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Vietnam 1st cavalry 1965-66 named zippo cigarette lighter


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Found this today in a strange way??? Was at a county fairgrounds flea market type antique show and next door in the same building is the county museum and they too were selling some of items off to pay bills and this was in a case for sale!

 

zippo marking on the bottom date it to 1966 was very happy to find it!

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Too bad he didn't put his middle initial on it, checked the Viet Vet Database, lots of Soldiers that are Johnson, Wesley are listed, listed with a variety of different ranks and MOS'. Also checked the 1965 rosters of the 1st and 2nd Battalions 7th Cavalry, no go. The reality is he could of been in any unit of the Cav then, not just the Infantry Battalions, Arty, Eng, you name it. Hopefully some info will crop up for you.

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,Patches,

 

The lighter came out of a county Iowa museum, I don't know if that would help?

Yes, just checked again, several Wesley Johnsons have State as Unknown, but ones that did have state listed, no Iowa. This is something seen on the database, this incomplete data. Also as mentioned many times in related topics dealing with Nam Vets, is that this database is inconclusive, he may not be listed at all, even though he was most certainly there. Another thing to also consider is that any item from any period, no matter where bought doesn't indicated state/region or city/town of original owner, it's a great place and the logical place to start, but there's the reality that this lighter could of been bought in Vermont for all we know years ago, and before that in Toledo, in short, passing through a few hands over the long years.

 

But we'll check still, you can do it too, for Iowa, goolgle his name for Vietnam Iowa vets and see what pops up.

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That is a sweet looking Zippo.Has nice honest wear and not like the junk coming out of Vietnam now.I have a few from the 1st Cav in Vietnam.Yours has ROCKY mine has FRITZ.

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  • 1 month later...

Zippos were uncommon unless brought over with the trooper. 65-66 the Cav was at Ah Khe and there were some "new in town" shops that could engrave these.

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