Ray42 Posted February 4, 2020 Share #26 Posted February 4, 2020 Wow thats a cool helmet! Its interesting I have noticed that it seems relatively common for Vietnam "airborne helmets" that were truly used by airborne forces to have tape around the tabs attaching the straps to the bail, must have been a wide spread practice also since I have an airborne from an air force vet that was taped up very similarly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 4, 2020 Share #27 Posted February 4, 2020 The orange arrow is really interesting. I have not seen an orange arrow like this before, but I have seen blue and possibly green arrows in this shape in use with the 101st airborne before. I have not yet been able to determine what unit used them aside from being the in the 1st Brigade. They all appear to be drawn or painted on rather than being sewn on. here are a couple good clips from that video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 4, 2020 Share #28 Posted February 4, 2020 Here is an un-captioned photo, I am uncertain if the arrow is green or blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted February 4, 2020 Share #29 Posted February 4, 2020 Wow great helmet and incredible period pics cap, never seen them or that tac mark before??.....mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralCheese Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share #30 Posted February 4, 2020 That's a really sharp looking officer's set, I saw it sold on Ebay and was wonder if a member here got it. The band is extremely interesting, is it marked at all?? Not that I've found. The orange arrow is really interesting. I have not seen an orange arrow like this before, but I have seen blue and possibly green arrows in this shape in use with the 101st airborne before. I have not yet been able to determine what unit used them aside from being the in the 1st Brigade. They all appear to be drawn or painted on rather than being sewn on. here are a couple good clips from that video 13.JPG 22.JPG 20.JPG 21.JPG Amazing pictures, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMC-RECON0321 Posted February 4, 2020 Share #31 Posted February 4, 2020 Great original pictures / videos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 4, 2020 Share #32 Posted February 4, 2020 I forgot to say great helmet! I rewatched the video and the cards say they are A Co 2nd Bn 502nd Infantry, I missed that the first time because the first card said they were 1st Cav when they clearly had 101st SSI so I just ignored the other cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 4, 2020 Share #33 Posted February 4, 2020 I forgot to say great helmet! I rewatched the video and the cards say they are A Co 2nd Bn 502nd Infantry, I missed that the first time because the first card said they were 1st Cav when they clearly had 101st SSI so I just ignored the other cards. Thanks, then by this unit, the 2/502 Inf and the manner of insignia ie color tapes etc, on those in the the video grabs, this will be from the 65-66 period for the 1st Brigade of the 101 which goes over in July 1965 as a separate unit, marrying up in late 1967 when the rest of the division arrives in country. Since the the ones in the video grabs are in Aug 65 and are Blue and the one on the helmet cover in the OP is Yellow, the guess will be now that each company within the 2/502 used a different color I have the original 101's yearbooks of 1967-68 and 1969, lots of photos, I'll go look through them a little later to see if the 2/502 continued to use this insignia during those years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 4, 2020 Share #34 Posted February 4, 2020 I went through the 2 502nds website and while I didnt put each picture under a microscope I didnt see any insignia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conn Posted February 4, 2020 Share #35 Posted February 4, 2020 nice score ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 5, 2020 Share #36 Posted February 5, 2020 I went through the 2 502nds website and while I didnt put each picture under a microscope I didnt see any insignia. Same with the 68 and 69 yearbooks, didn't spy it, though there might of been examples of it, I didn't see it. It is possible it was a short lived application n the 65-66 period, will do a little more looking around, though here it will be an attempt to look at the years 65-66, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 5, 2020 Share #37 Posted February 5, 2020 1st Sgt Walter J. Sabalausk the Top of C Co 2/502 some time after June 1966, not seeing aeeow on cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 5, 2020 Share #38 Posted February 5, 2020 Found one, found it in one of my other yearbooks, will scan it tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 5, 2020 Share #39 Posted February 5, 2020 Found one, found it in one of my other yearbooks, will scan it tomorrow. Very very cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capa Posted February 5, 2020 Share #40 Posted February 5, 2020 Excellent helmet. The period green duct tape is a nice touch. Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 6, 2020 Share #41 Posted February 6, 2020 And here are those photos, these come from the 1965 101 Yearbook, yearbook had to be compiled and released in the early summer of 1965 as the 1st Brigade is still present. Each unit has a couple of pages of the unit in the field or otherwise on duty etc, plus a detailed section on the Commander and Staff with individual informal portraits, then unit group photos, which unfortunately do not name the men, staff yes, companies no. In these photos in each case we see the Arrow in what appears to be White, these might be men of the Battalion HHC, as one man in the one photo is a 4.2 Mortarman, a weapon in this time period only found n Battalion HHCs (There were no Combat Support Companies or E Companies at this time). Seeing that this Arrow marking is worn while a Campbell in 65, the winter of 64-65 as the photos show, means this was done before the battalion was in vietnam and was apparently a carry over for at least a few months after te unit arrived in July of 65, seems by the summer of 1966 this marking might not of been used no more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 6, 2020 Share #42 Posted February 6, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 6, 2020 Share #43 Posted February 6, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted February 6, 2020 Share #44 Posted February 6, 2020 Wow!...great pics guys this thread keeps getting better and better??....mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 6, 2020 Share #45 Posted February 6, 2020 Fantastic photos patches, too bad the units are not identified. The video was taken 26 Aug 1965. The photo I put is listed on Getty images under the extremely descriptive of "US troops Landing in Vietnamese Rice Paddy", it does give the date of 28 February 1966 which is the latest so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted February 6, 2020 Share #46 Posted February 6, 2020 As an aside, in this yearbook the 1st Battalion 502nd Infantry (Abn) wears on their covers the WWII Heart, again with different colors per company, in the photos can't really tell if they are appliqued on n some kind of material or stenciled on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 6, 2020 Share #47 Posted February 6, 2020 I went through the photos on 2nd502.org a second time and I found this photo, if you zoom in many of the men have some light colored mark on the right side of their helmets, although it is not possible to tell for certain what it is I assume it is a downward facing arrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pararaftanr2 Posted February 6, 2020 Share #48 Posted February 6, 2020 Here you go: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted February 7, 2020 Share #49 Posted February 7, 2020 Good posting Parches !!! Owen Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralCheese Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share #50 Posted February 7, 2020 Great pictures, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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