Military Lighters - All eras all brands

[Cobra 6 Actual]

“Maintenance Always”, yokota57 … gotta keep those trains running! Cool one. As you know, Korea-era lighters are sort of rare, so that is extra cool.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

A Vulcan lighter:

 

 

[yokota57]

2 hours ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

A Vulcan lighter:

 

 

US Army 7th Supply & Transport Battalion (Inactivated 2 Apr 1971 in Korea).  #1 !!!

[mtnman]

Wow! What a unique find Cobra!

I really appreciate how the faded paint gives it the  look commensurate with a lighter from that time... 

 

On 4/23/2023 at 7:44 PM, Cobra 6 Actual said:

A Vulcan lighter:

 

 

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Thanks, mtnman. And, for the curious, here is what the insides of a Zippo look like:

 

 

This cutaway shows a portion of the 22 parts used to make a Zippo lighter.

[mtnman]

This is not Zippo but, it is awesome that I was able to find a lighter from this unit! The first helicopter unit that the Marines mustered was MAG-16 and it was in 1952. 

Marine Air Group -16. MAG- 16 was the first helicopter unit commanded by a Marine officer  Before that helicopter units were all linked to the Air Force commanding general as special units. 

 

MAG- 16 was the first helicopter unit active in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, to protect the Marines being sent into guard the air bases initially as they participated in Rolling Thunder. In 1966 there was an operation in August called Operation Prairie which was focused on pushing the Viet Cong and NVA out of the DMZ. There had been a shorter operation before this but Operation Prairie was set up to be a protracted effort to get some staying power over 6 months. To support this operation, MAG- 16 was moved as a forward operating unit (FWD) to Dong-Ha Air Base out of which they would fly UH-1E (Huey) gunship and UH-34 used in medevac, transport, assault in support (see pics of both below) of the third Marine battalion who took the brunt of Operation Prairie. 

 

MAG-16 arriving in time meant men living versus men dying. The support MAG-16 gave The third Marine battalion as they hit the Viet Cong and the NVA in the demilitarized zone revealed the invaluable utility of the helicopter regarding protecting our men, moving the wounded out of danger and to immediate medical help and destroying the enemy. Dong-ha was right below the demilitarized zone as you will see on the map, which was tactically and strategically essential to their mission. Mag 16 did their job flawlessly, of bringing hell down upon the enemy while tactically maneuvering the Marines to advantage and getting those who were wounded, from the field with expedience. In Vietnam, the NVA and Viet Cong was intent on attrition as a means of moving the public in the United States of America to fight the war for the NVA against our troops. They knew they could cause the American public, most of who by this time, by design, used the media as their foundational "Bible of morality and truth",  to demoralize American troops. As communists, they knew the vast power of media to turn a people even grounded in biblical truth as America once was, into a people easily moved in any direction desired, by the media. The NVA and Viet Cong went for numbers of kills so that the media, also influenced by communism (which is simply One of the brand names of humanism, worship of the godless man or men, who has the most worldly power, as a god) would foment a war against the returning troops, as the propaganda machines of the media fought for the Communists here, as they do today. 

 

One of the coolest aspects of this lighter is the fact that it includes an allusion to Duffey's Tavern That was set up by the Marines right there at the forward operating base at Dong-Ha. I have another lighter I will be displaying after this one that alludes to Tundra Tavern at a different Marine base to be disclosed. It seems the Marines, wherever they were able, created taverns indicative of the old pub atmosphere where the people in common cause and community would meet each day and discuss their lives and revisit the life and death episodes they had with those men who understood completely. They shared about the roles each carried with honor and the responsibilities, first and foremost each to the other, which they carried out with faithfulness. These taverns gave a place to reemphasize the fact that these men were not under the yoke alone at all but they all bore the burden together in conflict. The Tavern is where the focus and the massive mental and spiritual effort to maintain that focus was relaxed; they expressed to each other, what each man brought to the table from all the vicissitudes of life there on the field of battle and in news from home, and all the cataclysmic energies of warfare diffused into the Band of Brothers that carried it all as one. 

 

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

That’s an excellent lighter, mtnman! The maker even got the approximate locations of the cities correct! Nice score!

 

[mtnman]

Hi guys, latest score. This comes from the estate of a Vietnam era engineer. I heard from the gentleman who's helping them sell some of the items from the estate that he was a brilliant man with a vibrant and sometimes fiery attitude but very much worth dealing with his irascible side to know a very interesting soul.

