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Original Vietnam Graffiti Helmets


DiGilio
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Here is one which belonged to a peaceful marine...

 

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Original inner tube? I have one that's on a Marine helmet that I think is original to it, looks the same, dry, cracking, and brittle.

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Nice covers Andrei.

 

Heres another cover with Cathy on it. Its got a peace sign on front and some very faint writing on the side. The writing says: STEVE STGERMAIN PORTLAND, OR ETS 6 MAY 71. I looked it up on the VN vets database and theres a "Stev" StGermain who served in the US Army from May 1969 - 13 November 1971. Im guessing Stev is probably a typo for Steve and the dates of service fit because his original ETS would of been about May 1971 but looks like he re-uped for 6 months. "Stev" is listed as from Massachusetts but people move around so it could still be Steve (or another error). Steve StGermain is not a common name at all.

 

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Here's a helmet cover that belonged to a Seabee in the 58th Mobile Construction Battalion:

 

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I posted the entire group that this came with under this thread: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=82836. I thought the helmet cover was unique enough it deserved to be part of this thread as well.

 

Some highlights:

 

Viet Nam

World Without

Love

 

Your Looking Good

Short Timer

 

Bill

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Says on it "Mary Solis + Cat(?) Moreli", "Slidel Louisana", "Carolyn", "S.C. Stump Jumper", and "I'm an involuntary member of a chickenshit organization" and a few other things I can't make out. Swivel bail helmet, ss rimmed front seam helmet, circa mfg. Nov. 43 to Dec. 44. Lot 41B McChord helmet. Ebay purchase back in 2008 for $31.00. Mitchell cover has no date, DSA cover with large printed letters. Can't find a date on the sweatband. Regards, Chris

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Here's another one, note the cover is on sideways with the seam running more ear to ear than front to back. As found, swivel bail Lot. M3226B, cover marked but no date, liner sweatband dated 1968, Westinghouse liner with a sticker on one side "Engage and Destroy". Cover marked in two places "Appy". Chris

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23 Jan 1968, South Vietnam --- UPI staff photographer Rikio Imajo is shown in the field with American soldiers in South Vietnam in a recent photo, writing in a book. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

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18 May 1968, South of Da Nang, South Vietnam --- Captain Charles Robb leads a group of Marines on a patrol south of Da Nang, Vietnam. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

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10 Jan 1968, Da Nang, South Vietnam --- Here, a U.S. Marine corps member just has one significant slogan pasted on his helmet. This marine was in a battle, fighting North Vietnamese Regulars about 20 miles south of Da Nang. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

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ca. 1968, Ca Mau, southern Delta, Vietnam --- A side view of an American swift boat gunner. --- Image by © Tim Page/CORBIS

 

I definitely need this eloquent sailor's helmet and titanium vest in my collection !

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Information from GLM (Gary): With a service number as high as 1561598, this Marine didn't enlist until late 1950's. I have a list somewhere around here for USMC service numbers by year. I'll try to find it and let you know exactly which year he enlisted, but it was no where near WWII. Remember that even in the late 1960's, early 1970's, USMC was still issuing WWII and Korean War dated 782 gear, so it would be fairly easy to find a Vietnam Marine's service number on a much earlier made piece of equipment. For anyone who doesn't understand the USMC service numbering system, it's very simple. Sometime at the very beginning of the 20th century, they started with # 1 and worked their way up to, I believe, the 27xxxxx numbers by 1971, when they switched over to Social Security numbers as service numbers. I enlisted in 1969 and my service number was 2566427. Ricardo shows WWII tags that fit right into the numbering system. I have a grouping with SN# 324426 for a Marine who enlisted in Oct. 1941. Ricardo's helmet cover has service number 1561598 written on it. It's definitely a post WWII and post Korean War service number, but with that said, USMC issued WWII and Korean War 782 gear right up through the 1970's (I was issued a 1944 dated camo poncho while in ITR in 1969), so it is possible for a collector to find a WWII or Korean War helmet cover with a much later service number written on it. It doesn't bother me to see this service number on this cover, because it at least shows that the cover was in use during the 1950's, so most likely made much earlier. It could very well be a WWII cover, but I think Ricardo needs to show photos of the cover flaps, stitching, etc.. in much more detail, so the real experts here that study these can make a determination if it looks like a WWII cover. I'm sure you could ask any Marine who served in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's if they were ever issued a piece of deuce gear that wasn't worn by at least 10 or 15 Marines before him and you'd most likely get a "probably not" answer. If the Marines had WWII or Korean War made equipment that was never issued until 1960's, I personally never saw any of it. Take my 1944 dated camo poncho for instance, issued to me in 1969. It was made in 1944 and very likely may have been worn by a Marine on Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Iwo Jima or Okinawa. It could have been rolled up in a Marines bedroll on the walk out of Chosin in 1950? Along comes 1969 and the Corps, in its infinite wisdom of reusing everything, plus the skimpy 500 million dollar budget, which probably wouldn't buy a dozen fighter jets these days, issues it to me. Does it make this poncho any less of a WWII piece of equipment than Vietnam era? In my eyes, it's a straight up WWII piece of USMC equipment. Where the purism of collecting comes in is with the individual collector, with some seeing the 7 digit service number written on this cover and only seeing something issued after WWII, whereas, I see it as a legitimate piece of WWII gear, if it is actually a WWII made cover.

 

It was also a general policy or rule in the Corps not to mark any USMC property with name and service number, only personal uniforms and belongings. Everything was checked into the unit upon transfer or discharge, so SHAME, SHAME Jim Stack, 1561598 for putting your name on the cover and leading us to these questions.

 

 

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With a helmet declaring "Peace," a soldier of the 1st Cavarly Division, 12th Cavalry, 2nd Battalion, relaxes June 24, 1970, before pulling out of Fire Support Base Speer, six miles inside the Cambodian border. The troops were returning to South Vietnam after operations against enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia. (AP Photo)

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With a helmet declaring "Peace," a soldier of the 1st Cavarly Division, 12th Cavalry, 2nd Battalion, relaxes June 24, 1970, before pulling out of Fire Support Base Speer, six miles inside the Cambodian border. The troops were returning to South Vietnam after operations against enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia. (AP Photo)

 

Andrei, where did you find that photo? Its a great photo and I only remember seeing it in black and white. Nice to see it in color.

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