Vietnam Zippo Photo Galerie

Die hier gezeigten Vietnam Zippos stammen alle aus meiner Vietnam Zippo Feuerzeug Sammlung. Dabei handelt es sich ausnahmslos um 100% authentische Vietnam Zippos !

In den verschiedenen Rubriken werden ohne grosse Systematik interessante und sehr schöne zeitgenössische Vietnam Zippos abgebildet.

Lyle Strouf, 619th TCS

Eintrag in der Veteranendatendank des Vietnam Krieges (http://www.militaryusa.com)

Safeside Vietnam Zippos

Als ich zunächst die beiden folgenden Vietnam Zippos kaufte, konnte ich mir noch keinen Reim machen aus den vorhandenen Gravuren. Erst die Suche im Internet und der Kontakt mit mehreren Safeside Veteranen brachte Licht in das Dunkel:

The unit is the 823rd Combat Security Police Squadron. History: The 1041st USAF Police Squadron (Test) was trained by the US Army Rangers and was the first Safe Side unit (served at Phu Cat Air Base, RVN) from Jan-Jul 1967. On 18 Feb 1968 7th Air Force requested Safe Side units be deployed to RVN in defense of Air Bases. The units went TDY for 6 month rotations. Many of the 1041st (Test) group served as training cadre. The unit was designated the 82d Combat Security Police Wing and consisted of the 821st, 822nd (both organized at Schofield Barracks, HI) which was the training site of the original 1041st (test)and the 823rd Squadron (organized at England AFB, LA in Oct 1968). Training was moved to Ft Campbell, KY. The 823rd took over from the 822nd at Phan Rang Air Base in March 1969 and was relieved by the 821st in August 1969.

Very interesting! Why Vietnam? I have several Zippos from my tour of duty. Nam zippos are highly collectible. The two you mention will be very special. Do you know what "Safeside" refers to? It was US Air Force, 82d Combat Security Police Wing. Very elite, highly trained reaction force HQ'd at Phan Rang AB, 68-69. Approx. 1500-1600 personnel rotated in country in small elements for special ops for a very small window of time. So any of their artifacts are rare indeed. Apparently, you have researched the history that led you to vspa.com. Hopefully, some of our Safesiders will respond to your inquiry. Myself, I was plain ol' SP stationed at Pleiku in '68. A complement of Safesidewinders, the 821st followed by 822d, was deployed to 'ku to augment our defenses. Wired tight and rowdy as any E-lite crew, nevertheless, we were glad to have them to help keep Charlie off base. Theirs is a short, yet proud history. The legacy lives on in the USAF Security Forces, based on the Safeside concept. Yes, you do have a couple of very special militaria artifacts, indeed. Hawk

Rolf, If you got those lighters for a fair price, you probably got a better deal than you thought. Most traders and dealers are ignorant of the Safeside Saga and the rarity of it's memorabilia. Even the ol' Safesiders are unaware of the value of their scant stuff. There are some repro patches out there. Very few of their insignia was produced and they were so short lived as a unit that stock never built up, or so few pieces survived. As collectibles, Safeside stuff, has been under the radar of modern traders for years. Even the Safesiders themselves, just in recent years, are belatedly gathering for reunions and revival. Hawk

Es handelt sich also bei diesen beiden Vietnam Zippos um sehr seltene Exemplare !

Larry Smith, 56th Trans Co

Der ehemalige Besitzer dieses Vietnam Zippos liess es in seinem Auftrag verkaufen. Interessant dabei war auch die Tatsache, dass zusammen mit dem Feuerzeug auch noch 3 Original Photos aus dem Vietnam Krieg verkauft wurden.

Vietnam Long Thanh North. From the Vietnam Veteran who carried this old and very authentic zippo. Marked 1969 - 1970 and inscribed as shown. Some of the enamel has worn off and the lighter is a little worn. It's been half way around the world in the pocket of a GI, who'd expect less? He also wanted me to list the 3 photos shown, the Company HQ, One of their Trucks and their Unit Helicopter!

Auf Anfrage hin erhielt ich weitere Informationen über den Veteranen:

Rolf the following is what Larry Smith the former owner of the lighter sent to me this evening...  He was not drafted into the US Army.  He's suffering the effects of Agent Orange now,  his health is not good, but he has a heart of gold,  a very nice and very gentle war veteran. Bill

I WAS IN THE ARMY 4-4-1969

I WENT TO FORT GORDON,GEORGIA 4-APRIL 1969

FOR THE BASD. TRAINING. THEN WENT TO FORT EUSTIS, VIRGINIA

ELET. SCHOOL 15TH OF AUGUST 1969.

