Vietnam
Gallery 1
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The October 20th, 1967 edition of Life magazine featured a US prisoner of war in a cell in North Vietnam. Because war had not been formally declared, the North Vietnamese refused to adhere to the Geneva Conventions (even though the conventions make no distinction between declared or undeclared conflicts), stating that the captured Americans were not prisoners of war, but "international gangsters" or war criminals. POWs treatment was nothing less than brutal, and they were often tortured and exploited for propaganda . |
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This fatigue shirt was worn by a General who served in Vietnam, but unfortunately, someone removed the name tape. The Combat Infantryman's Badge with star would indicate the General also served in Korea or World War Two. The right shoulder sleeve insignia shows that he served as part of the US Army, Vietnam (USARV) sometime between 1965 and 1972, while the left sleeve bears the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), worn between 1962 and 1973. |
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Prisoner of War/Missing In Action bracelet. These were originally created by VIVA (Voices In Vital America), a Los Angeles based student organization that produced and distributed the bracelets during the Vietnam War as a way to remember American prisoners of war suffering captivity in Southeast Asia. VIVA distributed nearly five million bracelets and raised enough money to produce untold millions of bumper stickers, buttons, brochures, matchbooks, newspaper ads, etc., to draw attention to the missing men. This bracelet bears the name of Jerry Glen Bridges
243rd Assault Helicopter Company, 10th Combat Aviation Battalion. Specialist Bridges was a crewchief on a CH47A helicopter that departed Dong Ba Thien Airfield, South Vietnam on a resupply mission to Ban Me Thuot. The pilot radioed at 0700 hours that the aircraft was over the Ninh Hoa Valley. Nothing was heard from the CH47 again.
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North Vietnamese Army sun helmet. NVA soldiers wore a variety of headgear, with this type helmet the most common. They were made of
pressed paper or even of plastic, with a five-pointed star insignia. Viet Cong troops often wore the floppy cotton "boonie" hat in the field.
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"Meal, Combat, Individual", used extensively in Vietnam. Commonly called a C-ration or C-rat, the original combat ration was developed during World War II; the name was changed in 1958. Each meal (there were 12 to a case) contained approximately 1,200 calories and was designed to provide enough nourishment under field conditions. Easily carried in a pocket or pouch, the small cans were typically made into cooking stoves using Trioxin heat tablets to provide a hot meal. They were replaced with the Meal, Ready to Eat (MRE) in the early 1980's.
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Area Handbooks on North and South Vietnam published in 1967 by the Department of the Army as DA-PAM 550-57 and 550-55. The books contained a wealth of information such as history, culture, climate, geography, economy, etc. |
