Mitchell Pattern Helmet Cover and Question about Helmet Bands

[screaming-eagle]

I just purchased a Mitchell pattern helmet cover, I was drawn in by the pen marks and doodles. Vietnam is out of my element but thought It would make for a great display with the M1 I already have from the Vietnam era. Written on it is "What Happened to God?" and "Where In Hell Am I" plus some doodle faces resembling Kilroy. Ill share some pics.

 

I also had a question about the helmet bands. Wanting to finish this as a display it seems natural to get a period helmet band. And trust me i'm not a big fan of ebay, especially for militaria, but they have some listed. But my concern is the ones on ebay all seem to be named. Theres only a couple sellers. Id like to think that a named band is added cool points, but with one seller having 4 different named bands and claims hes not a militaria expert, I thought id ask first and see what the chances are of him having not just done it himself. Was writing their last name on their helmet bands a really common thing?

 

Thank you

 

Dave

 

Helmet cover

 

 

[screaming-eagle]

More of the cover

 

 

[screaming-eagle]

Sellers Bands

 

 

[screaming-eagle]

Ill just link to the ebay store, he has so many

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Vietnam-Era-US-Army-USMC-Camouflage-M1-Helmet-Band-No-Cat-Eyes-HB05/202403012766?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D52935%26meid%3D7ec253960e5c41409852d2a4f720c317%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D202403003670%26itm%3D202403012766&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

And another seller with a named one.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Helmet-Band-for-Camouflaged-Cover-Vietnam-War-era-FREE-SHIPPING/302851035845?hash=item46835412c5:g:3REAAOSwL9tbeeuz

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

Writing the name on helmet bands was extremely common. It is by far the most common place to write anything on helmets. At a guess I'd say its 10 times more likely for a soldier to write his name on the band than it is for him to write, draw, attach a rank, or do anything else to a helmet cover. I went through a bin of several hundred 80s-modern bands and only found somewhere around 5 bands without names on them. They were $1 each, but the store owner would likely have sold them to me for cheaper if I bought a lot or maybe even given them to me for free if I bought other items.

 

 

 

The 2 things you have to watch out for with Vietnam era bands is ones with the cat eyes removed or fallen off, with the later bands it is not an issue because they use different fabric but the earlier cat eye bands have the same fabric. The other thing you have to look out for is repro bands. Unused surplus rolls of the elastic the bands were made of are fairly common, some dishonest people will cut them to length and sew them together.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Everyones experience may be different for Vietnam. During my time there in a rifle company, 1968-1969, I never saw anyone with his name written on the helmet band. Why would we bother? We all knew each other in the platoon and we did not care about any unit above that level. Plus you either wore or had your helmet, rifle, and other gear with you constantly. Seems that helmet covers were much more commonly used for names, pithy comments, etc. versus helmet bands.

 

What I did see worn on the front of helmet bands was subdued enlisted rank badges with the two pins bent flat thru the back of a band and once in awhile a profane saying, such as FTA.

 

As an aside, at least in the First Infantry Division, cats eyes on helmet bands were equally rare: we did not patrol at night (unfortunately, Charlie owned the night) so no need for them. Again other units and time frames may have been different.

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

Everyones experience may be different for Vietnam. During my time there in a rifle company, 1968-1969, I never saw anyone with his name written on the helmet band. Why would we bother? We all knew each other in the platoon and we did not care about any unit above that level. Plus you either wore or had your helmet, rifle, and other gear with you constantly. Seems that helmet covers were much more commonly used for names, pithy comments, etc. versus helmet bands.

 

What I did see worn on the front of helmet bands was subdued enlisted rank badges with the two pins bent flat thru the back of a band and once in awhile a profane saying, such as FTA.

 

As an aside, at least in the First Infantry Division, cats eyes on helmet bands were equally rare: we did not patrol at night (unfortunately, Charlie owned the night) so no need for them. Again other units and time frames may have been different.

As far as I've been able to find out from vets cat eyes started being added to helmet bands by individuals around 1979, and started being factory made in the early 80s.

 

I find it really interesting how ideas spread, some units did things one one, some did them totally different ways. great to hear.

 

I personally won't worry about names on helmet bands being fake. IMO it's the "born to kill" and "war is hell" you need to watch out for.

 

I will say I think it was more common post vietnam, so my ratio with the post war bands is probably not accurate.

 

 

 

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

 

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

[screaming-eagle]

Thank you for the information gentleman! Those were some incredible photos. I appreciate you sharing them. Makes me feel better anyway about the bands, probably will get one of the ones listed on this thread.

