A Powerful Short Film About the Helmet Art Made by Soldiers in the Vietnam War

Video maker STULL created a powerful short film that focuses on the helmet art made by soldiers during the Vietnam War, noting that while the military did not condone the defacement of helmets, it was not condemned either.

Soldiers were not allowed to decorate their gear, but most officers didn’t give a shit and allowed some individuality as long, as they were in the realm of reason.  Some drew cartoons. Others etched kill counts  or inside jokes that probably only made sense to three people in their platoon. Some just scribbled  nonsense. It didn’t matter. It was theirs. 

Some of the most famous war-related phrases came out of this specific type of art, and some were even repurposed in other art media.

A famous  example was the phrase “When I Die, I’ll Go To Heaven, Because I’ve Spent My Time In  Hell”, popularized by the 1st Cavalry Division. Another was the “Death Card” as they called  it, that became a symbol of the fighting   spirit of many soldiers within the division. It  eventually got widely adopted by other units. Other common slogans were, “War is Hell,” “Kill a Commie for Mommy,”, “Make war, not love” (that  picture was used in the cover of “Meat is Murder” by The Smiths) and my  favorite “War is Good Business, Invest Your Son”.

The Smiths’ ‘Meat Is Murder’ Cover