Original Items: One of a Kind. Recently obtained from the area of Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Home of the the U.S. Army Special Forces) comes this Vietnam War Uniform Set attributed to Sergeant First Class Robert Coffin. The set consists of a jungle fatigue jacket with original insignia and a rare Morry Luxenberg Green Beret.
The beret is made by the firm of Morry Luxenberg, New York, which is a maker who is desirable amongst collectors of U.S. Military uniforms and insignia. Generally, these items are found from the WWII era, but rarely from the 1960s. A Green Beret made by Luxenberg is a very desirable piece! The beret is named inside to Robert Coffin with his service number written underneath. The Pre-1968 cut-edge flash is unquestionably original to the beret, as is the Special Forces Distinctive Unit Insignia. The original sweat protector is still present in the crown, and underneath the maker markings. The beret is listed as size 7 ⅛ . The exterior of the beret exhibits some mothing here and there, but does not detract from the overall appearance of the Beret.
The jacket is a non-ripstop poplin 3rd Pattern Jacket with a tag bearing a DSA-100 code, meaning it was manufactured likely in 1967. It is marked size “X-Small-Regular” in the collar, and shows markings and small tags on the interior indicating it was laundered “incountry” during the war. The insignia is original to the jacket, and shows signs on the reverse of having been worn on the jacket. All insignia is of U.S. manufacture with the exception of the Hand Embroidered ARVN Parachutists wings, which are stunning! The jacket shows signs of honest wear and use.
This set displays wonderfully together. This is a rare matched NAMED Vietnam Special Forces Set! These are almost impossible to find currently, as most are already in private collections!
Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9”
Shoulder to sleeve: 23”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15”
Chest width: 18”
Waist width: 18”
Hip width: 19.5”
Front length: 31.5"
The 3rd Special Forces Group In Vietnam:
3rd Group was first activated on 5 December 1963 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The four colors of the quadrants of 3rd Group's beret flash are derived from the flashes of the pre-existing SF units from which 3rd Group's members were initially drawn (hence its original motto: "From the Rest Comes the Best"). These colors are: yellow (1st SFG (A)), red (7th SFG (A)), black (5th SFG (A)), and white (Special Forces Training Group (A)). 3rd Group was originally oriented towards the Middle East and Africa during the 1960s. The unit trained the armed forces of Mali, Iraq, Ethiopia, the Congo, and Jordan – in addition to supporting the Gemini 6 and 7 space launches in 1965. 3rd Group also worked with the 5th SFG(A) in Vietnam. In 1966, 3rd Group transferred assumed control of the 403rd Army Security Agency Special Operations Detachment and the 19th PSYOP Company over to 5th Group. With the "Vietnamization" of the conflict, the 3rd SFG(A) was inactivated in 1969 and its members were transferred back to the other Special Forces Groups. One 3rd group officer who stayed on in South Vietnam—Major George W. Petrie—was first man on the ground in the Son Tay Raid (1970) and subsequently helped plan the Saigon evacuation (30 April 1975), becoming the last SF soldier to leave the country.
