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ARVN RANGER HELMET


Jason_Hardy
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In my years of collecting Vietnam memorabilia I have only owned two or three Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Ranger helmets, seen a dozen or so that I would consider real (not that I am an expert on them) and hundreds of others that I personally would just avoid. I have read allot of arguments about them, that they should be like this or look like that. My personal opinion is that not everyone is creative in the art department and there had to have been a certain number of people with-in the unit that would have painted them, even with a stencile. So it would only make sense to find certain standardized styles (not exact patterns) found within the hobby today.

 

I just purchased this ARVN Ranger helmet from a veteran this morning. The veteran stated that he souvenired (stole) the piece out of a ARVN jeep that was parked outside the Cho Lon PX (Post Exchange) in Saigon during his tour in 1968 -1969. The liner is also painted.

post-4197-0-86065200-1453762265.jpg

post-4197-0-39558700-1453762603.jpg

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vintageproductions

That is what you call a one looker, no doubt real helmet.

 

I'm right there with you Jason, very few actually talk to you. This one sings........

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USMC-RECON0321

Wow, I never owned one of these, as any I've seen I've always been skeptical about. But if I was ever to take the plunge I would love to be this kind of find, direct from the vet who brought it home and the no doubt about it look.

Love it and thanks for sharing.

Troy

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Wow!

 

I wonder if the star on the back indicates an officer or NCO, similar to a follow me stripe.

 

The writing on the liner is a surprise as well. And contrary to the fakes out there, look how neatly it is done.

 

Tough find! Thanks for sharing.

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I'm not a helmet collector, but I do like the yellow/black camo for the VN Rangers.

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Very nice acquisition, looks good. you'd be surprised at what a couple of cartons of Salem's could be traded for. I sent home three of these.

DS

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Wow!

 

I wonder if the star on the back indicates an officer or NCO, similar to a follow me stripe.

 

The writing on the liner is a surprise as well. And contrary to the fakes out there, look how neatly it is done.

 

Tough find! Thanks for sharing.

 

The veteran thought it was a General's helmet but I was advised by other collectors that the star was a unit designator.

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It's NOT named? ;)

 

Alex

The veteran I purchased the helmet from souvenired (stole) the piece from a ARVN jeep outside the Cho Lon PX (Post Exchange) in Saigon. He stated that the ARVN officer was busy buying items from civilian employees who were allowed to purchase items from our PX for the black market.

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So, these type of helmets are not my thing but I'm curious what makes you all feel this one is 100% legit? Is it the ugly cat? The misshapen star? Not saying its not but just trying to learn.

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Please ignore my ignorance on these helmets. These are U.S. helmets issued to the Rangers of South Viet Nam correct. Did Americans wear these as a U.S. unit also or just those advisors attached to the units?

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vintageproductions

Please ignore my ignorance on these helmets. These are U.S. helmets issued to the Rangers of South Viet Nam correct. Did Americans wear these as a U.S. unit also or just those advisors attached to the units?

 

Just American advisors and ARVN rangers

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Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but this helmet has some issues with me. I might be wrong, but I would like to hear reasons why this helmet is good BESIDES the fact that it was the vets word. I'm just keeping the adage of "Buy the helmet, not the story" To mind.

 

My first concern is that one: It looks like the helmet was given a recent mud bath to give it a worn look. To me, it also appears that there is dirt building up on the rim of the helmet. If the vet was an enlisted man, I would imagine most of the dirt would've fallen off during its trip back to the states.

 

Second concern: The "D" on the liner is spelled wrong. The Vietnamese language has two types of d's. In this case, it should be this, "Đ". The "D" present on the liner would give the word a completely different pronunciation and therefore a different word. As a Vietnamese, making a mistake like that is highly unlikely and for an officer who would be educated enough not mix up his D's. It would be like mistaking a "b" for a "d". Not to mention the fact that it says ARVN Rangers is weird. The whole point of painting a panther on the front is to intimidate the enemy and let them know that YOU ARE ARVN Rangers. What's the point of putting it on the back of your liner and misspelling at the same time too? If it was name, it would be much more believable.

 

Third concern: The fact that he's an officer in Saigon. Why is his helmet so dirty then? ARVN military was strict when it came to being clean and especially if you're an officer in a elite branch of the military. Wearing a dirty helmet around like that would be shameful. To me it looks like the helmet just got a mud bath and was dried in the sun.

 

Fourth concern: Why is it so sloppy? The fact that he's an officer should mean that his helmet should be neat. He's suppose to be an example to his men, yet he wears a dirty, misworded, and sloppily painted helmet in front of his men, not to mention the South Vietnamese civilians in the Capital of Saigon?

 

To be honest, I believe that the OP either aged the helmet and made the story up or the vet (if he was even a vet) and claimed to have picked it up in South Vietnam. Just my two cents. I'm open to all comments and opinions.

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