Vietnam War Insignia
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 US ARMY SERGEANT FIRST CLASS E 7 INSIGNIA SUBDUED VIETNAM WAR ERA MINT ON CARD $7.54 Time Remaining: 2d 1h 33m Buy It Now for only: $7.54 |
 US Navy Submarine Warfare Badge Vanguard Military Insignia Vietnam War Era $9.95 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 46m |
 Vietnam War US Field Shirt with Insignia $28.00 Time Remaining: 25d 5h 54m Buy It Now for only: $28.00 |
 Vietnam War ARVN Air Force Insignia TO QUOC KHONG GIAN Patch $10.99 Time Remaining: 27d 23h 20m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 ARVN MARINE CORPS T Q L C Vietnam War Beercan Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 27d 4h 54m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Vietnam War Patch US AIR FORCE Insignia $9.99 Time Remaining: 25d 2h 46m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 US ARMY VIETNAM WAR OFFICERS FIELD ARTILLERY INSIGNIA $5.99 Time Remaining: 25d 3h 54m Buy It Now for only: $5.99 |
 Vietnam War era 199th Infantry Brigade Metal Patch Insignia $8.99 Time Remaining: 1d 10h 38m |
 Vietnam War ARVN RANGER BIET DONG QUAN Black Panther Beercan Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 14d 5h 47m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 Vietnam War ARVN NAVY HAI QUAN Anchor Rope Beercan Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 25d 1h 47m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 VIETNAM WAR 2 METAL BADGES US INSIGNIA + US ARMY ENGINEERS CORPS $13.98 Time Remaining: 23d 3h 27m Buy It Now for only: $13.98 |
 Vietnam War Semi Subdued Patch US SPECIAL FORCES Insignia $11.95 Time Remaining: 6d 55m Buy It Now for only: $11.95 |
 LOT OF 6 VIETNAM WAR ERA US DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA 9 $12.49 Time Remaining: 21d 12h 49m Buy It Now for only: $12.49 |
 US 196th INFANTRY Brigade Vietnam War Beercan Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 25d 4h 13m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Vietnam War era US Army Military Police MP Insignia $9.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1d 10h 41m |
 LOT OF 6 VIETNAM WAR ERA US DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA 8 $12.49 Time Remaining: 21d 12h 43m Buy It Now for only: $12.49 |
 Vietnam War Metal Pin US 319th FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION Distinctive Insignia $11.95 Time Remaining: 21d 23h 7m Buy It Now for only: $11.95 |
 Vietnam War ARVN Navy RIVER PATROL TEAM 51 Beercan Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 21d 7h 18m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 3518 Vietnam War Service Pin Insignia $9.99 Time Remaining: 13d 9h 50m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 Vietnam War Patch US II FIELD FORCE VIETNAM Distinctive Unit Insignia $10.99 Time Remaining: 25d 7h 23m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 6506 Challenge Award Coin Insignia Badge Vietnam Wall Vietnam War Veteran $9.99 Time Remaining: 9d 1h 3m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 NS MEYER Vietnam War US Airforce Insignia in original package $10.00 Time Remaining: 1d 21h 45m |
 VIETNAM WAR METAL INSIGNIA ARVN NAVY 54th RIVER PATROL GROUP TT212 $15.98 Time Remaining: 14d 6h 59m Buy It Now for only: $15.98 |
 5715 Vietnam War Service Ribbon 64 Insignia $9.99 Time Remaining: 26d 7h 48m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 VIETNAM WAR SUBDUED PATCH US SPECIAL FORCES INSIGNIA $12.98 Time Remaining: 26d 9h 3m Buy It Now for only: $12.98 |
 Vietnam War Uniforms of Seven Allies Booklet 1967 Insignia Guide $35.00 Time Remaining: 7d 13h 47m Buy It Now for only: $35.00 |
 Vietnam War Set Of US Metal Badges US + INFANTRY Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 4d 21h 2m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 USMC MARINE CORPS STAFF SERGEANT E 6 INSIGNIA SUBDUED VIETNAM WAR ERA $9.54 Time Remaining: 2d 1h 40m Buy It Now for only: $9.54 |
 Vietnam War Light Weight summer Shirt Theater Made Insignia In country made $12.50 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 2d 14h 30m |
 US I FIELD FORCE Vietnam War Beercan Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 25d 4h 28m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Vietnam War Set Of CHIEF PETTY OFFICER Insignia + Naval PARACHUTIST Metal Badges $19.95 Time Remaining: 23d 5h 37m Buy It Now for only: $19.95 |
 Vietnam War Metal Badge US Marine Corps EGA Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 8d 6h 41m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 VIETNAM WAR METAL INSIGNIA ARVN TRAINING DOG CTR $15.98 Time Remaining: 14d 4h 54m Buy It Now for only: $15.98 |
 Vietnam War Beercan Insignia US SPECIAL FORCES $14.95 Time Remaining: 14d 8h 25m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 Nam War Lapel Pin USARV ARMY VIETNAM Insignia $6.95 Time Remaining: 5d 12h 51m Buy It Now for only: $6.95 |
