Original Item. Only One Available. This is a choice maroon BDQ Airborne Beret as used by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. It has a gorgeous bullion cap badge for the Biet-Dong-Quan Rangers (BDQ) on the front with a single wing sitting atop an arrow over a wreath. The hat shows considerable age from honest period wear, with signs of being worn in a hot, humid environment, and some of the bullion of the badge has come off, namely on the wing as shown. This example is also missing its plastic crown sweat shield, as most came off quite easily. Size is approximately 6⅝.

South Vietnamese items from the Vietnam War are incredibly hard to come by, especially from elite units like the BDQ. This is an excellent example, perfect for the Vietnam collector!

The Vietnamese Rangers, properly known in Vietnamese as the Biệt Động Quân (En:Commando) and commonly known as the ARVN Rangers, were the light infantry of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Trained and assisted by American Special Forces and Ranger advisers, the Vietnamese Rangers infiltrated beyond enemy lines in search and destroy missions. Initially trained as a counter-insurgency light infantry force by removing the fourth company each of the existing infantry battalions, they later expanded into a swing force capable of conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations, and were relied on to retake captured regions. Later during Vietnamization the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program was transferred from MACV and integrated as Border Battalions responsible for manning remote outposts in the Central Highlands.

Rangers were often regarded as among the most effective units in the war. Part of this was due to the specialized role of these units, given that they had their origins in French-raised Commando Units, the GCMA which were drawn from Viet Minh defectors and Tai-Kadai groups, operating in interdiction and counter-intelligence roles,] and were trained specifically for counter-insurgency and rough-terrain warfare in the region. Ranger Units often had a US Military Adviser attached to these units although operated independently. With improvements in the ARVN from 1969 onward and the growing prestige of the Airborne and Marine Division, depredation had caused the Central Highlands-based Rangers to become manned by deserters, released convicts and Montagnards nevertheless the unit continued to operate in the Easter Offensive and frontier skirmishes in 1973 and 1974.

A very nice Vietnam war cap with some flaws as shown, ready to add to your collection!