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Cut down VN tropical coat tailored into M16 mag vest


Jeeperz83
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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

post-153751-0-74684200-1509167767_thumb.jpg

Left is Larry Thomas and the right is Calvin Williams on a mission near the Cambodian Border.

 

seems the 1/508th used these vests fairly often

 

 

the consensus on the 1/508th PIR's facebook page is his patch is upside down because the Vietnamese tailors didn't.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

"...the head green Beret, who was carrying a Swedish K submachine gun and wearing a custom-made vest filled with M-26 hand grenades." -LBJ's Hired Gun, John J. Gebhart

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

It appears to me that these vests were a late war creation, In use from 1968 onwards.

They seem to be more common later in the war, but there are some pictures and references of them as early as 1965.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

attachicon.gifBC_4_65th_IPCT_Combat_Tracker_Team_Photo.jpg

Tracker Team Photo - March 1, 1970. Taken at Ben Phouk by a newspaper photographer.

Tiger scout (center) is captured V.C., used for our help." L to R: Bert Crump, James Blair, captured V.C., Steve Hargraves, and Ronald Barrett. The dog is Joe (6B54). Thanks to Bert for sharing these photos.

 

post-153751-0-45887500-1512884072.jpg

another picture of the same man

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439th Signal Battalion

Several views of M16 and M79 vests are seen here. Also, this is a very good look at a 9th Infantry LRRP/Recon team on a sweep in 1969.

 

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

Lynne M Black Jr: The only one of these vest I ever saw was the one I wore. When I got to FOB-1 (Phu Bai) in July 1968 no one was wearing anything like this that I remember. When I entered country I had with me a fly fishing vest, two boxes of hand tied flies and a $300.00 Orvis split bamboo fly rod. The rod and flies were admired by a Vietnamese officer whose sister I wanted to date. We made a deal, he didn't want the vest. I used it to carry my extra Browning magazines, pen flare gun and extra flares, signal mirror, a high protein ration, Escape and Evasion map, current AO maps, compass, protractor, and some emergency medical supplies. The idea was that if I had to drop my gear and run I would have a basic E&E outfit on my back.

Several of the guys liked the vest and wanted to know where they could get one. I had several made up in Saigon out of truck canvas and gave them out as gifts. I heard that they were made up and issued to the guys going through One Zero School. I think that was after I left.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

Straying from the original topic, but I figure it is better than making its own thread. MACV SOG. Looks like a vest for Swedish-K mags? Maybe made from an M2 Ammo Bag for bazooka or mortars? MACV SOG did use a lot of WWII stuff like BAR belts and M1936 Leggings.

 

Edit: Photo won't upload, will do it later.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

Straying from the original topic, but I figure it is better than making its own thread. MACV SOG. Looks like a vest for Swedish-K mags? Maybe made from an M2 Ammo Bag for bazooka or mortars? MACV SOG did use a lot of WWII stuff like BAR belts and M1936 Leggings.

 

Edit: Photo won't upload, will do it later.

Another possibility is it could be French? They had some chestrigs that look similar. It's possible he got one from a Vietnamese who got it from the French?

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