thunderbolts45 Posted October 30, 2019 Share #1 Posted October 30, 2019 This is an airborne helmet and liner that I picked up on ebay that belonged to a LTC with the Rakkasans. The liner has a rank on the front with decals of the 187th DUI on both sides. Inside the shell is a name penciled in "COL. BULL". The only Lt. Col. Bull from the 187th I could find is Kenneth R. Bull who served as the Deputy Group Commander for the division from 59 - 60. Kenneth Bull later served as a secretary on the Army's Science Panel. Cant find much else on him though; still not 100% sure if this is actually his helmet or perhaps from another person with the same last name. Still a neat piece of airborne history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbolts45 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted October 30, 2019 Liner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbolts45 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted October 30, 2019 Liner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbolts45 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted October 30, 2019 According to Army Research And Development Vol. 4 No. 1, Lt Col Bull served as the senior military advisor for 4th military region, MAAG, Laos. He was also awarded the Legion of Merit. I still can't find any info about when he enlisted in the army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccauslandpara1944 Posted October 30, 2019 Share #5 Posted October 30, 2019 That's a great set! I hope you can find out some additional information on his service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted October 30, 2019 Share #6 Posted October 30, 2019 Thats a beauty, i will look in the 187th reunion books to see if hes in there with more info,i have a few 187th helmets from that same era that have the same heavy sand "moss" camo...great helmet...mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray42 Posted October 31, 2019 Share #7 Posted October 31, 2019 That's pretty neat, is the hole in the front of the shell centered so that he could wear his rank on the outside also? I hope it can be confirmed as his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1canpara Posted October 31, 2019 Share #8 Posted October 31, 2019 Nice rig! Really Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbolts45 Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share #9 Posted October 31, 2019 The hole in the shell is a little off centered as to not interfere with the rank pin on the liner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbolts45 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share #10 Posted November 4, 2019 Well, I have an update on my research. This helmet did in fact belong to Kenneth R. Bull, confirmed by this auction from his estate earlier this year which included this helmet. https://auctions.blackwellauctions.com/lots/view/1-1LND0S/101st-airborne-div-colonels-shirt-helmets The problem is that the original liner that was in this shell was removed. The one that is currently in it was from Bull's estate but from the pictures I can see that it had a name painted around the rim which someone has removed. I have no idea why someone would remove the original name from this liner and remove the LTC rank from the shell. It looks like the name that was in the liner was "Ronnie E. Hogbin" followed by his service number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted November 5, 2019 Share #11 Posted November 5, 2019 Great helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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