In 1965, the United States began full-scale military intervention under the pretext of preventing the communization of Vietnam, supporting the South Vietnamese Army, conducting bombing raids on the North, and deploying ground troops, thereby initiating a war against the North Vietnamese Army and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. Although the war dragged on, in 1975, Saigon, the capital of the South Vietnamese government, fell, and Vietnam was unified under the North, bringing the conflict to a complete end. As the war intensified, American soldiers had souvenir jackets tailored in Vietnam featuring embroidered maps of Vietnam and the year. These became known as “Vietnam Jackets.” Soldiers expressed their individuality not only on jackets but also by adding patches and embroidery to various items on a whim.A joke patch featuring the words “Participant in the Southeast Asian War Game” inside a peace sign—comparing the war to a game—became extremely popular at the time. Patches featuring the names of places they had traveled through on the Indochinese Peninsula—such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand—were traditionally meant to be strung across the shoulders of combat uniforms, but the creative adaptation of sewing them onto hats is also brimming with personality. I can’t help but admire the spirit and strong individuality of the hat’s owner, who went so far as to cover up the elaborate, luxurious tiger- stripe pattern with patches, disregarding the intricate design entirely.