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Vietnam flown, Army used HGU-2A/P


mohawkALSE
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Was just talking about this piece with another member so I decided to post the pics to share with everyone. A few years back I acquired what I feel is an usual piece than you normally might hear about. There is no talk of fast flying fighters and dog fighting with this one. I picked up a 1962 dated HGU-2A/P flight helmet from the original owner who was a Vietnam veteran. What makes this unusual is that for a USAF HGU-2 helmet it was used by a US Army OV-1 Mohawk pilot. I cant recall ever seeing any pics other than the usual APH-5 or SPH-4 with Mohawk crews in Nam. Story behind it he told me was that in early 1969 he was with the 131st SAC and tasked with taking 4 OV-1s (2 OV-1Bs and 2 OV-1Cs) up to a air base in Thailand and was assigned to the USAF 555th TFS to fly targeting and recon missions. When he arrived there and went to the life support shop, the AF guys laughed at his APH-5 and setup and issued him this helmet. Has the gullwing cut to the visor housing and the camo paint job just like you'd see with the jet jocks around that time. Being for a OV-1 they installed a boom mic for him. He said this helmet had about 500hrs of combat time over Nam. It did have a MS22001 mask as well but was so far gone from years of neglect it didn't make. I do have the hardshell from it though. Sorry the pics are great and had to resize of course.

 

post-11373-0-15130100-1512749689.jpg

post-11373-0-19319400-1512749705.jpg

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No, Im just going to leave it as is. Dont want to change anything with it being in its original state. Its def in rough shape but its been there done that.

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Great helmet and agree... leave it alone...love the camo paint

print out the story and keep it with the helmet..

 

way cool the vet knew it was going some place safe

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Very cool T, thanks for posting photos of this gem from your collection! Shame about the mask but what can you do? At least you saved what you could.

 

Do you have any photos of the original owner wearing it?

 

Such as awesome helmet.

 

-Derek

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Its been a few years since I talked to him but I just fired off an email to him asking if he might have any pics. I should have thought to ask that a while back, would be awesome to see it in its glory days.

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  • 5 years later...

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