Trench art mugs

[Bill in VA]

I was browsing some of my photos after replying to another thread in this forum and rediscovered a few photos of some of my collection that someone might find interesting. These are mugs (commemorative?) that date to the Vietnam War era. I'm not really sure what the purpose of these were, but they're kind of neat regardless. They are USAF, hand-made in Thailand. Two were made at (or for airmen stationed at) Korat RTAFB, and one from Nakhon Phanom RTAFB (aka "Naked Fanny...the End of the World.")

 

 

The first cup is brass, coated with a silver-colored metal. The inscription reads: MSGT LORRAINE D JONES / DET16 10TH WEATHER SQ / #10 CHIEF OBSERVER / PORT ROUNDEYE / KORAT RTAFB THAILAND / JUNE 1972 DECEMBER

 

 

 

The next one is interesting because it has a cap. The inscription on this one reads: DENNIS A. WELSH / KORAT RTAFB, THAILAND / 1974

 

 

 

 

The third and final one has a bit of sentiment to it. It's inscription reads: 56TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS WING / 1969 / NAKHON PHANOM RTAFB / OOM

 

The sentiment comes from a very close family friend who flew with the 56th ACW/SOW out of Nakhon Phanom, Capt. Lee D. "Duff" Harley. Duff was a Cricket FAC; he flew an O1. He was shot down May 18, 1966 over the Ban Loboy Ford in Laos. Duff is still MIA. Granted, this mug dates to a few years after Duff's loss, but it's from his base and his air wing.

During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force used a lot Royal Thai Air Force Baes to conduct a secret air war (early in the war) as well as a place to stage their bombing raids over North Vietnam. Korat housed several fighter wings armed with F-4 Phantoms, F-105 Thunderchiefs and "Wild Weasels", assorted airborne surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft (ex. Constellations), C-130 cargo, and KC-135 Stratotankers, and a wide variety of SAR aircraft.

Nakhon Phanom was a smaller air base, housing the O1 "Bird Dogs" (and later O-2 and OV-10 Broncos) as part of the operations against an area of northern Laos code-named "Steel Tiger." The Steel Tiger missions were intended to intercept NVA supply as it moved along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in then-neutral Laos. (Remember, the US wasn't supposed to be conducting operations in Laos and Cambodia since they were technically "neutral."