22 Sep 1965

This Zippo is engraved with the date September 22nd, 1965, precisely halfway through the Vietnam War. After the Second World War, the Zippo lighter was sold to the public again and became increasingly popular in the period leading up to the Vietnam War.

During the Vietnam War, the Zippo became one of the most popular items carried by American soldiers. On the backside of this Zippo, we discover more details about Paul, who belonged to: "San Diego, Camp Pendleton, Mad Memphis, 365 New River, Jamaica LPH-4." LPH stands for Landing Platform Helicopter, a type of helicopter-carrying ship (Fig.10). Different from the lighters in previous wars, Zippos became personal souvenirs customized with unit logos, maps of Vietnam, and both humorous and vulgar slogans (fig.11). After the war, Zippo’s also became collector’s items.