Early American Special Forces in Vietnam arrived wearing the same heavy cotton uniforms of the conventional army serving stateside and in Europe. These uniforms were ill-suited for Vietnam's tropical climate and lacked the camouflage properties of the country's thick jungles. The U.S. Army had officially done away with camouflage patterns at the end of WW II and felt that the OD green uniform filled the need of camo utilities. Army regulations at this time prevented "unauthrorized" uniforms such as foreign and even locally purchased camouflage from outlets like Sears and Roebuck. These regulations were usually disregarded in exchange for the comfort and protection the camouflage provided. Many advisors were also aware that wearing a green beret and non-camouflaged uniforms could draw unwanted gunfire from the enemy. Wearing Vietnamese uniforms also showed support and helped with unit cohesion.
From 1963 to 1965 the Civilian Irregular Defense Group, CIDG, were organized into local defense forces.They were recruited and trained by U.S. Special Forces. They were outfitted with the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, "MDAP," pattern duckhunter camouflage, the first to be distributed to the CIDG strikers. These uniforms were produced in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong. Although the MDAP appeared in variations, they shared the same geometric shapes over a tan background and rarely touched each other. In the mid-1960's the MDAP pattern proved to be ineffective, as it was not green enough for Vietnam's jungles and its light color was conspicious.
This advisor sports an MDAP pattern uniform and is outfitted with a mixture of WWII and M1956 gear. Interestingly his weapon of choice is a WWII German MP40. |