 

This lighter represents the primary 20th battalion, 18th brigade, 35th, 159th and 937th engineering groups. Initially, these men were responsible for constructing what would amount to large cities and not just land cities, port cities That started with at best, a narrow pier in relatively shallow considering the deep drafts of the massive warships and transports bringing to bear US military infrastructure and power. They constructed near the water inland and mountaintop outposts and facilities that gave security forces and artillery lookouts excellent vantage points. 

 

The engineers had to set up utilities sufficient to meet the needs for electric power, they engaged in well drilling, power generating, fire fighting, pipeline construction, gas generating, water purification—all contributing to the fight against the communists. Without the engineers, none of what America has accomplished in any conflict of the past two centuries would have been possible. The engineers are the unsung heroes that face danger while building that which the enemy is hell-bent on destroying. 

 

During Jim's tenure from 1969 to 1970,

an ammunition storage area was completed at Cam Ranh Bay. It had taken two years to build this massive facility which covered over 191,700 square feet! Jim was also a part of the building of English Airfield which was a project completed in March of 1969 near Qui Nhơn. The runway was 3,600 feet long, 60 feet wide, and included a 150x150 foot extension area where aircraft could reorient direction by turning around even the C-5 Galaxy which carried the US Army Patton tanks and if you ever saw a Patton tank, you would know the unthinkable idea of that giant rolling fortress ever leaving the ground. That tells you a little of how large the C5 Galaxy was!

 

Brigade engineers finished construction of a cold storage warehouse at the Qui Nhơn Support Command, the first of its kind in Vietnam. Construction of the Tandem Switch Building at Vung Chau Mountain involved a 4,000-square-foot  building that housed millions of dollars in today's funds, of communications equipment. During the summer months of 1969, Brigade engineers completed the 200,000-barrel capacity Air Force tank farm at Cam Ranh Bay, after laying over 12,000 feet of pipe to complete the project. 

 

After reading what these men did in the short amount of time they were given to complete their projects, I have a hole new respect for American military engineers that borders on absolute AWE. 

 

If you look at the lighter closely, you will see that Jim used this lighter vigorously and consistently. As I tilted  the lighter in various lighting I could see where Jim had rubbed on the lighter with his fingers. If I was in wartime Vietnam, I would have probably been rubbing on something pretty hard myself just as a nervous habit, and Jim's lighter was rubbed on so much that there is a very light shearing of the chrome in certain areas. If you tilt the lighter correctly, you can see a brownish tint through the chrome barely peeking through. It is amazing to hold something that was such an integral part of a man's life during such a time of precipitating moments of incredible ingenuity and productivity and effort and in the next moment, shear terror and finally coming out of the zone and spending time with your brothers in arms at play, casting off the mark of war on the heart and the mind for a time. The lighter was used so much that the hinge pin broke and Jim carefully found a nail that fit through the hinge barrels except for the head of the nail which keeps it in place on one side and he very carefully and precisely bent the other end around the hinge barrels to keep it in place. I could not even tell that had been done until I really looked at the lighter and poured over it to get a feel for it.

 

The precision of the engraving is excellent and the universal engineering symbol of the castle is quite intricate actually.  All the right angles that had to be fashioned to bring the unified picture together is splendidly accomplished. The 18th brigade combat service ID badge is what adorns the other side of the lighter, which is different than it's distinctive unit insignia I have included a picture of. Maybe someone can emphasize the difference between the distinctive unit insignia and the combat service ID badge symbol. On the lid we have the universal '60s symbology referenced, the peace sign and of course Jim's name juxtaposed to it. Also, take a look at the inner stuffing of the lighter, Jim filled it with a generic cloth fiber It looks like, to suffice doing the job, as I guess the old stuffing had worn out. It looks thicker and more durable than the regular stuffing and probably more dense and able to soak up more liquid and expand. Enjoy gentlemen. 

 

[easterneagle87]

Here's my contribution for today,

 

ZIPPO:  USS Shark, SSN-591, DECOM CREW, engraved: R V PRESTON.

 

Got it at the  "supposedly" BIG SALE (an annual yard sale - swap meet thing at our local fairgrounds - a big bust).  

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Nice ones, mtnman and EE87!

[yokota57]

5 hours ago, mtnman said:

Hi guys, latest score. This comes from the estate of a Vietnam era engineer. I heard from the gentleman who's helping them sell some of the items from the estate that he was a brilliant man with a vibrant and sometimes fiery attitude but very much worth dealing with his irascible side to know a very interesting soul.

