Category: Memorabilia & Medals
Vietnam calls for its citizens to donate war memorabilia and militaria
Vietnam is calling for its citizens and foreigners to come forward and donate military memorabilia from the resistance era in a bid to preserve military history. A campaign calling for the collection of militaria will be launched on July 27 said members of the organising board, which hopes to collect 15,000-20,000 souvenirs and other paraphernalia from the two wars against the French and the American troops to put on display in 3 years, which gives people enough time to come out with their souvenirs. The board says memorabilia from the resistance are at risk of disappearing and need to be collected and maintained.
by vietnamnet.vn :: 2008-07-23 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Zippo: American icon that reflects GI sentiments on Vietnam War
The Zippo lighter was an everyday companion for American soldiers fighting in Vietnam, who used it for everything from lighting up joints to burning down villages. An American icon, the tough metal lighter with the click turned into a symbol of death and mayhem, but also a canvas onto which GIs engraved their thoughts, ranging from the profane to the profound. Some mottos reflected wartime bravado, such as "Army lifers never die, they go to hell and regroup". The Zippos are a collage of the 1960s and 70s conflict when war rained death on Vietnam even as the peace movement and the "Summer of Love" counterculture spilled into US army bases in the conflict zone.
by afp :: 2008-01-04 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Vietnam-era Zippo Lighters as art - Soldiers expressing themselves
In Vietnam, every soldier, it seemed, had a Zippo. "I carried one. I had it engraved," said Hap Desimone. With the engravings Zippos became the one place soldiers could express themselves. Zippos by the thousands were left behind in Vietnam. 15 years ago Bradford Edwards began collecting them at Vietnamese flea markets. "Here's an interesting one, a broken peace sign on a bracelet," Edwards says. In a book chronicling his work, Edwards explains that each Zippo tells a story: the disgruntled soldier, the lonely soldier, the bored soldier.
by cbsnews :: 2007-10-25 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Eerie memorabilia from the Vietnam War
Certain things are apparent about the 6 human skulls lined up on the metal cabinet in a back room of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Unlike other human specimens kept at the Defense Department's National Museum of Health and Medicine, the skulls had been confiscated from U.S. soldiers who were trying to bring them home as macabre souvenirs from Vietnam in the 1970s. But the skulls are interesting for another reason, too: The U.S. government has never made any effort to return them to Vietnam.
by washingtonpost :: 2007-07-08 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Sacrifice to sell Victoria Cross Medal
Keith Payne didn't have much time to think before taking the action which earned him the Victoria Cross, but he thought long before selling it. The Vietnam War veteran, one of Australia's last 2 surviving VC recipients, sold his cross to Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum. The main reason for selling the VC was to provide for his family. The reason for selling to Maryborough museum ahead of other buyers was equally heartfelt: he was determined the VC stay in Queensland. "I was in the army 19 years before I saw a Victoria Cross for the first time and that was when the Queen gave me mine."
by couriermail :: 2007-06-21 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Riverbed divers make living off war relics, militaria, wrecks
Divers in Vietnam's Ca Mau province are making a living searching for remnants lying rusty at the bottom of the Cai Lon River. The divers, who hunt for everything from bullets and grenades to sunken boats and human bodies, managed to tow to the surface a 45m by 14m US gunner boat which was hit and sunk during the Vietnam War. Dam Van Dung said there are still 2 large US ships on the river bottom: "Though the ships are cumbersome, they can be raised." The rusty bullets and other weapons they found were sold as scrap metal.
by thanhniennews :: 2007-05-06 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Watering hole for wartime memories - military uniforms and militaria
This bar-mini-museum lets visitors travel back in time to the Vietnamese-American War. Tucked away on a side street west of West Lake is a bar where the American War is remembered with a huge arsenal of memorabilia. Old military uniforms, army equipment and defused bombs are scattered around NoK Bar along with hundreds of other vintage objects. Visitors to Ha Noi who are interested in local history but shell-shocked after spending too much time in the Old Quarter's tourist traps will find NoK to be a handy retreat. A unique destination - there's a lot to learn about Vietnamese history here - but the low profile means not too many tourists visit.