THEN WENT TO THE 765TH 3DAY THEN WENT, TO 56 TRANS CO. WAS THERE FOR 1 YEAR. RANK AT THIS TIME WAS SP5-E-5. WE WORK VERY HARD AND PLAYED HARD GOT OUT 9-14-70 6MO. EARLY OUT.

GOT HONORABLE SERVICE. GOT VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE MEDAL, GOOD CONDUCT , AND ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL.

THANK YOU     LARRY   SMITH   4-13-04

O. Elkins Jr., Plankowner YR-71

Durch Zufall konnte dieses sehr seltene Vietnam Zippo (nur 36 Exemplare wurden hergestellt) erworben werden. Dank der Mails von Jim Olsen wird die Geschichte des Feuerzeuges sehr gut dokumentiert:

Dear Sir:

I am one of the 36 plankowners of the YR-71 to whom those lighters were issued. Mine was stolen in Alabama nearly 30 years ago. The YR-71 was a floating machine shop and "mother ship" for the first PCF (Swift Boats) and their crews deployed to Da Nang Vietnam in Dec. 1965. In the 70s the "barge" as we called her, was turned over to the South Vietnamese and is today no doubt scrap. Another plankowner lighter was sold on ebay recently for over $500, so hang onto it. As I say, there were only 36 of them ever made. They were a gift from the executive officer to the crew on our commissioning day Dec. 1965, and were handed out after the ceremony in Subic Bay, Philippines. I'm hoping someday to find mine again.

Of course, I know Elkins. One of the original crew. I can't remember his rank but I've acquired some old microfilm from the Navy and will be studying it eventually for a novel I'm writing about that period. Maybe there will be more information on him there. Currently however, I'm busy writing mysteries and short stories since they are easier to get published in the present industry climate. You are welcome to leave messages on my website or contact me directly if you have further questions.

I wish you luck with your collection.

- Jim Olsen

Major General Sidney B. Berry Jr.

Eintrag in der Veteranendatendank des Vietnam Krieges (http://www.militaryusa.com)

Im Internet finden sich immer wieder Fragmente, welche die steile Karriere dieses Generals nachzeichnen lassen. Er kämpfte sowohl in Korea als auch in Vietnam:

....

COMPANY A - 1950-1951 KOREA

First time here BUT not the last. To see Lt. Gen. Sidney Berry mention along with Sgt. Lester Guigrey. Theres explaining how good an officer he was, 8/18/50 was a 2nd Lt,. Very soon he was a Capt. and and transfered to battalion, Declared essential ( I under stand ). On my way home I met a guy from battalion who told me he was a Major. Need I say more? He was as respected AS much by his men as he was by his superiors. Hence new recruits at Div. called us "Crazy Able" with Respect. There was nothing we wouldn't do for him.

....

By late August 1966, the division was wrapping up Operation El Paso III, and Viet Cong activity in War Zone C was definitely tapering off. The 1st Brigade planned to run a routine supply convoy from the division base camp at Di An to its base at Phouc Vinh, using National Route 16 for this purpose. The road was frequently mined, so it was necessary to first clear the route and then maintain security on it while the convoys were passing through. This operation, code-named Amarillo, was initiated by the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry (1/2); 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry (1/26); and C Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry (1/4 Cav), all under the operational control (OPCON) of 1st Brigade, commanded by Colonel Sidney Berry. These units were supported by the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery.

....

I was a Rattler Platoon Leader at that time and most of the way through my second tour in Vietnam, all with AHCs. The tactical briefing for the CA into LOLO was conducted by the 101st Div. at Khe Sanh. I believe the briefing was for all ACs involved in the assault. I also believe that a Brigadier General from the 101st was either in attendance or gave part of the briefing (BG Sidney Berry).

....

The Phoenix had passed their first year in Viet Nam but they were going to be tested again and again. Each time they met the challenge. On April 1, 1970 they airlifted troops from B/2/506^th into Firebase Ripcord. Ripcord was located on the eastern edge of the A Shau Valley. It had come under increasing fire from the NVA. On July 21^st MG Sidney Berry, CG of the 101^st made the decision to evacuate Ripcord.

....

Former Commanders of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, Kentucky

....

