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Vietnam War Ranger Uniforms


jason_w
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Hello,

 

I recently picked these up from the Vet and I am finally getting around to posting a couple of photos. The Vietnamese Ranger Pattern uniform has a Thai name tape. He did this just because he thought it looked cool. I covered half of it up for the Vet's privacy (for all those who can read Thai). The second jacket is a Vietnamese made tigerstripe, it never had a name tape. He was only with the unit for about 6 months before getting shot and sent home.

 

Anybody else have any H Company items? Please post photos if you do.

 

Regards,

Jason

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I had a H Company grouping that I sold many years ago (and now I am trying to find again). The uniform was the ERDL pattern and it included the beret, AF survival knife, 1st Cav Division newspaper that had an article which featured the company and a few other items. I just found some slides that I took of the group and will post those as soon as I can get them scanned in.

 

 

Thanks for posting this, it is a good looking uniform!

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Guest badash5946

I've got some uniforms from an H Company vet, a LT, but I think most if not all are immediate postwar. I'm new to this forum so I'll have to dig them out, take photos, and figure out how to post the photos. I know I have his dress blues with all medals and badges, I think his greens, and several sets of BDU's and tigers. I'm not a US uniform collector so I don't know much about them.

Anyway, GREAT banner too!

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  • 1 month later...

Hello,

 

I just picked this up from the same Vet. He mentioned that these were often placed on the enemy dead or were given out to Helicopter crews who flew them around.

 

Reagrds,

Jason

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If you are still in contact with the Vet, please ask him why he had his name in Thai on his name tape.

 

Usually when you see the name translated, it is because the soldier is serving in that country. Unless I am mistaken, the 1st Cav did not have units assigned to Thailand.

 

More commonly you see Thai on USAF and US Special Forces uniforms. But it surprises me to see it on a uniform that appears to be intended for wear in Vietnam.

 

Of course, if his unit was in proximity to units of the Thai Army that were serving in Vietnam, that would make perfect sense.

 

If nothing else, I can believe he may have had them made because it looked neat. But I just wondered if there was a more specific reason.

 

Thanks!

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Hello,

 

I did ask him about the Thai name tape. I have to check my notes but I believe there were Thai troops at Bearcat near Long Binh. They had a Thai tailor there and he put the name tags on just because they looked neat. He referred to this shirt as his "go to the PX shirt". I have another shirt that originally had a Thai tape that he removed and then hand sewed on a regular name tape. I guess one of his NCO's didn't think it was so neat.

 

Regards,

Jason

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Hello,

 

I did ask him about the Thai name tape. I have to check my notes but I believe there were Thai troops at Bearcat near Long Binh. They had a Thai tailor there and he put the name tags on just because they looked neat. He referred to this shirt as his "go to the PX shirt". I have another shirt that originally had a Thai tape that he removed and then hand sewed on a regular name tape. I guess one of his NCO's didn't think it was so neat.

 

Regards,

Jason

 

"He put the name tags on just because the looked neat....". Yep, very believable! I am sure a lot of the stuff we see from the Vietnam period could be explained for the exact same reasons! Thanks for the reply! I would have been wondering about this for years.

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Jason......Can you ask the vet where his home was during his tour 70/71? I am curious for you are correct that the Thais had a base camp named Bearcat and it was in the 1st Cav area of operation at this time. The Thai name tap has me confused. The uniforms are for sure "going to town/PX" type for they have all the insignia sewn on them. I would like to know why he had his name in Thai on his name tape.....it has to be more than he thought it was neat. It just that one did not want to stick out of the crowd with different type of name tapes for as you stated his NCO was not amused. Just curious.

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  • 3 years later...
snake36bravo
Jason......Can you ask the vet where his home was during his tour 70/71? I am curious for you are correct that the Thais had a base camp named Bearcat and it was in the 1st Cav area of operation at this time. The Thai name tap has me confused. The uniforms are for sure "going to town/PX" type for they have all the insignia sewn on them. I would like to know why he had his name in Thai on his name tape.....it has to be more than he thought it was neat. It just that one did not want to stick out of the crowd with different type of name tapes for as you stated his NCO was not amused. Just curious.

 

They had a Thai tailor...nothing more, nothing less as was stated. Not rocket science just the 'Hollywood' in every grunt to rise above it all with something that says, dont f& with me.

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