Hi joe... Just think of any kind of nickname , like junior or , geek, zippo, blaster, Big Bad Wolf, Bro with the fro. Stuff like that Or one of those bad boy names ,like killer, Death Gunner, Ripper , Born killer, trained killer and the like. Use your imagination as any nickname will do. Have any of your friends in the fire brigade got nicknames? Maybe use one of those names...........Al

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil because I am the most evil mother f**ker in the valley

I don't know of any books or referances dedicated to GI helmet/flak vest grafitti. I do know many had a short timer's calander where they marked down the months or final days of their tour. The peace symbol and flags were also popular.

A correction on your swastika though. The Buddist peace symbol is not a true swastika. The American Indian (yes, look up US 45th Infantry Div) and ancient Norse symbol used as the German Swastika has the ends of the legs pointing to the right.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wgh3P0eqLmk/SS31VOSbBNI/AAAAAAAADCQ/blQwQPnoxas/s400/swastika.png

The Buddist peace symbol has the ends of the legs pointing to the left.
http://www.san-shin.net/images/SGS-Bogwangsa-03.JPG

There seems to be a fair amount of visual evidence that it continues to be an important symbol in Hinduism.

Hi guys,
Okay, here is a bit of an obscure one for you & I might not be in the right forum for this anyway, but here goes.
Figures, in my opinion, are an essential addition to any diorama. They help to tell the story of what's going on in the scene. Photographs of the Vietnam war often depict grunts sporting weird & wonderful grafitti on their helmets & flak jackets. I've been trying to source some good references on this subject for sometime now but have drawn a complete blank.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for good reference material on this subject, please?

Joe.

I don't know about the graffiti, but I know a bit about the swastika. It was not only Buddhist, but its use began in the New Stone age, about 11000 years ago. It was commonly taken to mean good luck before its association with the Nazi stigma. It is possible to paint it either way without evoking Nazi meanings - for instance the Hindu swastika, which symbolizes harmony.

Hi guys,
Okay, here is a bit of an obscure one for you & I might not be in the right forum for this anyway, but here goes.
Figures, in my opinion, are an essential addition to any diorama. They help to tell the story of what's going on in the scene. Photographs of the Vietnam war often depict grunts sporting weird & wonderful grafitti on their helmets & flak jackets. I've been trying to source some good references on this subject for sometime now but have drawn a complete blank.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for good reference material on this subject, please?
I'm looking for books, photographs, interesting quotes that were daubed across the back of a flak jacket or some other garment & as much information as I can possibly get.
I know that peace symbols, both the CND sign & even the swastika ( the swastika is in actual fact a Buddhist peace symbol ) were sometimes seen daubed across helmets & flak jackets but what else?
Any help on this subject would be truly appreciated.
Thankyou kindly, in advance.
Joe.

Hi joe... Just think of any kind of nickname , like junior or , geek, zippo, blaster, Big Bad Wolf, Bro with the fro. Stuff like that Or one of those bad boy names ,like killer, Death Gunner, Ripper , Born killer, trained killer and the like. Use your imagination as any nickname will do. Have any of your friends in the fire brigade got nicknames? Maybe use one of those names...........Al

Quoted Text

---

Hi joe... Just think of any kind of nickname , like junior or , geek, zippo, blaster, Big Bad Wolf, Bro with the fro. Stuff like that Or one of those bad boy names ,like killer, Death Gunner, Ripper , Born killer, trained killer and the like. Use your imagination as any nickname will do. Have any of your friends in the fire brigade got nicknames? Maybe use one of those names...........Al

---

Hi Al,
How are you doing?
Oh yeah, we have nicknames in the fire brigade alright! But they're more derogatory than anything else. I cant really write "chocolate teapot" across the back of a flak jacket, can I? LOL
But your point is definitely taken Al. I see what you mean. Thanks for the pointer.
Joe.

Doing great Joe, thanks for asking. By the way....by total coincidence...last night I poped into the CD player the movie "Platoon". The uniforms and equipment in that movie are very authentic. It would be a good reference.

I'm not aware of any specific book or article on the subject of soldier graffiti, though it would probably make an interesting study for a sociologist. But it was never a matter of "anything goes." The Army would only tolerate so much dissent. By 1970, a very common piece of graffiti on helmet covers was the acronym FTA, meaning "F--- the Army." As the war progressed, the vast proportion of the troops were draftees who didn't care what happened to Vietnam, and simply wanted to get in and get out alive. FTA was discreet enough that the "lifers" (career noncoms and officers) would not spot the rebellious sentiment.
The Marines, on the other hand, were an all-volunteer force, and such expressions of protest were less common on their gear.
If you'd like to research it further, the archives of Time-Life are a gold mine of photos of Vietnam era GI's, and much of it is available online.

Quoted Text

---

Hi guys,
Okay, here is a bit of an obscure one for you & I might not be in the right forum for this anyway, but here goes.
Figures, in my opinion, are an essential addition to any diorama. They help to tell the story of what's going on in the scene. Photographs of the Vietnam war often depict grunts sporting weird & wonderful grafitti on their helmets & flak jackets. I've been trying to source some good references on this subject for sometime now but have drawn a complete blank.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for good reference material on this subject, please?

Joe.

---