 

This lighter represents the primary 20th battalion, 18th brigade, 35th, 159th and 937th engineering groups. Initially, these men were responsible for constructing what would amount to large cities and not just land cities, port cities That started with at best, a narrow pier in relatively shallow considering the deep drafts of the massive warships and transports bringing to bear US military infrastructure and power. They constructed near the water inland and mountaintop outposts and facilities that gave security forces and artillery lookouts excellent vantage points. 

 

The engineers had to set up utilities sufficient to meet the needs for electric power, they engaged in well drilling, power generating, fire fighting, pipeline construction, gas generating, water purification—all contributing to the fight against the communists. Without the engineers, none of what America has accomplished in any conflict of the past two centuries would have been possible. The engineers are the unsung heroes that face danger while building that which the enemy is hell-bent on destroying. 

 

During Jim's tenure from 1969 to 1970,

an ammunition storage area was completed at Cam Ranh Bay. It had taken two years to build this massive facility which covered over 191,700 square feet! Jim was also a part of the building of English Airfield which was a project completed in March of 1969 near Qui Nhơn. The runway was 3,600 feet long, 60 feet wide, and included a 150x150 foot extension area where aircraft could reorient direction by turning around even the C-5 Galaxy which carried the US Army Patton tanks and if you ever saw a Patton tank, you would know the unthinkable idea of that giant rolling fortress ever leaving the ground. That tells you a little of how large the C5 Galaxy was!

 

Brigade engineers finished construction of a cold storage warehouse at the Qui Nhơn Support Command, the first of its kind in Vietnam. Construction of the Tandem Switch Building at Vung Chau Mountain involved a 4,000-square-foot  building that housed millions of dollars in today's funds, of communications equipment. During the summer months of 1969, Brigade engineers completed the 200,000-barrel capacity Air Force tank farm at Cam Ranh Bay, after laying over 12,000 feet of pipe to complete the project. 

 

After reading what these men did in the short amount of time they were given to complete their projects, I have a hole new respect for American military engineers that borders on absolute AWE. 

 

If you look at the lighter closely, you will see that Jim used this lighter vigorously and consistently. As I tilted  the lighter in various lighting I could see where Jim had rubbed on the lighter with his fingers. If I was in wartime Vietnam, I would have probably been rubbing on something pretty hard myself just as a nervous habit, and Jim's lighter was rubbed on so much that there is a very light shearing of the chrome in certain areas. If you tilt the lighter correctly, you can see a brownish tint through the chrome barely peeking through. It is amazing to hold something that was such an integral part of a man's life during such a time of precipitating moments of incredible ingenuity and productivity and effort and in the next moment, shear terror and finally coming out of the zone and spending time with your brothers in arms at play, casting off the mark of war on the heart and the mind for a time. The lighter was used so much that the hinge pin broke and Jim carefully found a nail that fit through the hinge barrels except for the head of the nail which keeps it in place on one side and he very carefully and precisely bent the other end around the hinge barrels to keep it in place. I could not even tell that had been done until I really looked at the lighter and poured over it to get a feel for it.

 

The precision of the engraving is excellent and the universal engineering symbol of the castle is quite intricate actually.  All the right angles that had to be fashioned to bring the unified picture together is splendidly accomplished. The 18th brigade combat service ID badge is what adorns the other side of the lighter, which is different than it's distinctive unit insignia I have included a picture of. Maybe someone can emphasize the difference between the distinctive unit insignia and the combat service ID badge symbol. On the lid we have the universal '60s symbology referenced, the peace sign and of course Jim's name juxtaposed to it. Also, take a look at the inner stuffing of the lighter, Jim filled it with a generic cloth fiber It looks like, to suffice doing the job, as I guess the old stuffing had worn out. It looks thicker and more durable than the regular stuffing and probably more dense and able to soak up more liquid and expand. Enjoy gentlemen. 

 

#1  Very nice! Thanks for posting it.

[yokota57]

US Army / 3rd Radio Research Unit (cover designation for: 400th USASA Operations Unit (Provisional). Arrived RVN 13 May 1961). Davis Station, Ton Son Nhut AB. Mint, unfired Japanese-made "Penguin".

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Whoa, that is an excellent score, yokota57! Those guys were in Vietnam really early!

