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Early Vietnam photo album


walt323
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I picked up a photo album this week that looks to be from an early MAAG group. This isn't my normal area of collecting so if anyone notices anything interesting let me know. Thanks, I will put some more up later.

 

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I picked up a photo album this week that looks to be from an early MAAG group. This isn't my normal area of collecting so if anyone notices anything interesting let me know. Thanks, I will put some more up later.

 

post-3685-1256603204.jpg

post-3685-1256603222.jpg

Believe it or not, the dead giveaway for dating these pictures are the khaki uniforms worn by the American advisors (MAAG-V era). The short-sleeve shirts, short pants, and knee socks were "in style" from 1956 until early or mid-1960s (standard issue to enlisted men until at least 1962). Your dating might be fine-tuned a bit by the belts worn, which all appear to be khaki color. Black belts were phased in during this same period along with the Army Green uniform and the transition was officially complete in September 1961. As we see no black belts worn by the Americans, it is probably safe to suppose these pictures date from about 1956 to 1961. You can see a picture of this uniform in Emerson's Encyclopedia (p. 489).

 

Are there no captions or other clues in this album?

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post-3685-1256603580.jpgpost-3685-1256603658.jpg

 

Another date clue is the LST. The following is found at http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160117.htm

 

LST-1 Class Tank Landing Ship:

Laid down, 28 April 1943, at Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, IN.

Launched, 10 July 1943

Commissioned USS LST-117, 27 August 1943

During World War II USS LST-117 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater LST Flotilla Five (Capt. G.B. Carter, USN), Group Fifteen (Cdr. V. K. Busck, USN) and participated in the:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates

Marianas operation

Capture and occupation of Guam, July 1944 Leyte operation

Leyte landings, October 1944

 

 

USS LST-117 was redesignated Landing Ship Tank (Hospital) LST(H)-117, 15 September 1945

LST(H)-117 performed occupation duty in the Far East until mid-February 1946

Decommissioned, 16 February 1946 and laid up in the reserve fleet

Reverted to LST-117, 6 March 1952

Withdrawn from reserve and placed in service by the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS T-LST-117, 31 March 1952

Placed out of service by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) (date unknown)

Struck from the Naval Register, 10 June 1973

Transferred to the Republic of Singapore in 1973

Final Disposition, fate unknown

USS LST-117 earned two battle stars for World War II service

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Are there no captions or other clues in this album?

 

I'm still going thru the album. There is only one photo I have found so far with anything marked on it. I will post some more later, Thanks for the input.

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here is one of the only photos with a description on the back. It reads L to R Lt. Sabel, Capt. MacDonald, Maj. Tarpley, Maj. Delprete, Lt. Leigh.

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These pictures were all taken near Lê Lợi circle in central Saigon.

 

The first building was the Presidential Palace. The adornment near the top of the center spire is a portrait of Ngô Đình Diệm, first President of the Republic of Vietnam, 1955 - 1963.

 

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The following picture looks like a view down Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard with the locally world famous (and/or infamous) Rex Hotel on the right. The building in the bottom picture appears to be across Nguyễn Huệ boulevard from the Rex.

 

post-1963-1256797366.jpg

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello Walt,

 

just noticed this after a short trawl through the forum. This album is quite magnificent.

 

The images of the South Vietnamese troops are just superb, a wonderful historical record.

Congratulations on the find, it would grace most collections.

 

Can you make out the beret device worn in post #2?

 

 

 

 

 

Patrick.

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post-1963-1258310728.jpg

The officer (a Lt. Col. or Major) standing at the center of the first row appears to be the same man as the American officer in post #1. Evidently taken somewhat later than post #1 (note that the visible belts are black with shined brass buckles and the two visible enlisted men are wearing new pattern chevrons) but still looking good for very late 1950s to early 1960s. The PFC (second row, far right) is wearing a should patch. Can you rescan and enlarge that man?

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