Flying with personal items during night missions in Vietnam?

[stratasfan]

Hi, all! Hoping some Vietnam vets or pros might know the answer to this one. Been working hot and heavy on putting my Uncle's brother's story together. When they did a crash site search for the remains 13 years after they were shot down, one of the things that helped ID my Uncle's Bro was a piece of his wallet that had a bit of a card left in it with his name. It was either a flight card or a membership card from a club.

 

Question: Were you allowed to take personal, identifying items on night missions during Vietnam? I know in WWII that you were not. However, I don't know about Vietnam, so thought someone might be able to help me out!

[Patchcollector]

I'm no expert on this subject but I think that Aircrew members would have been allowed items with ID.I'm sure that there were exceptions,especially with some of the "over the fence" missions.

[patches]

Hi, all! Hoping some Vietnam vets or pros might know the answer to this one. Been working hot and heavy on putting my Uncle's brother's story together. When they did a crash site search for the remains 13 years after they were shot down, one of the things that helped ID my Uncle's Bro was a piece of his wallet that had a bit of a card left in it with his name. It was either a flight card or a membership card from a club.

 

Question: Were you allowed to take personal, identifying items on night missions during Vietnam? I know in WWII that you were not. However, I don't know about Vietnam, so thought someone might be able to help me out!

I would imagine the only thing they took was their wallet, whatever there might of been in it? photos ok right as that one common thing carried in a wallet, Armed Forces ID right, but perhaps personal stuff that might list a next of kin's name and address was prohibited?

 

Then there would be the Good Luck Charms I'm thinking whatever they might be, would have to be of course a thing or things that would not interfere with pilot vision, or control's, and if applicable, weapons system controls of aircraft.

[beezman]

Below are images of personal items photographed by the North Vietnamese after capture or body recovery of pilots shot down over their territory. Mostly military ID card, a few dollars, some lighters from previous assignments. Hope this helps.

 

 

[patches]

Wow Green Backs! And Loose Change!

 

[Charlie Flick]

Beezman:

 

Thanks for posting those North Vietnamese pics of captured US items.

 

The Saints lighter came from a Navy VA-163 aviator. That Attack Squadron did 4 SEA tours. The other one is from VA-76, another Attack Squadron that did at least two tours in SEA. I'd like to think that the aviators who owned them survived their ordeal and came home in one piece.

 

Regards,

Charlie

[stratasfan]

Boy, super! How interesting that they photographed items captured from airmen. Why would they?

 

Thanks for sharing. I have a lighter that looks tons like the second one from the bottom. It is very different from other lighters I've seen or have.

[Brig]

I don't think wallets were banned, and military IDs were probably encouraged to be kept on body as they are today, as they contain the information that a POW is allowed to tell their captor (name, rank, service number, and date of birth) as well as their Geneva Convention class/code.

 

It's the other personal items that are banned...the stuff that can lead them to your family. There is a disturbing video from Iraq of the personal effects of a Marine who was KIA and body was recovered by the enemy...the Marine didn't sanitize it before deploying, and the contents in it would have told the enemy who his loved ones were, their addresses, etc. I mean it was loaded...multiple IDs, credit cards, licenses...even a Blockbuster card. We sanitize for the sake of those it could affect if we're captured or killed.