The US Military was poorly equipped for jungle warfare in
Vietnam. Standard issue stuff that was
acceptable in garrison duty stateside or in Europe was quickly found
insufficient in the unforgiving jungles.
Many troops had to make do with commercial items brought in from home or
locally produced items. Eventually, as
more American servicemembers entered Vietnam, their practical experiences led
to more specialized equipment that was better suited to their needs. The Jungle Boots were one of the first improved
items that trickled through the military supply system. The standard issue, full leather boots in use
at this time were hot and heavy, not to mention rotted quickly, in the humid,
tropical climate of Vietnam. Unlike
those boots, jungle boots were mostly made of (relatively) quick-drying canvas
with minimal leather and nylon webbing reinforcement strictly where necessary. They also included spike-protective soles, useful
against the punji stick traps US forces encountered in their roiling counter-insurgency
campaign, and mesh inserts that made air circulate with every step. After Vietnam, jungle boots continued to be
worn into the modern War on Terror period, when new designs made from modern
materials finally replaced this classic.
The jungle boots (size 9R) in this listing definitely have that "been there" look. These were issued and used, likely to a Marine, some time during the Vietnam era. The leather is cracked and the soles clearly have many miles on them, which only adds to the boots' character. The dog tag is attached to the left boot through the laces. I have censored the serial number for privacy reasons since the military was still using Social Security numbers as serials during part of the Vietnam era. Obviously, you will get the entire uncensored dogtag if you purchase it.
The Vietnam War is now 50 years in the past and is being
increasingly re-examined because of how fundamentally it changed American
history. Scarce items like this are not
going to become any easier to find. Buy
now to own a piece of history!
If you buy or win multiple items from me, please message me
about combined shipping. Please see my
other listings for more awesome militaria items from all modern eras,