 Obsolete CMSgt Chevron Chief Master Sergeant Rank Insignia Patch Vietnam War $9.99 Time Remaining: 2d 21h 49m |
 Vietnam War VC NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY Insignia Patch $12.95 Time Remaining: 16d 2h 49m Buy It Now for only: $12.95 |
 Vietnam War US SPECIAL FORCES Insignia Subdued Patch $12.99 Time Remaining: 26d 2h 6m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 |
 Vietnam War Patch US 199th Light INFANTRY Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia $10.95 Time Remaining: 8d 10h 10m Buy It Now for only: $10.95 |
 VIETNAM WAR ERA USMC MARINE CORPS 1ST SGT E 8 INSIGNIA SUBDUED $7.54 Time Remaining: 12d 7h 56m Buy It Now for only: $7.54 |
 VIETNAM WAR METAL INSIGNIA US NAVY PBR 2 MEKONG DELTA $15.98 Time Remaining: 11d 13h 21m Buy It Now for only: $15.98 |
 N9 Vietnam army insignia badge used in Vietnam America war authentic $0.99 Time Remaining: 2d 23h 53m |
 4209 Rare Vietnam War Patch Insignia Disciplinary Barracks 1971 $9.99 Time Remaining: 9d 22h 29m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 PAIR of VIETNAM WAR ARMOR OFFICER BRASS INSIGNIA $5.95 Time Remaining: 18d 40m Buy It Now for only: $5.95 |
 VIETNAM WAR 2 METAL BADGES US INSIGNIA + INFANTRY BRANCH INSIGNIA $14.98 Time Remaining: 19d 4h 47m Buy It Now for only: $14.98 |
 US ARMY 1ST SGT E 8 INSIGNIA SUBDUED VIETNAM WAR ERA NOS STILL ON CARD $6.54 Time Remaining: 5d 3h 11m Buy It Now for only: $6.54 |
 ARVN MARINE Corps Insignia Vietnam War Metal Badge $16.99 Time Remaining: 27d 5h 3m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 |
 2 Vietnam War Metal Badges US + Navy Chief Petty Officer Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 14d 46m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 N11 Vietnam army insignia badge used in Vietnam war original $0.99 Time Remaining: 2d 23h 53m |
 Vietnam War US INFANTRY Insignia + MAJOR Rank Metal Badges $14.95 Time Remaining: 6d 1h 33m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 USA SPECIAL FORCES VIETNAM 5th SFGrp Nam War Beercan Insignia $16.95 Time Remaining: 3d 14h 1m Buy It Now for only: $16.95 |
 Vietnam War Metal Badge US Army CHAPLAIN Distinctive Unit Insignia $11.95 Time Remaining: 11d 3h 21m Buy It Now for only: $11.95 |
 4826 Korean Vietnam War Shooting Award Badges Lot 6 Insignia Pins $9.99 Time Remaining: 20d 9h 5m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 2 Vietnam War Metal Collar Badges US Insignia + INFANTRY Insignia $12.95 Time Remaining: 14d 2h 12m Buy It Now for only: $12.95 |
 Lot Of 2 Vietnam War Lapel Pins ARVN C 2 MIKE FORCE + ARVN MAP FLAG Insignia $12.95 Time Remaining: 22d 8m Buy It Now for only: $12.95 |
 N8 Vietnam army insignia badge used in Vietnam USA war authentic $0.99 Time Remaining: 2d 23h 53m |
 Vietnam War 2 US + MUSICAL BAND Insignia Metal Badges $14.95 Time Remaining: 22d 1h 30m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 US Army Insignia Vietnam War MACV 101st 1st CAV Patches $21.95 Time Remaining: 12d 6h 25m Buy It Now for only: $21.95 |
 Vietnam War Metal Badge US Army Sr PARACHUTIST Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 7h 42m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 Vietnam War Patch US 36th Transportation Battalion Distinctive Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 24d 9h 42m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 Vietnam War Metal Badge US ARMY Insignia $12.95 Time Remaining: 4d 21h 20m Buy It Now for only: $12.95 |
 Vietnam War US Navy SALVAGE DIVER Insignia Metal Badge $14.95 Time Remaining: 5d 11h 3m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 N10 Vietnam army insignia badge used in Vietnam war authentic $0.99 Time Remaining: 2d 23h 53m |
 VIETNAM WAR PATCH US 12th AVIATION GROUP AD EXCELSUM CONAMUR INSIGNIA $12.98 Time Remaining: 29d 12h 11m Buy It Now for only: $12.98 |
 Vietnam War Set Of MILITARY INTELLIGENCE + US Insignia Metal Badges $14.99 Time Remaining: 1d 13h 14m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Vietnam War Metal Pin US 35th INFANTRY Regiment Distinctive Insignia $11.95 Time Remaining: 21d 1h 2m Buy It Now for only: $11.95 |
 PAIR of VIETNAM WAR ARTILLERY OFFICER BRASS INSIGNIA $5.95 Time Remaining: 18d 38m Buy It Now for only: $5.95 |
 ARVN Navy Submarine 502 THI NAI Vietnam War Beercan Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 22d 10h 59m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Vietnam War Patch US 12th AVIATION Group Distinctive Unit Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 25d 3h 26m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Specialist 4th Class Subdued Rank Insignia from Vietnam War $2.99 Time Remaining: 6d 6h 32m |
