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Special Ops "Butterfly" Vietnam Era hat


mtnman
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About a week ago, I was doing a typical survey of Vietnam era bush/cowboy hats out of the greater War zones of Thailand and Vietnam. I focus on the veracity of the design and the information alluded to on the various banner patches sewn into the bottom of the left and right sides of the rim, made visible when snapped to the chimney on either side. When dealing with US Air Force airmen hats, you usually get the country and the specific area of the base and maybe an allusion to the unit they served in. I'm trained in collecting through discerning a particular gestalt or image of an artifact specific to a time, geographic area of conflict, unit within the military infrastructure of a Nation and other more miniscule variations and factors in the identifying process of a true artifact. When something deviates from that gestalt or standard I immediately focus on the difference which either means counterfeit or something new and unique and very authentic…. A new story.

 

One of the consistent standards regarding airmen bush/cowboy hats of the Vietnam era out of the air bases in Thailand especially, is the fact that one of the banners will usually say Thailand and the other will usually give the specific location of their primary base of operations or maybe in rarer circumstances a roundel patch on the front of the chimney giving squadron information or rank symbol. I pass over dozens of hats each week with that same standard structure. This particular hat was standard and I saw Thailand on the right side so I was about to pass it over but decided to take a look at the left side as well when I encountered something that immediately sent off alarms in my head because of the unorthodox information provided on the left hand side of the upturned rim of this bush hat.

 

The right hand side was Orthodox and right in line with typical banner patches utilized in identifying the country within which their primary base of operations was, in this case "Thailand".  The left hand side read "NO 1 BUTTERFLY" ??? 

 

When inquiring with the seller, he did not know anything other than a quick search he had done which said that butterfly alluded to a bar hopping over sexed soldier. This sounded very uncharacteristic to me and I construed there must be something more to the "Butterfly" moniker, because I had never seen an airman hat of this structure use such flippant language in the banners on the sides. There was a more precise vernacular used by airmen usually, from what I had experienced anyway in my limited 2 years of consistent perusal of these airman hats after I got interested in them.

 

After digging for about 20 minutes, using different combinations of search terms I found out something very special and very interesting. The term butterfly was developed as a euphemism the Vietnamese bar women (prostitutes et al) would use for an American who would come into the bars where the women would ask, "Where have you been?"  or "Where are you going?" The Vietnam service man would never reveal the actual destinations regarding their activities so they would say "oh we have been going here and there" or "we are going here and there". The Vietnamese bar women and prostitutes would say "oh! You flutter around like a BUTTERFLY!" 

 

Well, in comes clandestine warfare operations. When considering what they should call themselves, a group of highly trained and motivated individuals who would become ground Combat Control Technicians, Forward Air Controllers and Forward Air Guides supporting the Laotian war against communist infiltration, decided this colloquial euphemism, "Butterfly", was a perfect coded call sign as they would be everywhere and nowhere. The initial Butterflies themselves were Air Commandos out of Hurlburt Field, Florida where they came out of the 1 Air Commando Wing. The individuals who used the butterfly call sign over the years of active ops 64-67, included these Air Commandos, CCTs and various pilots et al who used the "Butterfly" (with a number designation such as 10, 20, 44 etc) call sign and were an incredibly talented and motivated group of individuals who were helping the Laotian government resist communist aggression, fighting against the actual Laotian citizens taken in by the communist ideology as well as the North Vietnamese Army regulars who passed through Laos as the ho chi Minh trail infiltrated Laotian  territory. The butterflies were close air support intermediaries and used different means of marking targets, from bamboo shoots shaped into arrows on the ground to describing ground features and confirming with the strike pilot they were seeing the same thing, they used smoke grenades which they personally refused to call "ordinance" (forbidden initially to be used) throne out the window of their helicopter or 01 Cessna flown by Air America or whatever pilot was available and eventually they used smoke rockets on their T-28s and other aerial vehicles. The story is far too elaborate detailed to go in depth here but here are a few excerpts from some of the research:

 

--"In 1966 the Butterfly forward air controllers (FAC) and then their replacement, the Raven FACs, were attached to Water Pump (Air Commando training of Laotian, Royal Thai Air Force mercenaries, and air America pilots on T28s).  The Air Commandos supported Project 404 with Water Pump assets till the end of the war. This included the introduction of combat control teams to the theater of war and the running of FAG/FAC programs for Thai and Lao personnel."

