Contents Cleaning & Restoration
Call (954) 979-9078

Lieutenant Raymond Clark had returned from the reconnaissance mission in his PBY turbo prop seaplane with news that the Japanese fleet was closer than they thought. They had expected to encounter enemy aircraft, but not necessarily this soon. The fighters had been scrambled from the aircraft carrier deck and now the skies above the fleet were filled with the strained whining of revved out engines punctuated with the staccato sounds of machine gun fire. The dog fight was fierce. Explosions and long fiery smoke trails could be seen from the ship’s deck like a gruesome midday fireworks display. Lieutenant Clark had to quickly refuel his aircraft and have his crew ready to head out and pick up any downed pilots. Their job was now to pluck pilots out of the Pacific Ocean who had been shot down. These pilots were typically wounded and had to be whisked out of harm’s way to receive the medical attention they needed so they could live to fight another day.The South Pacific was the hot spot for naval conflict in World War II and Lieutenant Clark was at the center of the action. Stationed on an aircraft carrier, he and his crew of the PBY had two main responsibilities: reconnaissance missions to discover enemy ship positions, and search and rescue for downed naval pilots. Lieutenant Clark was a Naval Aviator. He represented a proud and noble breed found in the US Navy who provided an essential service in the fight for freedom during the Second World War. Lieutenant Clark was a key contributor to the war effort and ultimately to victory in the Pacific. The attack on Pearl Harbor had forced the US into the war and Raymond was one of myriads who answered the call to fight for the cause of freedom. Raymond represented those men and woman who cared enough about freedom and justice to risk their lives for their country. To the men that Raymond and his crew had rescued from the Pacific he was indeed a hero. And, Raymond survived the war to become a hero to his family as well. A true American Hero.He went to college after the war, became a lawyer, married and had children, and eventually ended up as a Federal Court Judge. His family was always very proud of his service during the war. His son particularly loved hearing the stories of his death defying adventures. Sadly, Raymond passed away over ten years ago and now his worn leather flight jacket, filled with the memories of a hundred sorties, was a cherished heirloom for his adult son. The flight jacket was a testament to the courageous heritage Lieutenant Raymond Clark brought to his family.So, Raymond’s son was particularly distressed to learn that a fire had caused extensive damage to his home office where he kept the flight jacket. How on earth did this fire start? How much damage was there? Did the jacket get burned? He raced home hoping against hope that the jacket was not destroyed. Thankfully it had not been destroyed, but he discovered that the jacket had sustained extensive smoke and soot damage. Not only was the jacket a delicate, decades old heirloom of the Second World War, but it was now significantly damaged. The insurance adjuster did not believe that the jacket could be saved.However, the claim was given to a member of the Esporta Certified Operators of North America – the network of restoration contractors certified in the Esporta Wash System for restoring soft contents. The Esporta Certified Member had recently purchased an Esporta Wash System for soft contents. They had never tackled a project like this, but were confident that if it was at all possible to restore this jacket, the Esporta technology would do it. They had believed the claims that the Esporta could clean delicate items severely damaged with smoke and soot, but it was now time to put the claims to the test. The leather flight jacket was put through the appropriate washing cycle. Like Raymond’s war career, the results were stellar. The jacket was actually in better condition than before the fire.Lieutenant Raymond Clarke’s wartime legacy now lives on in his son’s home in a glass enclosed display case. The beloved leather flight jacket will be handed down through the generations as a valuable family heirloom – a testimony to their family’s true American hero.