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AUTHENTIC VINTAGE 1967 VIETNAM WAR U.S. MARINE CORPS M-1965 FIELD JACKET
NAMED ID'D TO HERO: PFC ANTHONY THOMAS FIELDS (CO. D, 1ST BATTALION, 5TH MARINES - KIA SEPT 6, 1967)
This is an incredibly rare, historically significant piece of museum-grade United States Marine Corps militaria. This authentic 2nd Pattern M-65 field jacket is fully named and identified to a fallen Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Quang Tin Province during the Vietnam War.
HISTORICAL PROVENANCE & IDENTIFICATION:
- The Label Identification: The interior specification label is clearly hand-signed in blue ink: "Fields A".
- The USMC Service Number: Hand-written across the bottom edge of the tag is the precise military serial number 2350501, which directly registers to Private First Class Anthony Thomas Fields.
- The Veteran's Service: PFC Fields served as an infantry mortarman with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (1/5). Born on Christmas Eve in 1945 and hailing from Washington, D.C., he deployed to the front lines of the Vietnam War. Tragically, on September 6, 1967, his unit was locked in intense combat during a major operation in the Vinh Huy Valley, where PFC Fields was Killed in Action (KIA) by hostile small arms fire. His name is permanently etched on Panel 26E, Line 5 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
OPERATION SWIFT AND THE SACRIFICE OF PFC ANTHONY THOMAS FIELDS (SEPTEMBER 1967)
To fully understand what PFC Anthony Thomas Fields experienced while wearing this jacket, one must look directly at the official declassified unit logs and combat chronologies of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines from September 1967. His final days were defined by Operation Swift, a frantic, blood-soaked rescue mission in the Quế Sơn Valley that became one of the defining Marine infantry engagements of the Vietnam War.
THE TIMELINE OF DELTA COMPANY (1/5) IN OPERATION SWIFT:
September 4, 1967 – The Nightmare Begins
At 04:30 AM, PFC Fields’ unit, Delta Company (Co. D, 1/5), was dug into a night defensive position near the village of Dong Son in the Thang Binh District. Without warning, a massive regiment of roughly 2,500 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops slammed into their perimeter with heavy mortar and small-arms fire. Outnumbered nearly ten-to-one, Delta Company was pinned down instantly. When Marines tried to flash strobe lights to guide in a UH-1E gunship for air support, the NVA spotted the flashing lights and unleashed a devastating wave of mortar rounds directly onto their positions. Alpha and Bravo Companies of the 5th Marines were rushed into the valley to save them, sparking a relentless, chaotic battle through the brush and hedgerows. It was during this opening rescue effort on September 4th that the famous Navy Chaplain, Lieutenant Vincent Capodanno, was killed while shielding wounded Marines, earning the Medal of Honor.
September 5, 1967 – Digging In Under Fire
The NVA 2nd Division did not retreat. They utilized a network of expertly concealed trench lines and bunkers scattered throughout the rice-rich valley. Throughout the day, the Marines of 1/5 consolidated their lines under non-stop sniper, machine-gun, and mortar bombardment. Air strikes and heavy artillery pumped ordnance into the valley around the clock to keep the Marines from being completely overrun. As a mortarman (MOS 0341), PFC Fields would have been working frantically alongside his squad to manually drop shell after shell into their mortar tubes, providing vital counter-battery fire to protect the infantrymen in the mud.
September 6, 1967 – The Climax at Vinh Huy
By the morning of September 6, the fighting reached its most violent, desperate peak. The NVA launched a ferocious human-wave assault to cut off and destroy the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. The battalion was backed into the muddy trench lines of the Vinh Huy region, just 12 kilometers southwest of Thang Binh. The lines were completely fluid, with close-quarters, hand-to-hand combat breaking out across the perimeter. Nearby companies were whittled down to small handfuls of surviving men. It was during this exact, desperate stand on September 6th that Sergeant Rodney M. Davis sacrificed his life by throwing himself onto an NVA grenade to save his squad, earning the battalion's second Medal of Honor of the week. Amidst this relentless, close-range crossfire, PFC Fields was struck and mortally wounded by hostile small-arms fire while maintaining the defensive line.
THE LEGACY OF THE JACKET:
PFC Fields’ sacrifice was not in vain. The stubborn resistance of the 1st Marine Division ground the NVA offensive to a halt, forcing the communist forces to retreat across the valley and saving the region from total capture. The jacket in your hands traveled through that exact mud, absorbed the concussive pressure of those mortar exchanges, and stood on the line during one of the most severe infantry actions the Marine Corps faced in I Corps. It is a tangible piece of American combat history.
GARMENT FEATURES & SPECS:
- Era/Contract: Genuine 1967 military issue. The original white care label features the official Defense Supply Agency code: DSA-100-67-C-0159.
- Zippers: Features the highly sought-after, early-issue silver aluminum zippers (Talon/Conmar) on the collar and main closure, functioning flawlessly.
- Stamping: Features the iconic, original USMC Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (EGA) ink stencil crisp and clear over the left chest pocket.
- Design Details: Includes shoulder epaulets (introduced in 1966), a stowaway hood concealed in the zippered collar, a drawcord waist, and velcro wind flaps at the collar and cuffs.
CONDITION REPORT:
This jacket is in excellent, worn vintage condition with incredible combat character. The fabric retains a rich Olive Green (OG-107) color tone with minor fading, light scuffs, and gentle fraying consistent with active field deployment. All original buttons are intact. The interior lining and original specification labels are clean, highly legible, and completely intact.
Please examine all accompanying high-resolution photographs to carefully evaluate the physical condition and historical markings before purchasing.
