There’s a letter about a pilot who had to eject from a plane during World War II in Germany because his engine was shot. There are similar tales from those who served in the Korean War. There even was one from U.S. territory, the result of a training incident in Texas.
The stories have three things in common:
- The pilots were saved because of a parachute made at the Switlik Survival Products factory on East State Street;
- The stories are captured in the coolest museum that few in New Jersey know about;
- The letters are part of a permanent project at Switlik called the Caterpillar Club, which has a record of every time a Switlik product has saved a life.
The Caterpillar Club is for anyone who used a Switlik Parachute in the line of duty. After filling out a short application — and getting a letter from the Department of Defense confirming deployment of a parachute — service members (or their families) receive a pin and certification.
The Caterpillar Club has been a feature of Switlik almost since the day the company was founded during WWII.
It currently is run by Marketing Coordinator Karla Baez.
“It’s my personal project,” she said.
And it’s only one feature of a museum (which is not open to the public) that include Navy bomber jackets, model airplanes, pictures of historical figures and, of course, old parachutes.
But it’s the thousands of letters kept in filing cabinets that spark the most amazement.
Many of the requests are from children and grandchildren of WWII veterans that want to know more about their loved ones’ service. It was those requests that sparked Baez’s idea to get these applications on public display.
“Who knows, maybe your grandpa or great-grandpa fought in the war and his application is sitting here in the factory,” she said.
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Switlik itself is far from a relic of history.
The company employs 170 people and continually upgrades its products for the modern era.
In fact, it recently won the “Coolest Thing Made in NJ” competition from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association for their CSU B/P Anti-G Suit.
The anti-gravity suit is used by US Fighter Pilots to maintain consciousness during extreme G-Force situations.
The company manufactures safety and survival products for the aviation, marine and military markets, such as dry suits (not to be confused with wet suits) for the U.S. Coast Guard, life preservers for airlines and life rafts for both civilian and commercial use.
The Anti-G Suit is like something out of a movie, HR Manager Vanessa Cruz said.
“If you’ve ever seen the movie Top Gun, you have probably seen how antigravity suits work,” she said. “When pilots go up and G-forces push blood downward. Our suits apply mechanical compression to the lower body to allow those pilots to get that height in the air.”
Cruz said getting recognition for the award, presented before an overflow crowd at a recent State of the State of Manufacturing event in Trenton, was special.
“This means everything to us,” she said. “It’s another great recognition of how Trenton makes and the world takes. Manufacturing is still alive and pumping here in New Jersey.”
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You can’t fully explain Switlik’s history without learning about its history.
Originally a leather goods factory, Stanley Switlik started making Golf Bags and Pork Roll casing in 1920. By the 1930s, the factory was making parachutes and quickly became the largest parachute manufacturer in the country.
In 1934, the company got its first brush with history.
On land owned by Switlik in Jackson — where Six Flags Great Adventure now sits — Amelia Earhart jumped from a 115-foot tower using one of Switlik’s early parachutes.
A few years later, during World War II, Switlik increased its production to help the effort.
Richard Switlik, Stanley’s son, designed and manufactured 5,000 dummy paratroopers — complete with parachutes and explosive devices — for the Navy. The dummy paratroopers were deployed on D-Day to distract German troops from the real landing sites.
For their service, Switlik received five Army-Navy “E” Awards for Excellence in Production.
But D-Day was not the only big moment Switlik had during WWII.
When George H.W. Bush was shot down over the Pacific, he deployed a Switlik Parachute to save his life.
Everyone knows he went on to become the 41st President of the U.S. Few realize he’s also a member of the Caterpillar Club.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Caterpillar Club, please reach out to Karla Baez [email protected]