John A. Boler, STRATCOM

Eintrag in der Veteranendatendank des Vietnam Krieges (http://www.militaryusa.com)

Auszug aus der Homepage von William Messner (http://1st_signal_rvn.tripod.com/story_messner_william.htm):

I was sent to Vung Tau along with a S/Sgt. I was an SFC at the time. This must have been in December 1965. When we arrived at the site there were, of course, other communications already there. There was an AN/TRC 24 site there. I am not sure but it could have been from the 39th Signal Company. There was also a MRC/98 Van there and it was run my the Air Force and PageComm if I remember right. And also a Tropo Scatter Van that was run I believe by the Philco Company. There was a Tech Rep by the name of Hardy. 

We only stayed at that time 2 or 3 days. We made a list of all that we would need to start setting up our part of the site. We came back to Vung Tau by boat from Saigon with a Jeep and a Squad Tent. We set up the tent and shortly after we started to receive new troops. Then RMK started to do the construction of the site. There was a terrible amount of work to be done. A lot of the top of the hill was blasted off. We took over the MRC/98 site from the Air Force. At that time we received a communication Van. We had a hell of a time getting it up there. We had to use a big fork lift from the Air base there to get it around those hairpin turns. I was in charge of the site at that time. We had an officer that was responsible for us, but he stayed in Saigon and only came to the site once a month for pay call.

A few months later and much to my relief we Got a CO. A 2nd LT Boler. He was very young. But was a very nice fellow. The site was a long way from being completed when I left in Nov 1966.

I do not remember the bull dozer going off the hill. But there was a truck that went off the hill. It was loaded with Vietnamese civilian workers. They were going down after they had finished work for the day. We had to go down the hill to eat because we had no mess hall or any water on the hill at that time. We did get a water trailer. and made the daily run down to the airbase to get our water. We built a shower using 55 gallon drums. 

I do not remember the exact date but the Viet Cong hit the air base with a rocket attack. This was sometime in 1966. Most of us were down town or at French Beach. The MP got us out of the town and we went back up on the hill. We sure had a good view on the attack.

Roger M. Quick

Eintrag in der Veteranendatendank des Vietnam Krieges (http://www.militaryusa.com)

AFCS…Air Force Communications Service FF…??

Vietnam Zippo C Btry 2/4 FA 3d Bde 9th Inf Div

Anhand des Auszuges aus dem Standardwerk für den Vietnam Krieg von Shelby L. Stanton "Vietnam Order of Battle" kann dieses Vietnam Zippo sehr gut identifiziert und zugeordnet werden:

Auszug aus "Vietnam Order of Battle"

Vietnam Zippo C Btry 2d Battalion 13th Artillery

Anhand des Auszuges aus dem Standardwerk für den Vietnam Krieg von Shelby L. Stanton "Vietnam Order of Battle" kann dieses Vietnam Zippo sehr gut identifiziert und zugeordnet werden:

Auszug aus "Vietnam Order of Battle"

Vietnam Zippo 9th Inf Dong Tam 1966 - 1967

Anhand des Auszuges aus dem Standardwerk für den Vietnam Krieg von Shelby L. Stanton "Vietnam Order of Battle" kann dieses Vietnam Zippo sehr gut identifiziert und zugeordnet werden:

Auszug aus "Vietnam Order of Battle"

Es lässt sich allerdings nicht klar ergründen, ob der Vorbesitzer in diesem Bataillon Dienst leistete oder in Stab der zweiten Bridge war.

Vietnam Zippo Egnor 1972 - 1973

Dieser Soldat war in der Tat einer der letzten Soldaten in Vietnam: Die letzten amerikanischen Truppen verliessen im März 1973 Vietnam (US Boden Kampftruppen im August 1972).

Leider kann nicht genau definiert werden, wer der genaue Vorbesitzer war. Es sind ca. 4 Soldaten, welche in Frage kommen könnten.

24th Evac Hospital 1966 - 1967

Anhand des Auszuges aus dem Standardwerk für den Vietnam Krieg von Shelby L. Stanton "Vietnam Order of Battle" kann dieses Vietnam Zippo sehr gut identifiziert und zugeordnet werden:

Auszug aus "Vietnam Order of Battle"

Der Besitzer war vermutlich in der ersten Ablösung dieser sanitätsdienstlichen Einrichtung.

Link zur Homepage:

http://www.24thevacuationhospital.org/