Father (Vietnam) & Son (Gulf War/Iraq) Bring-Back Displays

[bryang]

My father and I were both career U.S. Army.  My father, Richard Greaves, was a Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Special Agent and served in South Vietnam 1972 to 1973.  He brought home a green pith helmet with a couple shrapnel holes in it.  I was ten when he returned from Vietnam.  I later came across several items of his from his time overseas, which include several amusing in-country "morale" patches, as well as currency, phrase booklet, and a PSYOP leaflet.

 

I framed these items in my office and mounted them on the wall, alongside a few items from my own overseas deployments. 

 

I served 28 years (6 years Army Reserve followed by 22 years Active Duty).  For the years I was on Active Duty I was an Intel Analyst, of which over 15 years of it was in 5th Special Forces Group.  I deployed to the First Gulf War ('90-'91), Somalia ('93 & '95), as well as Iraq ('05-'07) with the 2nd Battalion, 5th SF Group, and managed to bring home several items from my different deployments.

 

To mirror what I mounted of my father's items, I mounted one of the Iraqi helmets I brought home from the Gulf War, as well as framed a few in-country made "morale" patches, currency, and a PSYOP leaflet, all of which I had brought home from the Gulf War or Operation Iraqi Freedom.  I went into Kuwait during the ground offensive during the '91 Gulf War, as an advisor with the Egyptian forces, and collected several Iraqi items.  I've posted some of my bring-backs here many years ago.

 

The photo in between was taken when I completed basic combat training in 1980.  I enlisted in the Army Reserve as a high school junior, and did boot camp during the summer break between 11th and 12th grade.  As a Reservist, I was a Radio Operator in 11th SF Group, and then an Airborne Infantryman in the 5th Pathfinder Platoon.

 

 

 

[USMC_COLLECTOR]

Wow! That is amazing! Crazy how similar the bringbacks were!

[USCapturephotos]

I enjoyed seeing the things from both you and your father!

Paul

[11thcavsniper]

Thanks for sharing. Great idea.

[mikie]

That is fantastic!  Perhaps the best "personal touch" display I've seen. 

 

Mikie 

[M24 Chaffee]

Great displays!

 

Frank

[bryang]

My wife and I have full custody of two of our granddaughters - age six and eight ... both learning to read.  A couple weeks ago my eight year old came to me in my office and pointed up to the display of my father's things and announced to me that that was a very bad word.  I had to explain that, yes, its a very bad word - one which you are never to say (like THAT will work) - but that these small things were my father's and that they meant a lot to me.

[1st Sgt CES]

Great Stuff