Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is a fantastic offering! We often receive “battle damaged” items but it is rare to come across one with a history attached. Upon inspection of the “moonbeam”, a handwritten note was found inside, giving us details of when and where the flashlight was struck by an enemy round.

The note reads as follows:

CHARLIE TROOP
1/9 CAV. 1ST CAV

MY FLASHLIGHT WAS HIT
WHEN CLEARING A TUNNEL.

BONG SON PLAIN
BINH DINH PROV.
II CORPS

OPERATION PERSHING
FEB. 17, 1967

Operation Pershing was an operation conducted by the 1st Cavalry Division, the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 22nd Division and the South Korean Capital Division in Bình Định Province, lasting from 12 February 1967 to 19 January 1968.

The operation concluded on 19 January 1968 with the 1st Cavalry Division being ordered to move 350 km north from Landing Zone English in Bình Định Province to Camp Evans in Thừa Thiên Province as part of Operation Checkers, to increase the number of maneuver battalions in I Corps in order to support the besieged Marines at Khe Sanh Combat Base and defeat any other People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) attack across the DMZ.

The damaged flashlight is a Fulton MX991/U. The MX-991/U Flashlight, aka GI Flashlight, Army flashlight, or Moonbeam from the TL-122 military flashlight series of 1937-1944 and is a development of the MX-99/U flashlight issued in 1963. Produced since the Vietnam era, the MX-991/U has been made by various contractors over the years, including GT Price, Bright Star, and Fulton Industries. MX-991/U flashlights currently issued to the United States Army and United States Marines are produced by Fulton Industries. The flashlight's signature right angle design has proved popular in civilian use.

The round struck the left side of the flashlight head, right on the line between the flashlight body and the ring closest to the body, and exited out the opposite. It is our guess that the soldier that was using the flashlight was holding it close to the bottom cap. It is our belief that he was holding it as such due to the threaded end piece is almost completely broken away, so do handle with caution if you remove the bottom. There are 2 red filters and 1 clear filter housed in the proper compartment on the bottom. Unfortunately the blue filter is missing and so is the spare bulb that is usually located under the battery spring.

A beautiful example that comes more than ready for further research and display.