Remembering the '60s
If you were born in 1969, you caught the tail end of a socio-cultural and political revolution. This was the decade of the Mersey beat, sexual liberation, and starved-looking models (read: Twiggy). This decade also spawned the Vietnam Zippo lighters that would become stuff of urban legends.
The Zippo lighter that you can find if you click here, invaded the Navy, Army, and Air Force, and most survived with etchings of personal quotes lifted from songs, political mumbo-jumbo, and inspirational messages. Some were professionally engraved, while some bore the marks of penknife scratches. The lighters also posed a nude girl in a wineglass, maps of the infamous Danang, and boasted of US Navy, Army, and Air Force insignias.
The engraved Zippos, found when you click here, have inspired the collection of the 1960s lighters, becoming collectors' items and inspiration for music. Such is the power of the lighters, and most collectors are still stuck in this decade, hunting for vintage Zippo circa 1960s.
The Stories
The Zippos have amazing stories to tell. These were used for different reasons and life-and-death situations. These heated rations in helmets, lit up campfires and explosives, signaled positions, and the cavity in the lighter stored salt to replenish the body salt lost while on long patrols. These details were contained in letters to the Zippo Company from soldiers pleased with their magnificent all-purpose lighters.
Staff Sergeant Naugle was whisked away from danger by a rescue helicopter because he was able to signal his position with is lighter, and Sergeant Martinez's life was saved by the lighter in his chest pocket when it deflected a deadly bullet.
Zippo moments in Vietnam have lived to tell their tales. The lighter was the one thing the average soldier needed to survive in Vietnamese jungles - so much so that soldiers could spot a fake a mile away. If it could take on the wind, it was genuine. The lighters also became an indispensable ID to identify soldiers in the different parts of hell that was Vietnam - one was an American soldier if one had a Zippo in his hand.
For a return to the '60s Zippo lighters, click here. | 