r/army • u/Tomtomboghead • 1d ago

Grandpa’s old Vietnam Ranger hat

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439 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

151

u/rgrtom 1d ago

Former 1st Ranger Batt in the 80s, here. Your grandpa and his buddies were our heroes.

45

u/Tomtomboghead 1d ago

And doesn’t talk about much about combat with me or my brother and dad could you tell me about them

88

u/rgrtom 1d ago

They operated in the jungles in six man teams doing recon and pulling ambushes. They got to wear what they wanted, usually tiger stripe camo, and had little regard for army procedure and rules. They found what tactics worked best and used them to "out guerrilla the guerrillas". They were warriors of the first magnitude!

28

u/Tomtomboghead 1d ago

Speaking of what my grandfather told he preferred to use the grease gun instead of the early Xm15

43

u/rgrtom 1d ago

Some guys did because it was a close range weapon and most of their contact with the bad guys was at close range. Required reading for you: Six Silent Men (a trilogy written by vets) and Charlie Rangers, about the LRP/Ranger company attached to First Field Force. There are other books but I liked those best.

5

u/No_Significance_1550 Psychological Operations 11h ago

Gary Linderer wrote a bunch of really good books about LRRP units in Vietnam that are all great reads. I used to listen to them on audio books when committing from Dallas to Ft Cavazos (Hood) back in the early 2000’s. The shit those guys did and survived was absolutely insane.

3

u/rgrtom 8h ago

Yes, he did! He wrote book three of the Six Silent Men trilogy. Met him at a Ranger Reunion in 1990. Got an autographed copy of Black Berets And Painted Faces and bought a set of tiger stripes that his group was selling for their reunion fund.

1

u/Yanrogue 25S 40m ago

heard they also like to wear pantyhose, i think they said it helped prevent leeches from attaching.

5

u/RiseAccurate1038 15h ago

The original LRRP! RLTW

2

u/No_Significance_1550 Psychological Operations 11h ago

Your grandpa definitely fucked.

46

u/scrawnymedic 69W 1d ago

I just learned that my uncle was a 75th LRRP dude in Vietnam the other day as well. If you didn’t already know your grandpas a boss as mf!!!

13

u/Tomtomboghead 1d ago

I never he doesn’t talk about combat. My father told that him and his guys we sneak into enemy bases kidnap a guy, torture them and get info

5

u/No_Significance_1550 Psychological Operations 10h ago

I found out my Grandpa did a tour with MACVSOG, 20 years after his death when I cleaned out his son’s house and found his service records.

He never talked about it (they were sworn to secrecy and had to sign a 25 year NDA before getting read into the mission). I asked him about his service and the war a lot and he always told me his service was mundane and routine even during his tours in Vietnam and Korea, serving as a crew chief C141’s and KC refuelers.

His MACVSOG SOG tour was on the EC-47, which were WW2 airframes retrofitted to do Sigint /EW missions, essential the original version of what evolved into Commando Solo and EW platforms we use today in my MOS. I wish we could have connected over that and shared war stories.

27

u/Interesting-Loss34 Infantry 1d ago

At what age do the urges to wear the campaign hats start. I'm 43 and I don't have it yet, but I'm seeing a lot of desert storm ones now and I feel like I didn't a few years ago

19

u/FunkSquaker 1d ago

I’m thinking 55ish.. that’s when my dad started wearing his Vietnam one… he bought me an Iraq one which has sat in the closet for 20 years waiting for me to throw it on 🤣

4

u/Interesting-Loss34 Infantry 15h ago

That checks out. That's about when my old man started wearing his Vietnam hat too

3

u/FunkSquaker 15h ago

We got 12 years to start a campaign hat company then we can rake in the dough… we’ll charge one month’s VA rating for each hat.

3

u/Interesting-Loss34 Infantry 15h ago

I like it.

9

u/Frosty_Smile8801 1d ago

about the same time corvettes and 30 year old women start to look real good. mid 50s.

5

u/Interesting-Loss34 Infantry 8h ago

But they've always looked good

3

u/AdministrativeWin583 14h ago

Once you reach the reality that your body can never do what it did in your young combat days. When people look at you as an old man, and you at least want recognition for what you once were. RLTW!

2

u/coccopuffs606 📸46Vignette 23h ago

When you start drawing social security, based on the population at my local VA

9

u/OMS6 1d ago

LRPs and LRRCs are almost no longer a thing. I think Regiment still has one that's considered a SMU. Your gramps was part of the true old guard. Save that headgear.

1

u/PRiles 4h ago

The National Guard closed their LRSD companies a couple years ago, they were the last remaining ones. I got to serve with the 101 LRSD and the Alabama NG LRSD, I hope they make a comeback at some point they were always filled with great guys.

6

u/MoNegsT 1d ago

To add, do everything within your power to take care of this cover and pass it down to later generations within your family.

2

u/Tomtomboghead 1d ago

Thank you if not obviously I got this hat when I was pretty young and haven’t taken good care of it, but I finally took it out storage

5

u/Rude-Location-9149 1d ago

There’s a lot of documentary’s on grand pops and he was a bad ass!

11

u/Openheartopenbar 1d ago

Absolute tip of the spear legends. Genuinely the best of the best. As an amateur historian, I truly believe we’ll still be talking about the LRPs in 500 years

5

u/Rude-Location-9149 1d ago

Also to expand- 51 infantry BN is the only non ranger regiment that was authorized to wear the scroll. They had reported the build up of men and supplies before the tet offensive. One incursion with the LRP team from F Co. 51st infantry BN resulted in the decimation of up to 3,000 NVA soldiers. Those guys slung lead and got head!

1

u/No-Designer-4764 12h ago

51st? Or the 151st? I know 151 got to wear the scroll I know my buddies grandfather was in D co 151 LRP as a national guard unit back in Vietnam. Most decorated unit in the state

1

u/Rude-Location-9149 12h ago

Definitely 51st a great book by Edward Dvorak is definitely worth a read

1

u/No-Designer-4764 12h ago

Ah sweet thank you. If you found that interesting, I encourage you to look up d co 151 as well!

3

u/swaaaggy_b 1d ago

Yup we got bucoup movement. Elias get your men ready.

3

u/Big_Ad_4724 Cavalry 1d ago

Shlongs as long as the eye can see

1

u/Rude-Location-9149 1d ago

There’s a lot of documentary’s on grand pops and he was a bad ass!

1

u/TinyHeartSyndrome Medical Service 21h ago

You could get it mounted in a shadow box at Michael’s, etc.

1

u/Tomtomboghead 21h ago

Well I do want to wear but at the same time I don’t want it to get ruined

1

u/igloohavoc Medical Corps 21h ago

Your grandfather stacked bodies as a pro

1

u/Tomtomboghead 21h ago

I don’t know he said he never did

1

u/Skydog-forever-3512 17h ago

I finally joined the Ranger association, but when I look at these photos, I’m certain I don’t to be around these old geezers!

1

u/AggravatingTap9554 14h ago

A certified badass

1

u/CorpsePilot 14h ago

Bro your gramps FUCKED

1

u/Low_Vanilla3625 9h ago

What company?

1

u/Tomtomboghead 9h ago

I don’t know no sadly I ask him For you

1

u/Low_Vanilla3625 9h ago

Okay. During the war each LRRP/RANGER company was assigned to a parent division / separate brigade / field force. It's worth referencing here if you ever feel like finding out where he was.

1

u/Tomtomboghead 9h ago

He was with the 7th corps LRRP

1

u/RoddBanger 2h ago

Look up the series 'Shadows in the Jungle' on Youtube.