Vietnam M-1 helmet with marking on cover.

[Jared S.]

Here's the lid I mentioned in the patch thread. Anyone have any thoughts on the markings (what they mean)? I bought this awhile back at a junk store.

[Jared S.]

Close up:

[Jared S.]

Here's the liner

[Jeff Ashenfelter]

Jared,
I have seen this marking before on helmet covers. I always assumed it was for the 187th glider Infantry regiment. This was a take off of the patch you showed earlier for the Ryukus command. The 187th was renamed the 187th Airborne regimental combat team at the outbreak of the Korean war. This unit was nicknamed the( Rakkasans). It got this name which is translated from Japanese. It literally means "falling down umbrella". This unit was stationed in Japan at the end of the war. Thus it's afilliation with the Ryukus command. Jeff A

[VerKuilen Ager]

That's a Viet Nam era camouflage cover. Don't know when it happened (sometime before the mid-70s), but the torii gate patch was redesignated as being for the Okinawa Base Command for the U.S. Army Garrison, Okinawa.

[Jared S.]

Thanks for the info Jeff! I did a search online and found the below paragraph at The Army Historical Foundation website about the 187th's Vietnam history:

"During the Vietnam War, the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, fought with the 101st Airborne Division. During its service in Vietnam, primarily in the Central Highlands and the A Shau Valley, the Rakkasans were awarded twelve campaign streamers and nine unit decorations, including a Presidential Unit Citation for the battle of Dong Ap Bia Mountain, better known as Hamburger Hill."

Here's the link:
http://www.armyhistoryfnd.org/armyhi...page_type_id=3

Jared