 Vietnam War Patch US 15th Support Brigade Distinctive Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 24d 9h 44m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 Vietnam War Patch US 264th Supply Service Battalion Distinctive Insignia $14.95 Time Remaining: 23d 23h 22m Buy It Now for only: $14.95 |
 Vietnam War US SPECIAL FORCES AIRBORNE Beercan Insignia $14.99 Time Remaining: 6d 15h 7m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 Vietnam War Patch US 45th Medical Company DUSTOFF With USARV Insignia $11.95 Time Remaining: 6d 5h 10m Buy It Now for only: $11.95 |
 VIETNAM WAR US 34th ENGINEER GRP DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA $9.98 Time Remaining: 19d 5h 11m Buy It Now for only: $9.98 |
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Pith Helmet
The pith helmet (also known as the sun helmet, topee, sola topee, salacot or topi) is a lightweight helmet made of cork or pith, typically from the sola (Indian swamp growth, Aeschynomene aspera or A. paludosa) or a similar plant [1], with a cloth cover, designed to shade the wearer's head from the sun. Pith helmets were once much worn by Westerners in the tropics; today they are most frequently used in Vietnam.
waterproof coat
Crude forms of pith helmets had existed as early as the 1840s, but it was around 1870 that the pith helmet became popular with military personnel in Europe's tropical colonies. The Franco-Prussian War had popularized the German Pickelhaube, which may have influenced the definitive design of the pith helmet. Such developments may have merged with a traditional design from the Philippines. The alternative name salacot (also written salakhoff) appears frequently in Spanish and French sources and comes from the Tagalog word salacsac (or Salaksak). Emilio Aguinaldo and the Philippine revolutionary military used to wear the pith helmet from the Spaniards alongside the straw hat and the native salakot during the Revolution in the Philippine-American War. Originally made of pith with small peaks (bills) at the front and back, the helmet was covered by white cloth, often with a cloth band (or puggaree) around it, and small holes for ventilation. Military versions often had metal insignia on the front and could be decorated with a brass spike or ball-shaped finial. The chinstrap could be in leather or brass chain, depending on the occasion. The base material later became the more durable cork (indeed, another common Spanish name literally translates as cork helmet), although still covered with cloth and frequently still referred to as "pith" helmets. This form of headdress is now associated strongly with the British Empire. However, the pith helmet was used by all European colonial powers, and during the 1880s even by the United States Army [2] in the south west. It was commonly worn by white officers commanding locally recruited soldiers in the colonial troops of France, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Imperial Germany and the Netherlands, as well as civilian officials in their tropical territories. White troops serving in the tropics usually wore pith helmets, although on active service they were sometimes replaced by more comfortable and less conspicuous alternatives such as the wide brimmed slouch hats worn by US troops in the Philippines and by British Empire forces in the later stages of the Boer War. Parallel to the development of the sun helmet, a broadly similar helmet, of dark blue cloth over cork and incorporating a bronze spike, was adopted for military wear in non-tropical areas, although it was rarely thought of as a true "pith helmet". Modelled on the German Pickelhaube, but distinctly different, this headdress was first adopted by the British Army (which called it the "Home Service Helmet") in 1878, followed by the United States Army in 1881. The British version was worn on most occasions by line infantry, artillery and engineers until 1902 when the introduction of khaki peaked (billed) caps relegated it to full dress. The blue cloth helmets worn by American mounted troops until 1901 were particularly elaborate, being decorated with plumes and cords in the colours (yellow or red) of their branches of service. The Home Service Helmet is still worn by some British Army bands or Corps of Drums on ceremonial occasions today. It is closely related to the custodian helmet still worn by a number of police forces in England. During the Anglo-Zulu War, British troops dyed their white pith helmets with tea for camouflage.