ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Non-military issue, U.S. Navy men's beret dedicated to U.S. Navy Yeoman First Class (YN1) Oliver Earl Durham. The artifact was left at The Wall as part of a larger artifact assemblage (VIVE (4648 & 4649)) by Paul R. Salley on Veterans Day, November 11, 1986.

NON-MILITARY ISSUE, U.S. NAVY MEN'S BERET DEDICATED TO U.S. NAVY YEOMAN FIRST CLASS (YN1) OLIVER EARL DURHAM. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A BLACK, KNITTED WOOL EXTERIOR SHELL, BLACK NYLON INTERIOR LINING, BLACK VINYL SWEATBAND, A BLACK NYLON DRAWSTRING CORD FOR SIZE ADJUSTMENT, AND A SEWN-IN STIFFENER INSERT AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. A POLY-PLASTIC SLEEVE OR WINDOW IS SEWN TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE BERET AND HOUSES A CARD PRINTED IN VIETNAMESE SCRIPT IN RED AND BLACK INK, PRESUMABLY IDENTIFYING THE "IN-COUNTRY" MANUFACTURER OF THE OBJECT [?] A FURTHER DIAMOND-SHAPED MANUFACTURER'S TAG INSIDE THE PLASTIC SLEEVE IS PRINTED IN ARABIC NUMERALS AND RED AND GOLD INK AND READS, "55" AT THE CENTER. AFFIXED TO THE OBVERSE SURFACE OF THE BERET IS A HANDMADE (LIKELY 'IN-COUNTRY' [?]) BERET FLASH FOR THE U.S. NAVY TASK FORCE 116 MOBILE RIVERINE FORCE (VIVE (4648)). THE CIRCULARLY SHAPED INSIGNIA IS COMPRISED OF RAISED GOLD BULLION THREAD OVER A WHITE, BLUE, AND RED FIELD AND IS ENCASED INSIDE A CLEAR POLY-PLASTIC SLEEVE. THE OBJECT IS ASSOCIATED WITH VIVE (4648 & 4649), AND IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO VIVE (30671); ALTHOUGH THE VIVE DATABASE DOES NOT SUPPORT ANY ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VIVE (4647) & VIVE (30671).

Text of the card printed in Vietnamese script at the interior surface of the beret is transcribed in full, as follows: "Nhap cang Beret, Chuyen may Non Ket va In cac loai Phu-hieu / HU'NG-DAO / 447C, TRAN-HUNG-DAO / SAIGON"

Item Weight: 100.0g (Collective weight of VIVE (4647 & 4648))
Item Height: 7.0cm
Item Depth: 26.0cm (Diameter) / 81.6cm (Circumference)