 

--"The Butterfly Concept"

An ill-defined group of US Air Force and Army personnel who happened  to  be  on  the  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  air  strikes,  had radio contact with strike aircraft, and were able to give some information concerning target location. The strike aircraft used during  this  early  period  were  from  the RLAF  or Air  America. As USAF interest and commitments in BARREL ROLL [and STEEL TIGER] increased, an improved system was gradually developed. —Project CHECO report “Air Operations in Thailand 1966,” HQ PACAF, 10 August 1966

 

--”Due to the shortage of qualified FACs and the sole reliance on control of airstrikes by non-US personnel and ill-trained Laotian forces, Air Commandos filled the gap to replace civilians who previously controlled air strikes in MR-II with Vang Pao’s forces. US military FACs  now  consisted  of  intelligence  officers,  enlisted  personnel,  and both nonrated and rated Air Commandos who were sent north on temporary duty (TDY) to control T-28s. They were taken out of hide from either the Water Pump detachment or the US Air Attaché Office. Captains Robert T. “Bob” Schneidenbach (C-47 navigator), Gus Albrecht (T-28 pilot), Joe Potter (T-28 pilot), and Jim Wright (intelligence officer) did some FAC/FAG work from the air and ground on an available basis. Combat control technicians Sgt John A. “Spider” Webb and Sgt Wayne Hoke were assigned to Water Pump  with Captain Schneidenbach as their officer in charge.11 T hey had several things in common. They were, for the most part, Air Commandos (some were CCTs), airborne qualified, and air traffic control- and AGOS-trained. They were readily available and had the skills to perform FAG and FAC duties, thus the “Butterfly”—an airborne FAC concept—was born.”

 

These above quotes are from the reports done by military historians and others, referencing the BUTTERFLY operatives who came in theater through and flew out of Udorn and Nakhon Phanom Thailand typically with the RTAF, RLAF, Air America or Continental Air Service Inc, to enter operations in Laos.  These men from the Air Commandos and USAF CCT program, along with all those attached to the Butterfly call sign comprise an incredibly awesome historical account of men of the most innovative, determined, confident, "success at all costs" ethos that defines special operations in the United States military as it once was.

 

I highly recommend you take the time to explore a comprehensive overview of the operations of the Butterfly operatives and those attached to the butterfly call sign in the following report

 

"Special Air Warfare and the Secret War in Laos Air Commandos 1964–1975" 

By Joseph D. Celeski Colonel, US Army, Retired


 

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I also wanted to add that I would have probably vacillated in my novice CCT special ops collecting knowledge regarding the purchase of this hat without the help of my friend from this forum. He has been patient with me and taken me through understanding the extremely rare material that sometimes comes available from these devoted and incredibly persevering special ops soldiers who undertake the Combat Control Technician function. I want to thank him, he knows who he is, for helping me come to understand that this was indeed a early vietnam era Thai made hat specific to the area and time period within which the Butterfly operatives were active. D got back to me to answer my questions quickly enough to act on it and he showed me the imperative nature of purchasing as quickly as I could because even he, an experienced, incredibly knowledgeable Air Commando/USAF CCT collector with decades of experience, had not found material associated with the Butterfly program before and this is what drove it home with such emphasis, what I had found. Your confirmation Tonomachi, gave me the reassurance I needed to make the purchase of a once-in-a-lifetime find. I couldn't have done it without you.

 

This forum does much more than simply display history, it is a venue for developing important lifelong connections and friendships that help us be the best collectors and preservers of History artifacts that we can be.

 

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This is a great guide to anyone making a purchase whether Militaria, antiques or anything else for that matter.

 

And I thought you only collected wings.

 

Very interesting story behind this hat and the men from the unit.

 

Ive seen quite a few of these hats over the years but none  had a tab like that one and very few with anything more than Thailand.

 

What is the flight suite you’re displaying it with?

 

A very nice addition to your collection congratulations.

 

 

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I had the honor two years ago, of purchasing the Vietnam era party suit of one of the most accomplished, brilliant, morally laudable pilots from the US Air Force, I will ever be blessed to steward over. John (call sign) ”Diz” Dezonia, was one of those little boys who said, "I'm going to be an astronaut" and God happened to have set that lifelong dream upon his heart along with the vast intellectual, moral, constitutional mettle to do just that.

 

John graduated from the Air Force academy in 1969 with a bachelor degree in Astro Engineering and Mathematics. He then attended Purdue University, completing his Masters in Astro engineering within a year, graduating in 1970. John immediately prepared to serve his country in whatever capacity he was called to. He was assigned as a fitting pilot addition to the great legacy unit, the 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron, the Fighting Eagles or "Eagle Squadron" of World War II fame and lore. His insignia of course was from his Vietnam days and includes his Thai made party suit with incredibly detailed and exquisite embroidered Fighting Eagle Squadron patch, his pilot wings of thick and repetitive patterned embroidery and his parachute training insignia Tonomachi taught me, alludes to a specific program tailored to pilots regarding honing their parachuting skills in the event of a necessary ejection. On the right shoulder is his River Rats patch, described below, and of course the stars and bars on his left shoulder.

