 1988 to November 21, 1991. He was deployed for Desert Shield and Desert Storm with the 1st Infantry Division