December 7th Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 114:
Description
This archive represents one of the most historically significant Vietnam War groupings ever offered, establishing a powerful and rare contrast between the U.S. and Viet Cong medical systems during the intense fighting in the Mekong Delta. The grouping centers on Colonel A. Weems McFadden M.D., a U.S. Medical Officer who served as the Divisional Surgeon for the 9th Infantry Division in the challenging Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam, where his unit was engaged in constant small-unit combat and specialized riverine warfare. The U.S. component confirms Colonel McFadden s long and decorated career, featuring two uniforms, an extensive medal display shadow box including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Purple Heart , alongside Vietnam service medals, a shoulder patch display plaque confirming his rank progression through Colonel and his later service at Valley Forge General Hospital, and his US Army Medical Flag used in the Mekong Delta.
The Viet Cong Hospital Cache
The truly extraordinary and historic core of this archive is the vast cache of materiel captured from a Viet Cong underground bunker Hospital by his unit. This unparalleled collection reveals the austerity and resourcefulness of the VC medical effort, including a complete CHICOM Surgical Instrument Kit, a sterilization pot and Vietnamese-made boiler, and a large cache of captured and indigenous pharmaceuticals and medical supplies , such as syringes, glass vials, powders, rubber lines for transfusions, and bottles for intravenous fluids. Personal items include a Nurses black pajama top, a medics bag, and surgical clothing. This is complemented by a framed Viet Cong propaganda sign made from a captured U.S. C-Ration box and handwritten Viet Cong medical texts, notes, and treatment plans , which provide invaluable insight into their decentralized battlefield medical practices. The archive includes official South Vietnamese awards, such as the framed Viet-Nam Cong-Hoa Tham-Muu Boi-Tinh Military Staff Service Medal, linking both sides of the conflict. This meticulously documented collection is an unbelievable and educational archival opportunity worthy of the best Vietnam War museum or collection.
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