US Elite Forces: Uniforms, Equipment & Personal Items. Vietnam 1965-1975

Used M1956 suspenders from 1973. Inner side is not cotton but nylon. Size Large.

Used US poncho (Poncho, Nylon, Coated, Twill). Year of manufacture 1968. Used but very nice condition with no damage.

Unused Jungle Boots with Panama sole. Size 12R. Year of manufacture 1968.

Originally packed Signal Mirror - Signal Mirror Survival Emergency Mark 3 Type II. Year of manufacture 1967.

Minimally used Utility Fighting Knife. Manufacturer Camillus. Brown-black colour.

The Associated Press made an unprecedented commitment to reporting the conflict: It gathered an extraordinary group of superb photojournalists in its Saigon bureau and these men created one of the great photographic legacies of the twentieth century. Collected here are images that tell the human story of the Vietnam War, as we watch the American presence in the war swell from a trickle of military advisers in the late 1950s, through dramatic operations involving thousands of soldiers in the 1960s, to the fall of Saigon in 1975. These are pictures that both recorded and made history, taken by unbelievably courageous photojournalists. In a moving essay, writer Pete Hamill, who reported from Vietnam in 1965, celebrates their achievement, focusing on five masters who took many of the photographs in the book: Horst Faas, Henri Huet, Eddie Adams, Nick Ut, and Phuoc Van Dang.

This extensively researched volume is a comprehensive guide to the history, development, wear, and use of uniforms and equipment during America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Included are insignia, headgear, camouflage uniforms, experimental items, modified items, flak armor, boots, clothing accessories, paper items and personal items from the year 1965 to 1971, all examined in great detail. Using re-constructed photos the author recreates the look and appearance of the American Soldier in Vietnam. Rangers, medics, scouts, RTO's, machine gunners, Pathfinders, and riflemen are all here and accompanied by detailed text. For the first time, see easily recognizable dating system used by the U.S. Government supply system to date the items on the manufacturer tag. A helpful appendix shows, for the first time ever, all forms of post war gear such as ALICE and camouflage like BDUs and the Rapid Deployment Force pattern, and all those that were never used in South East Asia during the Vietnam War. Included is also an easy to follow, detailed description of each item along with a comparison showing the actual wartime produced item side by side with the undesirable so the collector/Historian/Re-Enactor will never make the mistake of utilizing Post War Produced items again. Packed with over 500 detailed color photographs, and over 100 never before seen original photos from veterans, as well as many close-ups, this book fills an important gap in the collectors reference library and will be invaluable for collectors, living historians, re-enactors, modelers, curators, and artists alike.

Used 4th Infantry Division patch. Twill material.