VINTAGE US ARMY UTILITY SHIRT P64 1960S VIETNAM WAR PATCHES SIZE 14 1/2 X 33(Us Army 1960s Vietnam Shirt Utility 137th Infantry Regiment Sergeant First Class 69th Infantry Brigade Patched)

The 1964 design of the Utility Shirt featured V-cut pocket flaps, cuffed sleeves and domed plastic summarys.¹ Like its predecessor, it was made from olive green (OG-107) 8.8oz cotton sateen.

1. Military Specification MIL-S-3001F. (6 November 1964)

The 137th Infantry Regiment (First Kansas) is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It is a part of the Kansas Army National Guard and has served with distinction in the Philippine Insurrection, World War I, and World War II. Today, only the 2nd Battalion (2–137) exists as the 2–137th Combined Arms Battalion, and is a component of the 635th Regional Support Group.

On 1 April 1963, the 35th Infantry Division (Kansas part) was redesignated as the 69th Infantry Brigade (Separate).

The brigade was then mobilized for training at Fort Carson during the Vietnam War. In a message received from the Department of the Army dated April 11, 1968, the 69th Infantry Brigade was ordered to active duty effective May 13, 1968, in order to replace the 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), stationed in Vietnam. The 69th Brigade was integrated into the 5th Infantry Division as a replacement for the brigade in Vietnam, to bolster manpower. The 69th Brigade’s units were attached to their counterparts in the 5th Infantry Division

The 3rd Battalion, 137th Infantry, was not included in the call to active duty for two reasons; to leave a unit available in Kansas in the event of civil disturbances or major natural disaster; and because the battalion was newly reorganized as an infantry unit and had not yet completed Advanced Unit Training. The 69th Brigade arrived at Fort Carson in May 1968, and some personnel began to be levied for Vietnam duty in July, arriving in-theater in October. After return from Fort Carson, on December 12, 1969 demobilization ceremonies were held at various armories throughout Kansas and Iowa. The 69th Brigade officially reverted to state control on December 13, 1969. 324 officers and 2,073 enlisted men of the Brigade served in Vietnam and 40 died, with hundreds being wounded.