Brown Water Navy Vietnam War

this display is dedicated to the Riverine Forces in the Vietnam War, also known as the "Brown Water Navy"

Items include: GI issue M1 steel helmets with a South Vietnamese Sailor's name stenciled on the front and another helmet with some personalized VN period artwork , US pistol M1911A1 .45 automatic & GI black leather hip holster with web pistol belt, U.S. Military issue Lensatic Compass M-1950 with pouch, a pair of well used GI issue Vietnam Jungle Boots dated 1966, WWII era USN MK2 KABAR Fighting knife with scabbard, and canteen with M56 web pouch.

Next is a Vietnam era M52 Flak vest, personal body armor vest worn by Navy boat crews during patrols.

The United States Navy found itself embroiled in a war that was fought at first, off the coastal waters of South Vietnam, and then in the river deltas, smaller waterways and canals of the country. To combat North Vietnamese infiltration of men and supplies by sea, three Task Forces were formed: TF-115 called Operation MARKET TIME; TF-116 called Operation GAME WARDEN; and TF-117 called the MOBILE RIVERINE FORCE (a joint amphibious Army-Navy riverine operation).

PBR [Patrol boat, River]

The crew of a PBR was four men -- A first class or chief petty officer, a gunner's mate, an engineman, and a seaman. Each man was cross-trained to do the other man’s job if he was wounded or killed. PBRs operated in pairs and patrolled the various rivers and canals day and night. The PBRs searched sampans and junks for weapons and supplies. The Viet Cong were very good at concealing such material in even the smallest of boats. Only by thoroughly checking every boat could the flow of weapons and supplies be stopped.