[yokota57]

8 minutes ago, yokota57 said:

US Army / 3rd Radio Research Unit (cover designation for: 400th USASA Operations Unit (Provisional). Arrived RVN 13 May 1961). Davis Station, Ton Son Nhut AB. Mint, unfired Japanese-made "Penguin".

Typo/Mistake: should be "Tan" not "Ton".

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Not sure if I posted this already or not, a “Tactical Decision Maker”:

 

[Salvage Sailor]

4 hours ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Not sure if I posted this already or not, a “Tactical Decision Maker”:

 

 

Standing Order:  Your magic 8 ball is not field approved.  Deploy your tactical decision maker during field exercises.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Plus it is a multi-tool: makes tactical decisions, burns off Irish Pennants, and lights your cigars! 

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

[mtnman]

Yokota that is an awesome find! They did some incredibly helpful work regarding providing Intel to our boys!

On 5/2/2023 at 2:33 PM, yokota57 said:

US Army / 3rd Radio Research Unit (cover designation for: 400th USASA Operations Unit (Provisional). Arrived RVN 13 May 1961). Davis Station, Ton Son Nhut AB. Mint, unfired Japanese-made "Penguin".

 

[mtnman]

That tactical decision maker is absolutely one of a kind brilliant Cobra! Well done sir.... Thanks so much for sharing!

On 5/6/2023 at 9:47 AM, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Not sure if I posted this already or not, a “Tactical Decision Maker”:

 

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Thanks, mtnman! And probably spinning the arrow yielded better results that what less skilled leaders could come up with!

[mtnman]

I picked this lighter up a few days ago and was extremely thankful to take this splendid tiny monument to history unders stewardship. The colloquialisms and writing on the lighter are extensive, giving a motto in the 11th ACR, air cavalry regiment, "Blood Sweat and Tears" on the lid of one side and some of the sayings utilized on these lighters that marked the time. On the other side of the lid there is a combat infantry badge beautifully done, just a splendid lighter I am humbled to own. 

 

I thought I would share a brief excerpt of 1st squadron 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment activity in the year the owner of this lighter would have been active in 69. An armored cavalry regiment had far more than just tanks, and included UH-1 Huey's, Cobra attack helicopters, armored cavalry assault vehicles, engineers, infantry and medical as well as support. 

 

Below is an account written up by military historian unit writers regarding the 1969 Operation Atlas Wedge which involved the 1st Inf Div and 3 & 1 Sq/11 ACR as the primary attacking force. This is after the fighting was well underway and the first and third squadron of the 11th were taking the brunt of the fighting with infantry support as they came in from the south east moving northwest and Southwest from their entry point into the huge Michelin rubber tree plantation March 17th 1969. First squadron rolled through two heavy firefights as the vanguard Force and responded with ACAV's and units from the first infantry division, immediately suppressing resistance with 60 enemy dead and one prisoner as the 7th Peoples Army of Vietnam division communists tried to hold on to the territory they had taken in the plantation.

 

By March 20th fighting had pushed the Communist enemy to the north of the Michelin plantation and that morning B-52's had hit a bunker complex and anti-aircraft position to the northwest of where the third squadron was  operating. The 11th ACR 3rd sq had a Aero rifle company doing bomb damage assessment and they got hit by the enemy still entrenched In a bunker area that did not get hit. Third squadron Commander Lt Col McEnery sent a tank platoon and infantry support when the enemy ambush ensued. Read below what happened and you will read about a true leader.

 

------------------------------

 

Historian Account:

While conducting the bomb damage assessment, the Aero Rifle Platoon came under heavy fire and was pinned down around 1400. The fire was coming fi-om a bunker complex that had not been hit by the morning's B-52 strike. The Air Cavalry Troop provided fire support and requested ground reinforcements. The 3d Squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel John W. McEnery, sent Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry-a mixed team with one platoon each of infantry, ACAVs, and tanks-to relieve the Aero Rifle Platoon. Company A followed behind the tank platoon and immediately came under RPG and small-arms fire. The tanks cut a swath around the bunker complex and then turned to attack through it. The RPG fire destroyed three tanks, and a fourth fell into a bomb crater after the tank commander was blinded from the splash of an RPG against his turret. Suddenly, the relief force was down to an ACAV platoon, an infantry platoon, and one operational tank. However, the tank's radio was ruined, making coordination with the other vehicles nearly impossible. Realizing this. Lieutenant Colonel McEnery landed and led another attack through the bunker complex, riding on the back deck of the lone tank. Despite being wounded by grenade fragments, McEnery coordinated the movements of his forces, attacking all the way through the complex using hand and arm signals to get them through. He then wheeled the tracks about and attacked again, retracing their previous route. Enemy fire dropped off, allowing the Americans to reorganize and prepare a night defensive position. A search of the bunkers the next morning turned up seventy-four enemy dead.'^

