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Questions on use of M65 field jacket in Vietnam


Your local M1 Garand
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Your local M1 Garand

Got a M65 field jacket about a month back and all I know about M65 jackets is that they were used in Vietnam, but don’t know to what extent. What impressions could I use a M65 in?

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In Vietnam itself the M51 and M65 Field Jackets commonly worn during certain times of the year in the Central Highlands of II Corps, and up and around the DMZ and other areas of I Corps, im I Corps by the Marine Corps as well as the Army.

 

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My late father, who served all over Vietnam, told me it could get quite chilly in the Central Highlands so I imagine field jackets were probably worn there quite a bit.  

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FT.Monmouth1943
13 minutes ago, phantomfixer said:

  did he cut off the sleeves on this M65?

He’s wearing a flak jacket, not an M65.

 

- Jakob

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  • 2 weeks later...

A Viet Nam vet I worked with for years  (he was in an engineering battalian around 1970--not sure exactly where he was) once told me that at night he would wear an M-65 field jacket.  He said that the temps were so hot during the day, that when it dropped into the 80's or so at night (not sure of the exact number he gave) you would feel cold.  I definitely remember that conversation.

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Your local M1 Garand

 

2 hours ago, Chindit said:

A Viet Nam vet I worked with for years  (he was in an engineering battalian around 1970--not sure exactly where he was) once told me that at night he would wear an M-65 field jacket.  He said that the temps were so hot during the day, that when it dropped into the 80's or so at night (not sure of the exact number he gave) you would feel cold.  I definitely remember that conversation.

What you said makes me wonder why there are like no Vietnam airsofting or reenacting in Florida, it’s perfect here as it’s always 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit and we have plenty of Vietnam like forests so you get the most accurate experience!

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  • 2 months later...
Your local M1 Garand
10 minutes ago, patches said:

Here an M51 being worn, the lead man, 3rd Mar Div up north along the DMZ sometime in late 1966.

Marine_mortar_team.png

That’s very interesting, it makes sense since the M1965 was very new and not many had been issued until later in the war

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  • 2 months later...

Here's one, an M65, yes the Screaming Eagles served in I Corps from 68-72. Beaucoup faded out South Vietnamese Made Ranks and Tape, and AIRBORNE Tab. CIB that's been striped, but no Jump Wings, and that's because the majority of the EMs in the 101 were no long Airborne Qualified.

s-l1600 (1).jpg

s-l1600.jpg

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6 hours ago, patches said:

Here's one, an M65, yes the Screaming Eagles served in I Corps from 68-72. Beaucoup faded out South Vietnamese Made Ranks and Tape, and AIRBORNE Tab. CIB that's been striped, but no Jump Wings, and that's because the majority of the EMs in the 101 were no long Airborne Qualified.

s-l1600 (1).jpg

s-l1600.jpg

Another example of a very common configuration of the 101st Airborne SSI worn in Vietnam. U.S. made merrowed edge shield with a theater made AIRBORNE tab. I have seen this configuration so often in both period photos as well as surviving examples of period uniforms that it almost makes me believe there was some kind of shortage of U.S. made gold on black AIRBORNE tabs available to the division.

 

By the way, looking at the size of the shadow of the removed badge patch above the U.S. ARMY tape, I'm guessing it was Aircrew wings rather than a CIB. 

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Your local M1 Garand
7 hours ago, patches said:

Here's one, an M65, yes the Screaming Eagles served in I Corps from 68-72. Beaucoup faded out South Vietnamese Made Ranks and Tape, and AIRBORNE Tab. CIB that's been striped, but no Jump Wings, and that's because the majority of the EMs in the 101 were no long Airborne Qualified.

s-l1600 (1).jpg

s-l1600.jpg

That gold lettering is very interesting a gives the jacket a very cool look. 

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Another 101 FJ example I Corps no doubt. Again no Jump Wings for this Spec 5 of an unidentified unit in the 101. note again the South Vietnamese AIRBORNE Tab Yellow on Black type again, and real faded out sleeve ranks.

i corps 2.jpg

i corps.jpg

i corps 4.jpg

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absent wings are not uncommon. Have pics of a vet who was sent to the 82nd in Nam. Wasnt abn qualified. He was sent there from infantry replacement pool. wore patch with airborne tab but never airborne. Returned he served with 1st ID at Fort Riley. 

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