 

In 1972 the 334th was sent, attached to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, to Vietnam with 24 F4-E Phantoms, back to Vietnam for a second set of tours after it had been moved to Korea and then back to the States. John was part of this deployment. They arrived at Ubon, Thailand in the fall of 72 to support Operation Linebacker which took him straight up the Red River Valley toward Hanoi and Haiphong. The Red River valley was the proverbial gauntlet that these strike aircraft traversed to protect the B-52s of Rolling Thunder. The pilot who flew sorties up the Red River Valley received the coveted "River Rats" patch upon successful completion of their sorties. 

 

Why was the River rats patch coveted? Because it showed that the airman had flown sorties up the throat of the most heavily defended airspace in the history of air warfare. The level of anti-aircraft gunnery, SAM (surface to air) missile sites and MIGs patrolling the skies was never before experienced by any Air Force nor has it been so since. John completed his mission successfully, his acumen as a crack pilot bringing him home along with the B-52 crews he protected (can't say the same for the migs or the anti-aircraft positions he introduced himself to).

 

After his fine and unblemished service taking on the gauntlet of the Red River Valley of North Vietnam, he was stationed at Elmendorf Air Base in Anchorage, on the razor edge of the first line of defense against the Russians (USSR) on the Western front of the Cold War, Alaska and the North Pacific. 

 

In 1980, John, determined to forge his path of advancement it's in the US Air Force, according to the noted requirements most sought after in a potential astronaut, therefore he attended Edwards Air Force Base Test School, one of the most difficult and arduous challenges of pilot undertakes because of the incredibly varied and unknown challenges a pilot confronts in the testing of unproven technologies at the very edge of their theoretical capabilities. Everything away of course John succeeded at the task he had set for himself and advanced to the challenges ahead.

 

His station to begin the rigorous discipline of test pilotry was Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada as part of the Test and Evaluation  Squadron, a station of duty where he was blessed to participate in the administration and activities of the Special Olympics in Las Vegas Nevada. But the true blessing bestowed upon this man during special Olympics service, was meeting his beloved wife with whom he would have two healthy children raised in the time they had with him, under the stewardship of such an excellent father and a mother with a heart of service and nurture, a woman of such splendid and laudable capacity as to stand at the side and make whole in the bond of matrimony, such a man of excellence, accomplishment and initiative.

 

John was transferred to Otero County, New Mexico near Alamogordo in the mid 80s, to Holloman Air Force Base. John would fly as a Lieutenant Colonel and Operations Officer, for the Test and Evaluation Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, continuing as a father of two children by 1988 and a husband to his beloved Candace (Candy). He was at the top of his abilities, having drawn deep respect and affection of fellow airmen wherever he served. In February of 1988 he was flying a low level photo reconnaissance test mission and a flight surface on his jet reversed sending him careening toward the desert floor but he kept control long enough for his co-pilot to eject and survive……. 

 

"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friends" --

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The "Butterfly" patch refers to him as a womanizer. The Vietnamese saying means he moves from woman to woman like a Butterfly flits from flower to flower. It was a common saying in Vietnam. 

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7 hours ago, Ivydiv said:

The "Butterfly" patch refers to him as a womanizer. The Vietnamese saying means he moves from woman to woman like a Butterfly flits from flower to flower. It was a common saying in Vietnam. 

 

Actually, as I said above, I have never, in the two years of focused surveying of these hats and the many years of simply enjoying looking at them and appreciating their details, I've never seen anything on these Thai made hats utilized by airmen out of Thailand, that would give rise to thinking this is anything but a unit allusion banner along with a location of operation banner. I haven't seen an airman use one flippant or silly remark on their banners on these hats at all.

 

Regarding the origin of the butterfly call sign, that colloquialism given Vietnam military personnel by the bar maids and prostitutes is exactly what I said in the discussion I posed above, in fact it was discussed it in the report on the Butterflies and all those who used the call sign as airmen including those out of 1 Air Commando Wing and the pilots who used the call signs when acting as FAC/FAGs from Detachment no 1 out of Operation Water Pump, all operating out of Thailand, coming through Udorn and Nakhon Phanom typically, and then into Laos. In fact here's an excerpt from a very detailed report by Colonel Joseph Celeski on the Butterflies....

 

"CONTROLLING AIRSTRIKES WITH LAOTIAN FORCES" 

"The story on the origin of the call sign Butterfly is interesting. SSgt James J. “Jim” Stanford explained the origin of the call sign Butterfly: Why  Butterfly?  Well,  it  was  a  sort  of  parody  on  the  labeling  of  USAF  airmen/ CCT in Southeast Asia who would visit bars downtown outside  an  air  base.  The bar girls would ask in broken, hackneyed English, “Where you been?” or “Where you go?” For security purposes we would never divulge any itinerary so  would  reply in  kind,  “We  been  here  and  we  been  there.”  Or,  “We been  there and we been here,” never stating any name. The bar girl would say, “You flit around like a butterfly. You butterfly boy.” Ergo,  Butterfly  call sign sounded good. It stuck. MAJ Keeler, AOC commander, who did all his work from a T-28 from Vientiane, was  Butterfly  (no number used).18"

 

As an aside, I will be highlighting some of the butterfly operative as well as those who use the butterfly call sign during that time in future posts. Thanks guys.