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

That is an absolute beauty, mtnman. As we discussed off-line it happens that I’m familiar with the 11th ACR and have great respect for them. That area with the rubber tree plantation was always crawling with NVA, since they came down the Ho Chi Minh Trail and crossed into Vietnam near An Loc, the Parrot’s Beak, and Loc Ninh. Every time my First Infantry Division unit went into that area we had heavy contact. And more than once the 11th ACR bailed us out or vice versa.

 

Again, excellent lighter from an equally excellent unit!

[yokota57]

19 minutes ago, mtnman said:

I picked this lighter up a few days ago and was extremely thankful to take this splendid tiny monument to history unders stewardship. The colloquialisms and writing on the lighter are extensive, giving a motto in the 11th ACR, air cavalry regiment, "Blood Sweat and Tears" on the lid of one side and some of the sayings utilized on these lighters that marked the time. On the other side of the lid there is a combat infantry badge beautifully done, just a splendid lighter I am humbled to own. 

 

I thought I would share a brief excerpt of 1st squadron 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment activity in the year the owner of this lighter would have been active in 69. An armored cavalry regiment had far more than just tanks, and included UH-1 Huey's, Cobra attack helicopters, armored cavalry assault vehicles, engineers, infantry and medical as well as support. 

 

Below is an account written up by military historian unit writers regarding the 1969 Operation Atlas Wedge which involved the 1st Inf Div and 3 & 1 Sq/11 ACR as the primary attacking force. This is after the fighting was well underway and the first and third squadron of the 11th were taking the brunt of the fighting with infantry support as they came in from the south east moving northwest and Southwest from their entry point into the huge Michelin rubber tree plantation March 17th 1969. First squadron rolled through two heavy firefights as the vanguard Force and responded with ACAV's and units from the first infantry division, immediately suppressing resistance with 60 enemy dead and one prisoner as the 7th Peoples Army of Vietnam division communists tried to hold on to the territory they had taken in the plantation.

 

By March 20th fighting had pushed the Communist enemy to the north of the Michelin plantation and that morning B-52's had hit a bunker complex and anti-aircraft position to the northwest of where the third squadron was  operating. The 11th ACR 3rd sq had a Aero rifle company doing bomb damage assessment and they got hit by the enemy still entrenched In a bunker area that did not get hit. Third squadron Commander Lt Col McEnery sent a tank platoon and infantry support when the enemy ambush ensued. Read below what happened and you will read about a true leader.

 

------------------------------

 

Historian Account:

While conducting the bomb damage assessment, the Aero Rifle Platoon came under heavy fire and was pinned down around 1400. The fire was coming fi-om a bunker complex that had not been hit by the morning's B-52 strike. The Air Cavalry Troop provided fire support and requested ground reinforcements. The 3d Squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel John W. McEnery, sent Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry-a mixed team with one platoon each of infantry, ACAVs, and tanks-to relieve the Aero Rifle Platoon. Company A followed behind the tank platoon and immediately came under RPG and small-arms fire. The tanks cut a swath around the bunker complex and then turned to attack through it. The RPG fire destroyed three tanks, and a fourth fell into a bomb crater after the tank commander was blinded from the splash of an RPG against his turret. Suddenly, the relief force was down to an ACAV platoon, an infantry platoon, and one operational tank. However, the tank's radio was ruined, making coordination with the other vehicles nearly impossible. Realizing this. Lieutenant Colonel McEnery landed and led another attack through the bunker complex, riding on the back deck of the lone tank. Despite being wounded by grenade fragments, McEnery coordinated the movements of his forces, attacking all the way through the complex using hand and arm signals to get them through. He then wheeled the tracks about and attacked again, retracing their previous route. Enemy fire dropped off, allowing the Americans to reorganize and prepare a night defensive position. A search of the bunkers the next morning turned up seventy-four enemy dead.'^

 

#1 Super nice!  Thanks for posting it. (I used up all my "Likes" for today on the incredible USMC Chinese-made silver cigarette cases).

[jmd62]

Epic lighter for sure. I just love that CIB engraving, thanks for sharing it!