Dug M1 helmet liner Camp Pendleton Edson Range

[Bob Hudson]

Bought this and a few other items at the yard sale of a retired Marine Gunner, W-5.

 

He said this was found buried in the dirt several feet down at Edson Range, a firing range complex at nearby Camp Pendleton.

 

I wish I'd asked for some more detail on that.

 

This particular liner is marked in the style of those worn by Marine Recruits who were bused from MCRD San Diego to Pendleton for their first weapons training.

 

Every bit of cloth and leather is gone and shell has developed some interesting colors (and bubbles).

 

The liner is marked "F" "11" and a cross - a Firestone - but what's with the cross?. It does not have the insignia grommet on the front so it is post-55.

 

It just occured to me that I may know why this liner got buried (and bubbled).

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

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[Bob Hudson]

The liner was dug up at Edson Range and the Plt. number and name were painted apparently as a gag gift to the Gunner.

 

I live close enough to Camp Pendleton's ranges to be able to hear artillery fire as I work in my garage. On bad days at the ranges I can see that vast smoke cloud(s) produced by our southern California brush fires. I've seen days when Pendleton had 3 fires going at once.

 

In looking at the bubbles on the liner I'd guess that very high heat cooked the resin. It wasn't a very large area. I think this liner coiuld have been caught up in a Pendleton range fire and covered over when bulldozers came through pushing dirt over burning areas and cutting vegetation breaks. If the liner was buried on top of a rather hot rock it could have received the type of damage shown.

 

The edges of the affected area:

 

 

 

[103OVI]

Regarding the cross, if my memory is correct it is simply a marking on the center of the crown for mold indexing purposes. This is the last style of liner used by the US; you can tell by the circular pegs used to hold the removable suspension as opposed to the rivets used on previous versions. The square brackets would have been attached to the webbing and they can be removed by sliding them off the pegs, although I imagine you probably just want to leave them as they are.

 

That definitely looks like heat damage on the side, and your theory on the wildfires makes sense for the area it was found in. I really like the way this thing looks.

[Bob Hudson]

The Gunner called this a "Kevlar liner." In modern Marine Corps lingo all helmets are "Kevlars" it seems. I've had Marines ask about getting a steel Kevlar (M1 helmet).

[Bob Hudson]

A salute to this Marine for his service (and for hanging on to this artifact).

 

[Bob Hudson]

I have found so far just one photo of Marine recruits were helmet liners (with no chinstraps). Did Recruits wear those at MCRD San Diego, or is that something worn only at Camp Pendleton during weapons training and qualification?

 

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

The Gunner called this a "Kevlar liner." In modern Marine Corps lingo all helmets are "Kevlars" it seems. I've had Marines ask about getting a steel Kevlar (M1 helmet).

Perhaps he called it a "Kevlar liner" to mean it was made of ballistic nylon instead of cotton duckcloth? It does look like fire damage.

[Bob Hudson]

Perhaps he called it a "Kevlar liner" to mean it was made of ballistic nylon instead of cotton duckcloth? It does look like fire damage.

 

No - I discussed it with him: "Kevlar" just means "helmet" in that context. He enlisted in 1985 and the Marines were using the Kevlar PASGT helmet. When I had a shop space in Oceanside about 5 years ago, active duty Marines would often be fascinated by the "steel Kevlars" I had. They were talking about the M1 helmets.

[TLeo]

I have found so far just one photo of Marine recruits were helmet liners (with no chinstraps). Did Recruits wear those at MCRD San Diego, or is that something worn only at Camp Pendleton during weapons training and qualification?

 

hecruit-helms.jpg

Those appear to be shiny so it looks to me like they may be chrome helmets worn by recruits at PI

[Bob Hudson]

I haven't paid much attention to the red paint on the front of the liner. Could it have been NCO rank - did anyone wear red rank at the range?

 

The red covered a a big area around the "plug."

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

No surprise the liner is deformed: there is a dent by the fire damage (from a hot rock?) and the back side is flat when it should be curved. The liner looks delicate but is tough. Wonder if the resin in liners cures some more under heat?

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

It's fun to speculate on the history of a dug relic, even if it was stateside.

[Bob Hudson]

Here's a photo I took a couple years ago of one Camp Pendleton fire: note the brown cloud rising from ground level on the right - that's the burning area: the smoke rises a bit and then easterly winds carry it west toward the ocean.

 

[jmd62]

Hey Bob,

 

I'm just on the other side of Camp Pendleton from you and unfortunately we've seen too many of these fires.

[jmd62]

Sorry, not a Pendleton fire, but I wanted to share this eerie pic I took from my car while driving south in Orange County last August. It was the "Holy Fire" some distance northeast of our area. Crazy stuff..

 

[Bob Hudson]

Sorry, not a Pendleton fire, but I wanted to share this eerie pic I took from my car while driving south in Orange County last August. It was the "Holy Fire" some distance northeast of our area. Crazy stuff..

 

sxoxoxo.jpg

 

At last that and most other So Cal fires don't have any unexploded ordnance in their path!

 

Wonder how hot the dirt gets during some of these fires and how deep into the soil can the heat go? Can it get really hot one or two feet (or more) down?

 

Who knows what lurks beneath the surface at Pendleton?

[jmd62]

I would love to do some "digs" there in Pendleton to find out ; )

[RustyCanteen]

Now that is interesting, kind of like some archaeology there figuring out what story it can tell with the fire damage identification. I know fires are not uncommon there, but are they usually that common where the liner was found, or do you think it could have been done by a particular one?

[M422A1]

When I was at PI in 1983, we wore silver-painted helmet liners. The drill instructors called them "chrome domes".

[Bob Hudson]

Now that is interesting, kind of like some archaeology there figuring out what story it can tell with the fire damage identification. I know fires are not uncommon there, but are they usually that common where the liner was found, or do you think it could have been done by a particular one?

 

Edson Range is likely far and away the most-burn prone area of Camp Pendleton and they are common.

[RustyCanteen]

 

Edson Range is likely far and away the most-burn prone area of Camp Pendleton and they are common.

 

I suspected that (being a less maintained and more open area) it would burn often. Was interested to think that maybe you could date how long it had been in the ground.

[Bob Hudson]

 

I Was interested to think that maybe you could date how long it had been in the ground.

 

It was found fairly recently: I don't recall the details but something made me think it had been in the ground for over 20 years.

[Dogtown]

About the Red Paint on the front of liner:

 

When I went through Edson Range back in '84, (or boot camp for that matter) if you were overweight and were on a forced diet, you had a red tag around your name badge that hung from a button on the upper pocket of your cammies. Recruits with red were called "Diet Privates". The red on your tag signaled to the recruits serving chow in the chow hall, that they couldn't give you certain foods - desserts, etc. Hence, the "forced diet".

 

We didn't wear helmet liners while at the range though... so, if anything, this liner may be from an earlier time, pre 84'. And, the red paint is just a speculation based on my experience.

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

Btw this type of liner was introduced in 1972