Tour of Viet-Nam April 1964 to January 1965
Imitation leather photo album, bound with metal brads. The album contains approximately 365 black and white photographs (and a handful of color images), most 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 or 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, between two and five photos to the page, laid down on manila paper album sheets. Hand-lettered over the first photo of a person in native dress are the words "Vietnam 1964." Lovelace served with the 629th Ordnance Company, and was in Sa Dec, Vietnam, a port city southwest of Saigon, by April 1964. His photos depict fine images documenting the encampment housing the 629th, bird’s eye views of the surrounding countryside, photos of the indigenous population, members of the South Vietnamese army, revealing images of military engagements including delivering medical aid and supplies, treating the wounded, transporting of troops, images of the inside of the helicopter while Lovelace is flying, etc. A few photos show a row of Vietnamese corpses lined up on the ground. There are also several photographs of the late Raymond Burr, who traveled to Viet Nam to meet the troops in May 1964, and a handful of snapshots of Bob Hope from a USO show in December. Simple date captions mark each month's group of photos. A larger documentation than usual from the field. The photographs are in excellent condition. The album is housed in a custom clamshell box. Item #61416
One photo laid in loose is stamped on the verso with a caption identifying Lt. Col. Robert B. Heneck, CO 63rd Ord. Bn. presenting SFC Robert E. Lovelace of the 629th Ord. Co. (FS) with an Air Medal for service in Viet Nam, dated 2 Apr. '65. A small newspaper clipping laid down on the last page of the album reports on this award to Lovelace "for flying 100 supply support missions in the war-torn country during the past year."
In early 1964, the United States troops in Vietnam were technically only engaged in an advisory role. By August an attack on American naval vessels led to passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in Congress authorizing President Lyndon Johnson to use any means necessary to protect South Vietnam and the run-up of U.S. military troops began.
Price: $3,000.00