"A day in Vietnam" Topic

Very nice!

Main page

link

Amicalement
Armand

I mean this is incredible but…

Is that crewman wearing PASGT?!

!and MRE boxes on that track?!

time travelling GIs?

WOW !

No that looks like one of the standard "flak vests" the US ARMY used in SE Asia. The model may make it look too "thin"(?). Yes see here – link

I wore that one in the top line of pics with the 101, '80-'83, then in the ROK with the 2ID, '84-'85. The Light Inf in the 2ID started to get the new Kelvar Vest in about' 85. The Mech[like me!] and Tankers still were using the old Vietnam vintage.

I know the shoulder holster is right. I had one in '82 or 83'. That had been around for a long time.

No I think those are stacked C-rat boxes.

Glad you like it boys!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

It's not a PASGT

It's one of these

I remember C Ration cases as being flatter than that and I certainly never saw a military map as colorful as the one in the diorama. As far as flak jackets go, there were approximate 27 million different versions extant in Southeast Asia, all of them heavy, hot, and clumsy and at least one version (the one I was wearing) that didn't stop shrapnel. I haven't counted the buttons on any of the uniforms nor do I intend to.

LT

Were you in the Marines in Vietnam Brass 1? I'd always heard the Army didn't widely issue flak jackets. Hope you fully recovered from your injuries. Yeah I was thinking the same as you Brass 1. I have some of those 1/35 MRE boxes, I think Dragon puts them printed in some battlefield accessories boxes. They're definitely squarer and taller than the Vietnam era C-rat boxes.

The collar on the vest isn't as bulky as a flak vest and looks a lot more like PASGT to me to be honest, yeah like you said Legion, a lot thinner.

I'm nit picking way more than I usually would but when you go for ultra detail and realism in a diorama of this painting and weathering quality I think it matters.

Nope, Army. I suspect that the issue of flak jackets depended at least in part on the type of unit we were in. I was a combat engineer and we wore them for fun occasions like mine sweeps but usually left them in the supply room for anything else. My first tour in 1969 was ended abruptly when a bouncing betty blasted a serious number of holes through my flak jacket and its contents. Being not very bright,I went back two years later and I saw troops wearing flak jackets much more often, although that might just be because US troops were getting thin on the ground and those of us who were left were a lot busier.

LT

That diorama is a bit too busy for my taste, less is more sometimes.

Also – I am curious why the AK47 and RPG are lying on the ground? They would have been policed up rapidly [unless there were suspected to be booby trapped].

The AK47 has a later [fibreglass?] magazine too.

A lot of work has gone into that model and no doubt gave the builder and viewers a lot of pleasure. So these niggles are minor.

The most dangerous thing in the world?

An Lt with a map….

I remember C Ration cases as being flatter than that

So do I … I thought it was two boxes stacked on top of one another ? Maybe my vision ain't what it used to be ?

Nope, Army. I suspect that the issue of flak jackets depended at least in part on the type of unit we were in.

I certainly never saw a military map as colorful as the one in the diorama.

That is true … maybe he is using a locally produced road map ? But probably not ?

It's not a PASGT

I thought he was talking about the body armor/flak vest not the CVC. However, the CVCs I was issued in the mid-late 80s was not the same as used in SE Asia. But a newer updated version.

Also – I am curious why the AK47 and RPG are lying on the ground? They would have been policed up rapidly [unless there were suspected to be booby trapped].

I think that may be the case … they may be suspected to be booby trapped. But also we don't know the time line of this action/event.

Did the Grunts just get there ?

Did they just see/find the weapons lying there ?

Did the locals just point out where the weapons were ? That looks like the case. And yes, they may be booby trapped ?

Did they just tell the VC to drop their weapons … and they then ran ? Probably not …

Unless the VC were clearly surrendering. The average GI would probably when seeing a VC [or suspected VC] packing weapons would shoot first & ask questions later, I'd think.

The AK47 has a later [fibreglass?] magazine too.

Yes, I don't think the AKs in SE Asia had the plastic "orange" mags. They came out later, IIRC ?

An Lt with a map….

Ah … maybe … After 3 deployments in the jungles of Panama as an LT. I got pretty good. As later as an senior 1LT/newly minted CPT. I max'd the Land Nav Course at Ft. Benning, GA. At the Infantry Officer Adv Course. Coming in a hour early.

But I think my time in the jungle and some of the thick bush of the Southern US. Certainly gave me some very good OJT !

The AK47 has a later [fibreglass?] magazine too.

Nah, it's Bakelite, which has been around since 1909(!).

Battler Britain…the more dangerous thing is a Lt with a map and an idea.

Yes Legion, I was referring to the body armor of course.

Thanks for your story Brass 1

And thank you for your service Brass 1 in SE Asia !