36thIDAlex Posted January 23, 2019 Share #1 Posted January 23, 2019 Hey guys, A buddy of mine just messaged me some real cool photos of a helmet he picked up today directly from the daughter of a Vietnam vet who served from 1951-1973, doing almost 3 years in Vietnam with the 101st. The vet was SFC Frank Palevo of New Jersey. I didn’t find too much at first look but the helmet speaks for itself. It’s pretty clear this ones been through a bit and is stuck together so no way to safely date it. The graffiti includes a lot of neat stuff including his rank, calendar, the phrase “Days Spent in Hell-562”, and most touching, the name of who I presume was his buddy and the date he was killed. I was able to look up the name on the wall and sure enough it lines up. Really touching stuff we find ourselves dealing with sometimes. I found it a great example of an unmessed with late-war helmet straight from the family. If anyone knows what the Vietnamese says feel free to mention it. Sorry for the quality, his phone camera isn’t that great Look above the calendar for “days spent in hell” Name of his buddy Info of his pal from the Memorial website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted January 23, 2019 Share #2 Posted January 23, 2019 Quite the helmet. I have asked my Vietnamese friend what it says, and will get back to you when he responds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted January 23, 2019 Share #3 Posted January 23, 2019 He says the Vietnamese is hard to read, could you post a closer and clearer picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36thIDAlex Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted January 23, 2019 He says the Vietnamese is hard to read, could you post a closer and clearer picture? I’ve asked him for a closer picture but from what I can tell it says “Tôi du ban tôt” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted January 23, 2019 Share #5 Posted January 23, 2019 I’ve asked him for a closer picture but from what I can tell it says “Tôi du ban tôt” not sure if it translates to " Im Good" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36thIDAlex Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share #6 Posted January 23, 2019 not sure if it translates to " Im Good" That’s what I got from google but I wasn’t sure if the phrase has a more cultural meaning or the like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightraider Posted January 23, 2019 Share #7 Posted January 23, 2019 I tried "TÔI du ban tôt" using all capital letters for TÔI which translated to "I am a good traveler" I dont speak Vietnamese but the first word might have some additional meaning since its upper case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnDuc49 Posted January 23, 2019 Share #8 Posted January 23, 2019 To me, it could have two meanings, though it's written incorrectly. 1. "Tôi đụ bạn tôi/tốt" - "I :) my friend (very well)" 2. "Tôi dụ bạn tôi/tốt" - "I cheat my friend (very well)" Honestly, a bit hard to tell since it's written by an American, hence incorrect letters and accents, but that's my best guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin D. Posted January 24, 2019 Share #9 Posted January 24, 2019 Looks like Lam Son 719 is written on the helmet which was the Invasion into Laos in 1971. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersargent Posted February 9, 2019 Share #10 Posted February 9, 2019 Hi there i am new to this forum so hopefully i have posted this correctly. I am looking for an m1 vietnam helmet named and or with history or markings, it is to add to my collection of photos mainly from the period by in the field photographers that evoke the political situation or the life of the men on the ground. can anyone help thanks pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badash5946 Posted February 23, 2019 Share #11 Posted February 23, 2019 Love the "Chicken Men" references too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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