hochiminhtrail Posted October 13, 2007 Share #1 Posted October 13, 2007 Hy everybody just wanted to know the originality of this patch? Thanks Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 13, 2007 Author Share #2 Posted October 13, 2007 back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 13, 2007 Share #3 Posted October 13, 2007 Alex- It is a recently made patch and I think it's "original", but is something recently produced related to the U.S. Embassy currently in Laos. I don't believe it's a fake of a patch originally produced in the early 1960's (when CIA operations were in full swing there). Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 13, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted October 13, 2007 but on what sort of shirt would you wear this ? or is this just an itern patch just for rembering service with the USAID? Did USAid wore uniforms during their stay in South east asia in the 60 s or now ? I m not aware of that but who knows??? Thanks Kurt for your Info Alex Alex-It is a recently made patch and I think it's "original", but is something recently produced related to the U.S. Embassy currently in Laos. I don't believe it's a fake of a patch originally produced in the early 1960's (when CIA operations were in full swing there). Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 13, 2007 Share #5 Posted October 13, 2007 Alex- I'm totally guessing on all of this, but I don't believe this would be worn by any members of the U.S. military. I would theorize it was passed out as a memento of service. The only Laos related patch I'm familiar with is the MAAG Laos patch from the early 60's that was worn by the CIA paramilitary guys. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 13, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted October 13, 2007 well i have one Maag Laos were i m not sure if it s a good one Alex-I'm totally guessing on all of this, but I don't believe this would be worn by any members of the U.S. military. I would theorize it was passed out as a memento of service. The only Laos related patch I'm familiar with is the MAAG Laos patch from the early 60's that was worn by the CIA paramilitary guys. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 13, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted October 13, 2007 the cloth does not look like any other normal subdued US patch that i know maybe you guys can tell if it s OK or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 13, 2007 Author Share #8 Posted October 13, 2007 it look a little bit strange from the back? the cloth does not look like any other normal subdued US patch that i know maybe you guys can tell if it s OK or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted October 13, 2007 Share #9 Posted October 13, 2007 The MAAG Laos patch shown above is definately a fake. It was made in Northern California in the early to mid-1980's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 13, 2007 Share #10 Posted October 13, 2007 Here's a 100% original. I acquired it from a friend of my parents who was a CIA case officer in the early 1960's. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 13, 2007 Share #11 Posted October 13, 2007 Here's some of the other items he gave me. The flag is for a staff car. The larger wings are Thai Border Patrol (as I recall). I can't remember what the other silver badge is. Anybody know? In the photo, the wings on his bush hat are Iranian Airborne Wings (he was an instructor in Iran during the 1950's). He was an interesting guy. Graduated from the USMA in 1950. Went to Korea (re: the miniature medal bar). Was an early member of Special Forces in the 50's. Resigned from the Army as a captain and went into the CIA. He became very disillusioned with what was going on in Vietnam and gave it all up in the mid 60's. Alex- I just noticed the caption under his photo - "In Laos, in 1962, with AID." I'm now thinking "AID" was something from the early 60's and your patch is a repro of something possibly produced back then. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 13, 2007 Share #12 Posted October 13, 2007 Close-up of his wings. The Master Para are a really nice older clutchback set marked "sterling." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezman Posted October 19, 2007 Share #13 Posted October 19, 2007 The US Agency for International Development is still active in Laos: http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/cbj2002/ane/la/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezman Posted October 19, 2007 Share #14 Posted October 19, 2007 And here is a pocket hanger from the DAO in Vientiane, which came from the estate of " a US gvt employee who disappeared in South America in the 1980s". The story came free of charge anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted October 19, 2007 Share #15 Posted October 19, 2007 The US Agency for International Development is still active in Laos: http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/cbj2002/ane/la/ Great info. So that would confirm the original subject of this thread is an "original" newer patch. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M60 Driver Posted October 20, 2007 Share #16 Posted October 20, 2007 The US Agency for International Development is still active in Laos: http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/cbj2002/ane/la/ Back in the 1960s USAID in Laos was part of the "secret" unconventional war that combined both military, civilian affairs, and propaganda. The best known actor in the Laos working for USAID was "Doc" Weldon who wrote a book Tragedy in Paradise. On the military side you had crazy characters like Tony Poe. One of the better books on the subject is Roger Warner's Back Fire which focuses on Bill Lair. USAID still does plenty of legitimate development work around the world and still, at times, serves as a convenient cover for intelligence agents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 20, 2007 Author Share #17 Posted October 20, 2007 well if this Badge which came from the guy who disappeard in the 80s, so when was he in laos??? this could well have been war time or not???? just wanted to be sure, so i can dump it in the repro section. my MaagLaos patch looks totaly bad i agree with that. Cheers Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezman Posted October 20, 2007 Share #18 Posted October 20, 2007 Alex, I think your USAID patch is an original one, but probably made between the 1980s and now (although I do not know when the US resumed diplomatic ties with Laos; maybe during the Clinton years?) I think my DAO pocket hanger patch may be an original wartime example, but it might as well be more recent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hochiminhtrail Posted October 20, 2007 Author Share #19 Posted October 20, 2007 well i have seen the US embassy in Laos in 1999, so ties are there. But regarding your patch the eventuality that your s have been there is much higher then mine. See text below. full diplomatic realation were rstored in 1992. U.S. - Lao Relations 2007 The United States opened a legation in Laos in 1950. Although diplomatic relations were never severed, U.S.-Lao relations deteriorated during in the post-Indochina War period after 1975. The relationship remained cool until 1982 when efforts at improvement began. Full diplomatic relations were restored in 1992 with a return to ambassadorial-level representation. Accounting for Americans missing in Laos from the Vietnam War has been a special focus of our bilateral relationship. Since the late 1980s, joint U.S. and Lao teams have conducted a series of excavations and investigations of sites related to cases of Americans missing in Laos. Cheers Alex I think your USAID patch is an original one, but probably made between the 1980s and now (although I do not know when the US resumed diplomatic ties with Laos; maybe during the Clinton years?) I think my DAO pocket hanger patch may be an original wartime example, but it might as well be more recent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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