Ben Silver Special Forces TieI remember when I first saw the tie. The colors represent the Special Forces Green Beret as well as the unit patch in a nod to UK regimental unit ties. The rep runs from the heart up, as opposed to the UK rep running from the heart down. The Ben Silver catalog describes the tie design,
"This elite branch is best known by their distinctive green berets. The stripe takes its design from the official branch color, “jungle” green and unique turquoise and gold “arrowhead” arm patch, featuring a dagger piercing lightning bolts. Earned the nickname “Saigon Electrical Works” during the Vietnam Conflict. (Black, forest green, King Fisher blue, silver-white)"I thought Dad would love it but found it last week, unopened in the gift box, on his closet shelf. What I forgot about my father in selecting the gift was his new found love of name tags. And like a tie, they can say volumes...
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6 comments:
Elegant tie...
I don't mean to spoil the elegance of your post with vulgar directness, but could you help a stranger out a little? Is your Dad's tag meant to be ironic or did he sour on the war and its politicians? Or both?
Oyster guy-
There's a long story behind his Imperial Aggressor bit but it's not for public consumption. If you're interested, email me and I'll tell you.
tintin,
Did your dad have any desire to go back and see Vietnam? My Dad went back a few years ago on business(his tour with Army Intelligence in 66 wasn't particularly rough and as he has recounted many times the closet he came to an injury was falling off a few bar stools) and said the local populace was the most pro American he had encountered outside of Poland. Wondering what your old man thought of what post war Vietnam became.
Maybe he didn't want to have the pink shirt discussion.
A friend of ours did three tours in Vietnam. He went back just recently, as a member of a diplomatic visit.
Application for diplomatic visas asks “Have you ever visited Vietman before?”
Answering that question took maybe a half dozen highly paid members of the diplomatic corps much of an afternoon.
Anon 29 Feb- I offered to take him when I was writing a story based on Operation Crazy Horse (Spring of 1966). He had no interest and declined adding if I was stupid enough to go I should be careful of mines in his AO.
Anon 1 March- He did not like pink shirts. That's for sure.
AW- I'd like to go. I have a detailed one over fifty map with Dad's coordinates of event locations and his SF camp. Maybe someday.
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