The 1st Infantry Division spent its entire time in Vietnam, 1965-early 1970, operating north and west of Saigon, at times close to the Cambodian border and other times much closer to Saigon. The Big Red One often engaged Main Force Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army units in large-scale actions. Involved in the defense of the Saigon approaches during Tet 1968, the 1st Infantry Division withdrew from Vietnam just before the Cambodian Incursion in 1970.
The new tropical jungle jacket was copied from the WW II paratrooper's M1942 jacket. The tropical jacket was a funtional piece of field equipment which was made from a tight woven but light weight rip-stop or twill cotton poplin. This afforded the wearer good protection frrom biting insects and the strong tropical sun. Being a loosely fitting garment which was meant to be worn outside the trousers it also gave good breathability and ventilation. The jacket went through several variations during the war.
The tropical trousers were manufactured of the same fabric as the jungle jacket. It had two slash hip pockets, two rear pockets and two leg carge pockets. Like the jungle jacket it was modeled from the M1942 paratrooper uniform.
The tropical jungle boot was one of the best inovations to come out of the Vietnam War. Development of the boot began in 1955 in an attempt to overcome footwear problems encountered in WW II and Korea. The main problem was the sole separating from the boot in jungle conditions. The jungle boot in Vietnam was a combination of nylon duck upper and a leather foot portion. They were popular for their lightness, quick drying capability and were hard wearing. Later boots included steel sole inserts from protection againt spikes. However, they were not always effective since they became hot and cause blistering during prolonged walking. |
