Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice condition nomex uniform top that belonged to a Captain Anderson with 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry in Vietnam. The lineage of Troop G, 17th Cavalry, was perpetuated by HHT, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry which arrived in Vietnam from Fort Knox, KY, on 28 October 1967 and was attached to the 17th Aviation Group at Pleiku. It moved to Đắk Tô Base Camp in March 1968 and in May returned to Pleiku. In September 1969 the squadron was relocated to Kontum, moved to Dragon Mountain in November, and in January 1970 the unit returned to Pleiku. In March 1971 it went to Qui Nhon and in late 1971 it was posted to An Son. The 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry departed Vietnam on 18 April 1972.

The shirt features very beautiful embroidery which would have been done locally while in country. Many servicemen would opt to have this done because it was easier to have it done on site somewhere, as opposed to waiting for a supply request to have name tapes and other items replaced.

Featured On The Jacket:
-9th Infantry Division Patch: Located on the right shoulder. It appears to have been partially made of felt, the blue felt has retained very nicely, unfortunately the red felt did not. The shoulder sleeve insignia is an octofoil resembling a heraldic design given to the ninth son of a family. This represents the son as a circle in the middle with eight brothers around him. The blue represents the infantry, the red the artillery with all the white making the colors of the flag of the United States of America. The 9th Division was reactivated on 1 February 1966, and arrived in South Vietnam on 16 December 1966 from Fort Riley, Kansas. On deployment the division was assigned to the III Corps Tactical Zone of Vietnam where it commenced operations in Dinh Tuong and Long An Provinces (6 January-31 May 1967) in Operation Palm Beach. Its area of operations was in the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972. Operating deep within the Viet Cong (VC)–controlled Delta, the Division was charged with protecting the area and its population against VC insurgents and ensuring the success of the South Vietnamese government's pacification program. Faced with unrelenting physical hardships, a tenacious enemy and the region's rugged terrain, the Division established strategies and quantifiable goals for completing their mission.

-1st Aviation Brigade Patch: The patch is located on the left shoulder. The 1st Aviation Brigade commands three distinctly different battalions—the 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment; the 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment; and the 2nd Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, the former Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The 1st Aviation Brigade traces its origins to the Vietnam War. In April 1965 the U.S. Army Aviation Brigade (Provisional) was activated with the existing 13th, 14th, 52nd, and 145th Aviation Battalions, already in South Vietnam, reporting to it. In August 1965 it became the 12th Aviation Group, which then doubled in size and was used to form the 1st Aviation Brigade in March 1966. Dunstan, in Vietnam Choppers writes that the numerous independent aviation companies deployed during the war's early years had become difficult to move between sectors because they had developed 'individual means of operating in conjunction with the formations they supported.' Thus the brigade was formed to achieve standardization.

- 7th Squadron 17th Cavalry Patch: The patch is located on the right front breast pocket.

- Embroidered Insignia: The right collar is a set of black embroidered Captains bars and the left collar is the insignia for the 7th Squadron 17th Cavalry, a 17 with crossed sabers and a 7 underneath. Both have retained the stitching and color very nicely. Other insignia is the Combat Infantryman Badge, Army Aviator Wings and a Parachutist Badge, all of which are embroidered and retained very nicely.

This uniform shows only slight wear and is without any damage. All zippers, pockets and buttons are present and function properly. This is a very nice example of a beautiful Vietnam Pilot’s nomex jacket! Comes ready to display in your Army Aviation collections!

Sizes:
Small Regular
Chest: Fits 33 to 37 Inches
Height: 67 to 71 inches

Nomex
Nomex is a flame-resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967. Nomex and related aramid polymers are related to nylon, but have aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable. Nomex is an example of a meta variant of the aramids (Kevlar is a para aramid). Unlike Kevlar, Nomex strands cannot align during filament polymerization and have less strength: its ultimate tensile strength is 340 MPa. However, it has excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance for a polymer material. It can withstand temperatures of up to 370°C.

Military pilots and aircrew wear flight suits made of over 92 percent Nomex to protect them from the possibility of cockpit fires and other mishaps. Troops riding in ground vehicles often wear Nomex. Kevlar thread is often used to hold the fabric together at seams. Military tank drivers also typically use Nomex hoods as protection against fire.