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By the way guys, the John Dezonia flight suit is simply the platform on which I am displaying the hat. Manayunkman asked if I would discuss the flight suit too so I gave that information as well but they are not related at all.... Just FYI

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  • 3 months later...

UPDATE

 

After doing a lot of research into the covert Ops surrounding the Butterfly program, using the excellent report by Colonel Celeski that was mentioned above, and reading several other accompanying documents detailing the CCTs, combat control technicians of the Air Commandos, I discovered something coming up again and again which pointed to the "No 1" of "No 1 Butterfly" on the USAF airman's hat displayed above. The Butterfly (and subsequent Raven) CCTs assigned to Laos, operating out of bases in southern Thailand and actively giving combat control as CCTs in Laos, the Butterflies flying out of Thailand with CIA Air America or Continental Air Services Inc pilots, were assigned to "DETACHMENT 1" or "DETACHMENT No 1" of the 56th Air Commando Wing/56th Special Operations Wing. (see 1., 2. & 3. below)

 

The most likely meaning for the "No 1" this airman added to his Butterfly unit call sign, either refers to his Butterfly numerical call sign because the Butterflies would have a number assigned with Butterfly CCT or pilot temporarily using the Butterfly call sign when flying CCT missions (which pilots certainly did as well during '66 and '67 when the Butterflies were most active) to identify each individual controller such as 44 Butterfly, or Butterfly 6 etc...

 

OR

 

I think more likely this airman CCT was alluding to Detachment 1 which was the unit for all Laos close air support secret Laotian War combat control technicians.

 

 

 

1. Senior Master Sergeant Cass “Red Dog” Seymore was one of the Detachment 1, 56th SOW’s combat controllers (CCT) involved in the program.

 

 

 

2. Detachment 1 of the 56th SOW was really the 1131st Special Activities Squadron. This was the cover story. We went up to Long Tieng under the control of Seventh/Thirteenth AF to put in the F-111 bombing beacons. I was on flight status and worked with T-28s, AC-119s, and Spectre—about 343 hours of flight time.

 

 

 

3.Project 404 Combat Controller

 

Another critical duty of special operations CCTs was support to the AOCs at the five operating locations. While each operating loca­tion had its unique requirements, a profile of the role of the CCT, serving as a Project 404 AOC CCT, can be drawn.18

 

All Project 404 CCTs were assigned to Detachment 1, 56th SOW at Udorn, with duties at one of the five operating locations. CCTs generally ranged in rank from sergeant to technical sergeant; younger CCTs arrived in-country as E-4s and quickly gained the E-5 rank after a few months of service in-country. On average, the special opera­tions CCT had already achieved jump status and completed both the combat control radio maintenance and the radio equipment repair­man courses at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Most had also attended the Tactical Air Command, Combat Control School in Sewart AFB, Tennessee, and learned special operations CCT techniques at Hurlburt Field, Florida. In some cases, CCTs also attended the Navy Underwater Swimmers School in Key West, Florida. All CCTs practiced a daily physical exercise regimen to remain fit. Some also attended various survival courses prior to being deployed overseas.

 

Under Project 404, the CCT assigned to an operating location was flown aboard an available Air America or Continental Airlines air­craft to the site after checking in through Vientiane. Upon arrival to the AOC, it was the responsibility of the CCT to manage the air communications net for all Air Force operations within his MR in the assigned engagement areas: Barrel Roll, Steel Tiger, and Cricket. The secondary mission was serving as a radio and communications advisor for the RLAF detachment located at the airfield.

 

The CCTs, like other Project 404 personnel, wore civilian clothes, combined with standard Air Force equipment and radios

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OR...YOU WERE EITHER NUMBER ONE OR NUMBER 10 DEPENDING ON WHO SAID IT AND BUTTERFLY WAS A COMMON SLANG WORD FOR ONE WHO MOVED FROM ONE FEMALE TO ANOTHER........THINK ABOUT IT.

 

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45 minutes ago, flytiger said:

OR...YOU WERE EITHER NUMBER ONE OR NUMBER 10 DEPENDING ON WHO SAID IT AND BUTTERFLY WAS A COMMON SLANG WORD FOR ONE WHO MOVED FROM ONE FEMALE TO ANOTHER........THINK ABOUT IT.

 

Yes FT, I had spoken about that above in post # 7. I did the quick search too when I first saw the hat, of terminology used in Vietnam. I'm glad I didn't stop there because a flippant self-effacing remark on these particular airman hats didn't make a bit of sense at all. 

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