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Vietnam Hippie ERDL custom camouflage Nehru jacket


Pluto
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I have a soft spot for these sort of things - someone having a go at psychedelic fashion, clearly with a sartorial nod towards the Strawberry Alarm Clock..

Construction is primitive, buttonholes hand-stitched, poppers under flaps....I guess 'Hippie' was his nickname..

Found in an NY vintage store a couple of weeks ago - just wanted to share -

I enjoyed the long post on Mitchell helmet cover graffiti - Does anyone else have any weird VN in-country hippie/protest military clothing to post ?

post-4733-1341257355.jpg

post-4733-1341257356.jpg

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What is it? A re-tailored poncho liner? :think:

 

 

Yes

 

Much like thw camo tour jackets these were made from poncho liners.

 

I had a similiar one that came from a UDT/SEAL vet and it had matching bell bottom trousers.

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Several of my Recon buddies had jackets like this made while I was in Nam. The local Vietnamese tailor on the combat base made them for the guys out of their poncho liner. They embroidered anything on them that you wanted.

 

They actually had some utility as field gear. As the winter season rolled around it would get rather chilly in the higher elevations. You couldn't really "wear" a poncho liner while walking on a patrol while a jacket like this could be. Some of the guys used in lieu of the forest green woolen (Korean War vintage) field shirts that started showing up in our supply system in the fall of 67 and they weren't scratchy like the wool shirt.

 

All we had for sleeping geear was the outer poplin sleeping bag cover and several of our guys carried jackets like these in their rucksacks to sleep in. They were also sometimes worn on the combat base on winter evenings (mostly when the 1st Sgt was not around).

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  • 6 years later...

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