Beschreibung:

A Grouping of items belonging to Frank Yoder of the 5th Special Forces Group operating in Vietnam. [In Vietnam; c.1965-69.] A fine grouping of artifacts belonging to Frank Yoder of the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam, comprising: 1. A presentation Bowie knife with scabbard, the knife's brass guard stenciled "Western USA" and "W49" and stainless steel blade with painted text reading "Frank Yoder 5th Special Forces Vietnam," wooden handle with silver Special Forces Death's Head insignia; together with its leather scabbard with badge. 2. A Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, both with Oakleaf Clusters, and engraved "F.R Yoder" on reverse; with their uniform medal bar. 3.A US Army wristwatch, the reverse hand inscribed "Yoder," together with a group of Yoder's personal effects comprising a color photograph of Yoder in Vietnam, and his two aluminum dogtags. The collection of 9 items mounted in a riker box. Provenance: War Museum . Re-activated in 1961, the US Army 5th Special Forces Group saw extensive action during the Vietnam War, initially deploying as a battlefield advisory group for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, in effect training the Vietnamese army in military and counter terrorism tactics. As the conflict escalated, the 5th began to operate more independently, engaging in both irregular and conventional warfare, and their forces operated in multiple bases around the country. For a while the were used to hunt down the Vietcong forces in the Mekong Delta, using amphibious boats. In many respects they were a super A team force that received numerous citations and medals. members of the Group won 18 Medals of Honor, 9 posthumously, and the group won the Presidential Unit Citation. Frank Yoder was a combat hero, awarded the Silver Star in addition to the medals in this collection, the Special Forces base where Yoder served, Bu Dop, was the scene of many battles with Viet Cong units infiltrating across the nearby Cambodian border.