Title
Viet Cong F-100 Commandos Medal
Description
A lightweight and thin, gold star-shaped medal sitting on a stippled, red circle and hanging from a small rectangular pin than says 'thanh pho go chi minh.' The central device shows a firearm and a bamboo stick sitting perpendicular to each other with a partial gear on the firearm side and laurel leaves on the bamboo side. Surrounding this motif are the words 'trang nhan dan, truyen thong, luc luong vu.' 'Thành phố hồ chí minh' translates loosely as 'Ho Chi Minh City.'
Collection
James "Doc" Pueschel Collection
Context
This piece was collected by James "Doc" Pueschel after his Vietnam War service. A Navy corpsman attached to the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, Mike Company during the Vietnam War, Pueschel was one of many Navy medical personnel attached to a Marine unit.
Ultimately only in country 75 days (March 17 -June 1, 1968) Pueschel was attached to Mike Company, tasked with protecting truck convoys along Route 9 to and from Khe Sanh Combat Base. On May 31st, 1968, a booby-trapped M-16 set off an explosion that tore through the company.
After the explosion and sustained firefighting with the Viet Cong, backup arrived, and Pueschel was medevac'd with all the Mike Company marines. Mike Company took 100% casualties, with their Navy corpsman taking four injuries while attempting to patch men up during combat.
Ultimately only in country 75 days (March 17 -June 1, 1968) Pueschel was attached to Mike Company, tasked with protecting truck convoys along Route 9 to and from Khe Sanh Combat Base. On May 31st, 1968, a booby-trapped M-16 set off an explosion that tore through the company.
After the explosion and sustained firefighting with the Viet Cong, backup arrived, and Pueschel was medevac'd with all the Mike Company marines. Mike Company took 100% casualties, with their Navy corpsman taking four injuries while attempting to patch men up during combat.
Accession #
2024.43
