ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Artifact assemblage consisting of a black & white photographic print and a military issue, U.S. Army 196th Infantry Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia patch dedicated to the U.S. Army German shepherd scout dog pictured in the photograph. Between the years 1964 - 1973, the United States deployed an estimated 4,000 war dogs and 10,000 handlers to help defend South Vietnam from invasion from North Vietnam. The German shepherd dog and handler were generally deployed with the Infantry and Combat Engineer units. They were trained to sniff out mines and booby traps buried on roads, hidden on bridges or in buildings, and to sniff out the location of tunnels. These service animals were classified as equipment by the Department of Defense (DOD) and left behind in South Vietnam following the American military withdrawl, either to be transferred to the South Vietnamese forces or to be euthanized. The U.S. Army 196th Infantry Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia is comprised of an oblong blue shield at both ends, with a yellow double-headed match crossed and looped at the bottom and enflamed at both ends in colors of yellow and orange. The color blue in the insignia is used to denote the Infantry Branch, while the yellow and red allude to the Cavalry and the Artillery Branches, respectively. The double-headed match, used during the days of the matchlock musket, was lighted at both ends to ensure readiness for battle. The U.S. Army 196th Infantry Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia was approved for use on 29 October 1965. According to a handwritten note accompanying the photograph, the scout dog was killed in action at Khe Sanh on January 6, 1968 while serving with, "Co A/4/31" of the U.S. Army 196th Infantry Brigade. The artifact was left at The Wall by an anonymous donor between January - February 1986. (Source(s): The Institute of Heraldry- http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil / Military Working Dog Teams National Monument- www.jbmf.us/hst-vietnam.aspx)

ASSEMBLAGE CONSISTING OF A BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT (PORTRAIT ORIENTATION) AND A MILITARY ISSUE, CLOTH PATCH U.S. ARMY 196TH INFANTRY BRIGADE SHOULDER SLEEVE INSIGNIA AFFIXED TO A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SEGMENT OF PAINTED CARDBOARD AND SEALED IN CLEAR, HOUSEHOLD PLASTIC WRAP. THE PHOTOGRAPH IS AFFIXED TO THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE, WAS APPARENTLY TAKEN 'IN-COUNTRY' IN VIETNAM [?], AND DEPICTS A GERMAN SHEPHERD BREED AMERICAN MILITARY SCOUT DOG IN FIELD VEST SEATED IN AN OPEN GRASSY AREA. HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTIONS IN BLUE INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS ALONG THE UPPER AND LOWER EDGES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT IDENTIFY THE SERVICE ANIMAL, CASUALTY DATE, CASUALTY LOCATION, AND UNIT. BETWEEN THE YEARS 1964 - 1973, THE UNITED STATES DEPLOYED AN ESTIMATED 4,000 WAR DOGS AND 10,000 HANDLERS TO HELP DEFEND SOUTH VIETNAM FROM INVASION FROM NORTH VIETNAM. THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG AND HANDLER WERE GENERALLY DEPLOYED WITH THE INFANTRY AND COMBAT ENGINEER UNITS. THEY WERE TRAINED TO SNIFF OUT MINES AND BOOBY TRAPS BURIED ON ROADS, HIDDEN ON BRIDGES OR IN BUILDINGS, AND TO SNIFF OUT THE LOCATION OF TUNNELS. THESE SERVICE ANIMALS WERE CLASSIFIED AS EQUIPMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND LEFT BEHIND IN SOUTH VIETNAM FOLLOWING THE AMERICAN WITHDRAWL, EITHER TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE FORCES OR TO BE EUTHANIZED. (SOURCE: MILITARY WORKING DOG TEAMS NATIONAL MONUMENT- WWW.JBMF.US/HST-VIETNAM.ASPX) THE U.S. ARMY 196TH INFANTRY BRIGADE SHOULDER SLEEVE INSIGNIA IS AFFIXED TO THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE CARDBOARD SUBSTRATE AND IS COMPRISED OF AN OBLONG BLUE SHIELD AT BOTH ENDS, WITH A YELLOW DOUBLE HEADED MATCH CROSSED AND LOOPED AT THE BOTTOM AND ENFLAMED AT BOTH ENDS EMBROIDERED IN YELLOW AND ORANGE THREAD AT THE CENTER. THE COLOR BLUE IN THE INSIGNIA IS USED TO DENOTE INFANTRY, WHILE THE YELLOW AND RED ALLUDE TO THE CAVALRY AND THE ARTILLERY. THE DOUBLE HEADED MATCH, USED DURING THE DAYS OF THE MATCHLOCK MUSKET, WAS LIGHTED AT BOTH ENDS TO ENSURE READINESS FOR BATTLE. THE U.S. ARMY 196TH INFANTRY BRIGADE SHOULDER SLEEVE INSIGNIA WAS APPROVED FOR USE ON 29 OCTOBER 1965. (SOURCE: THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDRY- HTTP://WWW.TIOH.HQDA.PENTAGON.MIL) BOTH THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT AND THE SHOULDER SLEEVE INSIGNIA ARE AFFIXED TO A SEGMENT OF CARDBOARD, PAINTED RED AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE AND A DARK BLUE AT THE REVERSE SURFACE. UPON EXAMINATION, IT APPEARS THAT TWO (2) BLANK SPACES RESERVED WITHIN THE BLUE FIELD AT THE REVERSE SURFACE WOULD SEEM TO INDICATE THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE ORIGINALLY INTENDED BACKGROUND FOR DISPLAY, PRIOR TO THE USE OF THE OPPOSITE SURFACE AND NEW BACKGROUND COLOR [?]. THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLAGE IS TIGHTLY WRAPPED IN A CLEAR, FLEXIBLE HOUSEHOLD POLY-PLASTIC WRAP, MOST LIKELY COMPRISED EITHER OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) OR LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (LDPE) [?]

Text of the handwritten inscriptions at the upper and lower edges of the obverse object surface is transcribed in full, as follows: [Upper object edge, handwritten text] "Scout Dog / K.I.A. 1/6/68" / [Lower object edge, handwritten inscription] "Que Son / Co A/4/31-196th INF"

Item Weight: 15.1g
Item Length: 10.0cm
Item Width: 15.0cm
Item Depth: 0.5cm (Thickness)