[screaming-eagle]

Cobra I appreciate your personal insight too, I understand what you mean by not feeling it be necessary.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Another thought, guys: back in the basecamps it MAY have been more common to have names on helmet bands and/or helmet covers since the helmets were not worn as frequently (unless under actual attack or in some kind of training exercise boonie hats or baseball caps would have been the norm). This would be especially true for REMFs who were assigned full time to basecamps. Thus, keeping straight whose helmet belonged to whom could foster the need for a personal identifer, such as a name or nickname, on the helmet somewhere.

[patches]

Just for the heck of it, me April 81 at Hood, name on front band

 

[denfly]

I remember in basic training we had our names on the bands, but when I got to duty station, no one had their names on the bands. I guess when you're in basic no one knows who you are. Back in those days, a marked band or used and marked headband were considered trash. We would dispose of these often as they were not considered returnable or an exchanged item back on 1981 to 1984.

[NamHelmet]

Ill just link to the ebay store, he has so many

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Vietnam-Era-US-Army-USMC-Camouflage-M1-Helmet-Band-No-Cat-Eyes-HB05/202403012766?_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=2&asc=52935&meid=7ec253960e5c41409852d2a4f720c317&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=12&sd=202403003670&itm=202403012766&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

And another seller with a named one.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Helmet-Band-for-Camouflaged-Cover-Vietnam-War-era-FREE-SHIPPING/302851035845?hash=item46835412c5:g:3REAAOSwL9tbeeuz

Thanks for sharing the eBay seller!

 

I have a few helmets that need period correct, no cat eye bands.

 

Any other recommended sources or members that have a bunch to sell?

 

These legitimate Vietnam, or post war bands? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/302862112549

 

[Justin]

They look post war with removed cat eyes

[patches]

I remember in basic training we had our names on the bands, but when I got to duty station, no one had their names on the bands. I guess when you're in basic no one knows who you are. Back in those days, a marked band or used and marked headband were considered trash. We would dispose of these often as they were not considered returnable or an exchanged item back on 1981 to 1984.

That's a very good point, the bands had to turned in to CIF when out processing, so I wonder just what they did then, cause at the two duty stations I was at Ft Hood and ft Wainwright, and for that matter Ft Benning for Basic, these bands were new unissued, I would imagine the were just trashed right, hard to imagine the QM people even trying to attempt removing somehow inked on names on them, or issuing them out again.

[denfly]

There's one for sale on ebay with Band, Helmet, Camouflage in small letters instead of capital. Has anyone ever seen this type? The green looks a bit different from O.D. more like the ACU type.

[thorin6]

They look post war with removed cat eyes

 

I have purchased some bands from this seller and they were as advertised, no evidence of cat eyes. I can't vouch for this batch, the ones I received were good.

PS I have had some bands with cat eyes that had been torn off. I finished removing the small pieces and thread. Unless you heavily wash or age them, you can't miss that they once had cat eyes, in my opinion.

 

[Justin]

 

I have purchased some bands from this seller and they were as advertised, no evidence of cat eyes. I can't vouch for this batch, the ones I received were good.

PS I have had some bands with cat eyes that had been torn off. I finished removing the small pieces and thread. Unless you heavily wash or age them, you can't miss that they once had cat eyes, in my opinion.

 

They don't look vietnam period. Color, thickness, tread used.

 

Even the seller states they don't look "normal" which they don't.

 

I am most likely wrong, and they are real deal Vietnam era. Good deal for ten vietnam era bands.

[thorin6]

I've never done a study of the bands as to color, because most of the time if they are used, they fade differently. As for the thickness and thread, there seems to be a lot of variation in their appearance. The ones that I bought all are faded and most of the printing has faded; however you can see some printing on most of them, enough to read some part of the US and CAMOUFLAGE BAND. The box stitching all seem correct; interesting I went and looked at a Vietnam era helmet that I've had for years and there is simply two rows of stitching, no box. I'd like to hear others experiences with the Vietnam era bands as to what to look for that's not correct.

By the way, the seller of the bands referred to sells them with two descriptions, the ones where he says they look odd, and ones where he believes them to be correct. The second group tends to be more expensive ($75 opening bid versus $45 opening bid).

[denfly]

Depending on the age of some cat eye bands, when you remove the reflective squares, they will show a squared spot where it was covered. I have come across some of these on Ebay.