by vnagency :: 2007-03-06 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Vietnam War hero forced to buy back his stolen medals
A Vietnam war veteran John Mitchell had to buy back his medals after they were stolen from a safe in his flat. Former paratrooper handed over £70 for the priceless mementoes of his 19-year military career to a woman in a pub. During his military service he did 8 tours of duty in Northern Ireland, served twice in Cyprus with the United Nations, and fought in south east Asia during the Vietnam War. His medals include the General Service Cross, the Queen's Jubilee Medal, and a European medal, the Croix Du Combatant.
by newsandstar :: 2007-01-31 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Vietnam's Eternal Flames: The Zippo is More Than a Keepsake
"Off the record," Bradford Edwards said, though this seemed an odd thing to say when stating the obvious. "I'm a little obsessed with the Vietnam Zippo." He collects the lighters by the hundreds; he celebrates them as symbols. He searches for deeper meanings in the epigrams etched into their sides by the American soldiers. "My dad was a super-professional soldier. He was a serious cat who taught at the Naval Academy, worked in the Pentagon and taught weapons design. He was one of 100 Marine Corps pilots, and he did a couple of tours. I grew up with Vietnam in my life from Day 1."
by nytimes :: 2006-12-09 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Congress to examine war medals criteria
Article no longer available from the original source.
Two Marine Corps veterans who have been studying inconsistencies in military awards for valor will testify before Congress, along with defense and service personnel officials. The House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee will look at the consistency and timeliness of awards after hearing complaints of growing discrepancies that include similar acts of valor resulting in vastly different awards.
by navytimes :: 2006-12-09 :: Memorabilia & Medals
The Silver Star - Mystery to Sgt. 1st Class Richard L. Smith
The Silver Star came as a mystery to retired Sgt. 1st Class Richard L. Smith. He has no idea who nominated him for the Army's third highest award for valor. On Aug. 29, Maj. General David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, presented Smith with the Silver Star. Smith was serving as a crew chief of a UH-1D helicopter while assigned to B Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. Smith received the Silver Star for "gallantry in action on November 17, 1965, when he voluntarily departed from his position in his helicopter twice to run onto an open field under fire, risking his own life to drag wounded soldiers onboard."
by armytimes :: 2006-09-04 :: Memorabilia & Medals
Purple Heart Medal - Color stands for sacrifice
Article no longer available from the original source.
During the Vietnam War, Oscar Draper was an expert at sneaking around behind enemy lines to destroy anything that could be used to fight against U.S. and South Vietnamese forces. Draper came face-to-face with the enemy's firepower during his two tours in Vietnam as a member of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division (Airborne). He was injured twice in the line of duty, making him a two-time Purple Heart recipient and the owner of countless other medals for his bravery on the battlefield. The Purple Heart was created by Gen. George Washington on Aug. 7, 1782, as a way to recognize the meritorious action of Soldiers. His order, however, was lost for 190 years.
by al :: 2006-08-05 :: Special Forces
Order of the Silver Rose -- Medal for Agent Orange exposures
U.S. Army veteran Robert Wolfenkoehler was injured in the Vietnam War, but he received no Purple Heart. His injury took years to develop after he was exposed to Agent Orange. Wolfenkoehler was one of 12 Vietnam vets who received the Order of the Silver Rose medal, which honors victims of Agent Orange. More than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange were used by American forces. It eliminated cover for the enemy and allowed for easier movement through the jungles. No official medal has been established for veterans who have lost their life due to Agent Orange. The Order of the Silver Rose, a private organization, seeks to change that.
by semissourian :: 2006-07-27 :: Agent Orange: Chemical Warfare
1st POW Killed In Vietnam Is Given Honors, Medals
The Viet Cong executed Harold George Bennett 41 years ago, after he injured a soldier while trying to escape from a prison camp for the third time. Bennett was the first U.S. prisoner of war put to death during the Vietnam War. A fellow soldier documented his heroism, but recognition efforts stalled. Recently his family was presented with a Combat Infantryman's Badge, Vietnam Service Medal, Prisoner of War Medal and Purple Heart. "In the jungles of Vietnam, he displayed courage before and after he was captured by the Viet Cong. He twice called off helicopter pilots who were attempting to rescue him because he wanted to save them from being shot down."
by washingtonpost :: 2006-04-22 :: POWs - Prisoners of War