Viet Cong F-100 Commandos Medal

Object/Artifact

-

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

Name/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.'

Use

Awarded by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (formal) or Viet Cong (informal) post-war or posthumously to members of the Viet Cong F-100 Commandos, a group that was largely eradicated after a Viet Cong defector led South Vietnamese Forces to their headquarters. Collecting the large and varied variety of propaganda materials, medals, equipment, clothing, and other items used and carried by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War was a common practice by American servicemen serving in the region.

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.

Collection

James "Doc" Pueschel Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2024.43

Source or Donor

Paula Pueschel

Acquisition Method

Donation

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1975

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

Central circle of medal

Transcription

trang nhan dan, truyen thong, luc luong vu

Language

Vietnamese

Material/Technique

Embossed

Type

Inscription

Location

Device at top of medal

Transcription

thanh pho go chi minh

Language

Vietnamese

Translation

Ho Chi Mihn City

Material/Technique

Embossed

Update Date

March 10, 2025