[citation needed] Soon khaki-coloured pith helmets became standard issue for service as well. Pith helmets were widely worn during World War I by British Empire, Turkish, Belgian, French and German colonial troops fighting in the Middle East and Africa. Helmets of this style (but without true pith construction) were used as late as World War II by European and American military personnel in hot climates. Included in this category are the sun helmets worn in North Africa by Italian troops, South African Army and Air Force units and Germany's Afrika Korps, as well as similar helmets used to a more limited extent by U.S. and Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. The entire military of the America's colony the Philippines, which consisted of an army and a gendarmerie, used sun helmets. The U.S. Marine Corps used pith helmets called "elephant hats" in the South Pacific. They were also worn by recruits in United States Marine Corps Boot Camp. The Axis Second Philippine Republic's military, known as the Bureau of Constabulary, as well as other guerrilla groups in the Philippines was another user of sun helmets. The British Army formally abolished the tropical helmet in 1948. Such was the popularity of the pith helmet that it became a common civilian headgear for Westerners in the tropics from the end of the 19th century. The civilian pith helmet usually had the same dimensions and outline as its contemporary military counterpart though it lacked decorative extras such as badges. It was worn by men and women, old and young, both on formal and casual occasions, until the Second World War. Until the 1930s there was a widespread assumption that wearing this form of headdress was necessary for people of European origin to avoid sunstroke in the tropics ndigenous peoples were assumed to have acquired natural immunity over many generations. Modern medical opinion holds that some form of wide brimmed but light headdress is highly advisable in strong sunlight for people of all races to avoid skin cancers and overheating. Another civilian use has been as a form of standard issue headgear for U.S. government employees in warmer climates. For example, in the U.S. letter carriers employed by the postal service frequently wear a government issued white (in some places light blue) pith helmet when delivering the mail on foot in climates such as South Carolina, Florida, Southern California, Arizona, and Hawaii. The Royal Marines still wear white "Wolseley pattern" helmets of the same general design as the old pith helmet as part of their number 1 or dress uniform. These date from 1912 in their present form and are made of natural cork covered in white cloth on the outside and shade green on the inside. Decoration includes a brass ball ornament at the top, helmet plate and chin chain. A similar headdress is worn by the Thai and Tongan Royal Guards as well as the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince of Monaco and by the Sri Lankan Police as part of their dress uniform. In the Philippines, some ceremonial units use sun helmets. British diplomats in tropical postings, Governors General, Governors and colonial officials continued to wear the traditional white helmets as part of their ceremonial white uniforms until the practice died out during the 1970s and '80s. The ceremonies marking the end of British rule in Hong Kong in 1997 were probably the last occasion on which this style of headdress was seen as a symbol of Empire. After World War II, the Viet Minh of Vietnam based their helmet design on the French pith helmet of the former colonial power and adopted it as their own. Today it is still widely worn by civilians in Vietnam but appears only rarely as part of the military uniform. In design, the Vietnamese model was similar to the preorld War II civilian type, but covered in jungle green cloth, sometimes with a metal insignia at the front or back. Sun helmets of plastic material but traditional design are still worn today by some mail carriers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). White colored helmets with black ribbons (virtually identical to the one pictured above, belonging to Harry Truman) were the standard duty head gear used by highway traffic officers in the Dominican Republic's National Police up until the beginning of the 21st century, when these units were replaced by the creation of the Autoridad Metropolitana de Transporte (AMET) corps, who use dark green Stetson hats instead. The pith helmet has also seen use as a form of identification by U.S. Marine Corps rifle range coaches at Parris Island and San Diego, similarly the campaign hat is worn by rifle range instructors as well as drill instructors. The pith helmet continues to be worn by cadets in senior positions at the Royal Military College of Canada for certain parades and special occasions. Notably, the Cadet Wing Commander, Deputy Wing Commander, Wing Training Officer, Wing Administration Officer, Squadron Leaders, Squadron Training Officers, and the Colour Party.
About the Author
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Vietnam War: 1st Air Cavalry Division on Patrol - Part 2 (1971)