mvmhm Posted February 2, 2013 Share #1 Posted February 2, 2013 This is on ebay at the moment...any thoughts?? I've never seen one live and up close before. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-US-Vietnam-War-Old-Guard-199th-INF-Tri-Corner-Jungle-Bush-Hat-w-Patches-IDd-/200885238940?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec5b17c9c Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted February 2, 2013 Share #2 Posted February 2, 2013 It's as real as can be. I have only handled a handful of these in my years of collecting and dealing in Vietnam items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted February 2, 2013 Share #3 Posted February 2, 2013 I believe there is a photo of one of these being worn in Vietnam in Shelby Stanton's book US Army Uniforms of the Vietnam War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted February 2, 2013 Share #4 Posted February 2, 2013 I agree its right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share #5 Posted February 2, 2013 It sold for $478...that's a pretty pricey Chapeau! Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeperz83 Posted February 2, 2013 Share #6 Posted February 2, 2013 It sold for $478...that's a pretty pricey Chapeau! Mark sends Yea this is a great hat. Tried for it but it went way up there in price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted February 2, 2013 Share #7 Posted February 2, 2013 Very cool hat.I have only seen the one in Stanton's book.Was the 'Old Guard' 3rd IR the only unit to wear that type of hat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted February 2, 2013 Share #8 Posted February 2, 2013 Its a common cowboy hat re shaped back then ........ great to see this rare configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted February 2, 2013 Share #9 Posted February 2, 2013 Thats a great hat. I watched the auction last night and thought it looked good but I certainly would have not guessed the final price. The cost of the pieces seperately would be lucky to make $100. This is one instance where stripping the patches off thinking you would get more for them would have bit someone in the a--. Being named and if all that matches up , it is one rare Cowboy. Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atb Posted February 2, 2013 Share #10 Posted February 2, 2013 Why would anyone even think to strip it? Those were specially modified for the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry (TOG), 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Note the snaps installed fo make the tricorn shape. Worn for a relatively short time in RVN, they were one battalion commander's idea to enhance the unit's spirit and connection to the 1st Battalion of the regiment back at Ft. Myer/Ft. McNair. It also emulates the DUI of the 3rd Infantry, a device resembling the the front view of a Revolutionary War military tricornered hat. They even had a soldier dressed in a bad Revolutionary War costume with a wig for ceremonies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 2, 2013 Share #11 Posted February 2, 2013 Why would anyone even think to strip it? Those were specially modified for the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry (TOG), 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Note the snaps installed fo make the tricorn shape. Worn for a relatively short time in RVN, they were one battalion commander's idea to enhance the unit's spirit and connection to the 1st Battalion of the regiment back at Ft. Myer/Ft. McNair. It also emulates the DUI of the 3rd Infantry, a device resembling the the front view of a Revolutionary War military tricornered hat. They even had a soldier dressed in a bad Revolutionary War costume with a wig for ceremonies. atb. Do you know the year it was worn and for just how long? I was under the impression it was something that once it was introduced it was worn for the whole time the 2/3 Inf was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted February 2, 2013 Share #12 Posted February 2, 2013 Why would anyone even think to strip it? What I was saying was an analogy. Had this not been sold by someone who sells militaria , who knows its outcome. Had it been picked up at an auction or rummage sale by someone who does not know military who knows . The normal cowboys are not big sellers. Thank goodness it survived and was sold intact. I have collected vietnam militaria off and on for almost 50 years and not have seen one. Regards, Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
439th Signal Battalion Posted February 3, 2013 Share #13 Posted February 3, 2013 Friends, This piece of headgear was universally hated by most of the Redcatchers that were ordered to wear them. As ATB already stated, it was the grand idea of the 2-3rd Infantry Battalion commander during 1967 for the battalion to wear them as a reminder of the Old Guard's esprit-de-corps. Go figure. (When the battalion commander, LTC William R. Healy and LTC Douglas Poague finished their tenure, the practice of the tricorns went with them and were no longer seen in the unit). From a collector's view, this is a rare and very limited item as is seen by the final price from the ebay auction. Most of these were worn in the rear areas; however, I have a couple of pictures of them being worn out in the field. After hard use, these hats would fade, lose their shape, get dirty, etc. and look nothing like the one just sold on ebay. These "Tropical Tricorns" were just a regular "Cowboy" hat from a vendor in Saigon who pinned up the edges and then affixed the 199th SSI and Old Guard tab to them. I have seen several of these and there is no standard look (remember, these were an uncommon item that were issued to an entire infantry battalion) so the the colors on some may be darker than others, thickness, style... Here are a few images of the hat being worn. I have more somewhere but have to find them. Notice on the color image, there is no Old Guard tab on the right side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted February 3, 2013 Share #14 Posted February 3, 2013 Thank you for sharing.You have some really nice photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bastien Posted February 3, 2013 Share #15 Posted February 3, 2013 Yes it is a really desirable item. I like very much the photos in Stanton's book. Otherwise it is true that it is rare to find pictures of them being worn out in the field, in here is some: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bastien Posted February 3, 2013 Share #16 Posted February 3, 2013 Three more : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted February 3, 2013 Share #17 Posted February 3, 2013 439th SB, Thank you very much for posting those great pictures. The first and second picture shows some other rare headgear besides the tri-corn cowboy. The close up one of the tri-corns is just great. Bastien, Those are some great pictures also. I wish they were bigger as my eyes are not as good as they used to be . This is a great topic . I hope the repros don't start showing up on e-bay. Thanks again, Mitch I see I posted this before Bastien's second group. those are equally as good and I really like the top view of the on hanging in front of the one soldier. It really shows the shape well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bastien Posted February 3, 2013 Share #18 Posted February 3, 2013 Yes, I put some time to find this photo on my computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32sbct Posted February 3, 2013 Share #19 Posted February 3, 2013 Thanks to those who posted those amazing pictures. I collect all eras of U.S. Army uniforms and the sheer variety of what was worn in Vietnam never ceases to amaze me. I think there is more variety in the period than in any other. Naturally the length of time the war lasted meant multiple new items as the uniforms evolved. Plus the fact that there was easy access to sew shops combined with big Army looking the other way when it came to wearing non standard items makes this for me the most interesting era for collecting. Sadly the proliferation of high quality fakes also makes it one of the most difficult not to get burnt by a fake. I'm glad I put most of my Vietnam collection together decades ago when there were few fakes on the market. I still remember a big cardboard box full of tiger stripes being sold for a few dollars each...and I passed on them not knowing what they were at the time. I'm sure we all have a story like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
439th Signal Battalion Posted February 3, 2013 Share #20 Posted February 3, 2013 Friends, Let me add a similar piece of headgear to the mix. I have had this for many years in my collection and know it to be legit. This is the same (or similar) style/type of hat as the Tropical Tricorn currently under discussion, just in a different variation. The Redcatcher that owned this one served from 67-68 and was an advisor with the 5th ARVN Ranger Battalion. All of the insignia are "beer can" insignia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted February 3, 2013 Share #21 Posted February 3, 2013 I knew they were cowboys converted !! Also there is a great tigerstripe helmet cover being used by the ARVN . owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine0311 Posted February 3, 2013 Share #22 Posted February 3, 2013 That looks better than the last 5 covers the army was forced to wear. I'm all for tradition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atb Posted February 4, 2013 Share #23 Posted February 4, 2013 LTC Healy's jungle tricorn is in the collection of The Old Guard Musem (the museum is temporarily closed). The history recounted in the earlier post is essentially the same as that which accompanied the hat to the museum in 1972. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted June 3, 2015 Share #24 Posted June 3, 2015 The center photo posted by bastien in post #16 is one of General Dwight Beach commander of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) during a visit to the RVN the date givin is July 1967. Here's another photo of him, the tricorn no doubt a special presentation to the General to honor his visit to the 2nd Bn 3rd Inf. Not sure who the BG is, maybe he's a GS officer and what looks like a BG star is this, maybe 439th will know who he is.. PS: 439th can you repost those photobuckets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
439th Signal Battalion Posted June 5, 2015 Share #25 Posted June 5, 2015 PS: 439th can you repost those photobuckets? Patches, I think that these are the images you are referring to that I posted before. These were all taken in 1967 and are of personnel with the Brigade's attached scout dog platoon working with the 2-3rd Infantry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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