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Vietnam helmet and liner marked with red square patch


vette
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Just came in today. What do you think? The liner, shell, and cover have the red square on front and back. There is a name inside. These look like a matched set and where they had come from I have no doubt. It looks like it had a band at one time. Please all opinions welcome. Billpost-8222-0-91245500-1389738141.jpg

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Nice helmet! The red square means shore party. I have one like it but the red is painted on the shell, mine also has a paratrooper liner like yours.

 

 

Also don't try to take off the cover it looks like it has been there awhile.

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Shore party on a VN camo cover? I presumed that only pertained to WW2 lids. Interesting helmet to say the least!

 

No it was continued postwar.

 

RC

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This one has the red squares inside and out on the cover. Front and and back on liner and shell. I was surprised when I had pulled out the liner to see the red patches on all pieces. Hard to find un-messed with sets from the war.

post-8222-0-05575600-1389750462.jpg

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This was for Marines assigned to work on the beach during landings. It started because some beach party members wanted to get into the fight and head inland and some over-zealous officers wanted to send them inland. The red patch let everyone know that guy had to stay ln the beach.

 

Here's another of the many forum posts about these patches:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17839&hl=usmc+shore+party

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As a marine helmet it would likely have had an inner-tube type band, which maybe perished, as old rubber sometimes does, hence its absence from your helmet?

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LOts of good information on this. I didn't know they used a square insignia for the beach party shore party in WW2 and Nam? I also would like to see some photos showing these in use. Could a fixed bail helmet with a red stripe going around it be a shore beach party pot?

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  • 4 years later...

Google says:

USMC Uniform Regulations, Chapter 7

Organizational Clothing and Equipment

 

7016 SHORE PARTY DESIGNATION

LANDING SUPPORT BATTALION MARINES ARE AUTHORIZED TO WEAR RED PATCHES ON
THE UTILITY UNIFORM. THE PATCH WILL BE MADE OF RED MATERIAL WHICH IS
AVAILABLE THROUGH THE MARINE CORPS SUPPLY SYSTEM, SEWN ON WITH RED THREAD,
AND WILL BE OF A TEMPORARY NATURE SO THAT IT MAY BE REMOVED WITHOUT ADVERSE
AFFECT TO THE UNIFORM.

2. PATCHES WILL BE WORN AS FOLLOWS:
A. A 1-INCH BY 3-INCH RED PATCH WILL BE WORN ON THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF EACH
UTILITY TROUSER LEG. IT WILL BE CENTERED ON THE SEAM, POSITIONED 2-1/2
INCHES BELOW THE LARGE SIDE POCKETS WITH THE THREE-INCH EDGE PARALLEL TO THE
BOTTOM SIDE OF THE POCKET.
B. A 1-INCH SQUARE RED PATCH WILL BE WORN ON THE UTILITY CAP, ABOVE THE
VISOR, CENTERED ON THE SWEATBAND.
C. A 1-INCH SQUARE RED PATCH WILL BE WORN CENTERED, APPROXIMATELY 1 INCH
ABOVE THE FRONT HELMET COVER SEAM, WITH THE EMBLEM DECAL PLACED DIRECTLY
ABOVE THE PATCH. THE PATCH WILL ALSO BE WORN CENTERED, TWO INCHES FROM THE
BOTTOM, ON THE BACK OF THE HELMET COVER.

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