Item Description
Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. This is a stellar Vietnam War NVA/VC issue grenade grouping brought back by Captain Peter John Ippolito, 1st Admin Company, 1st Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. According to his obituary, “He earned the Air Medal and the Bronze Star while serving in the 1st Infantry in two tours in the Vietnam War. He was an Army Ranger and Airborne and was part of Vietnam's Tet Offensive.” We are unsure how true the Air Medal claim is. The group of grenades come with the original “War Trophy Registration/Authorization” Capture form. Like all deactivated ordnance, this grenade set is Not Available for Export.
The grouping comes with one long handle ChiCom stick grenade, and a grenade carrier with one short-handle ChiCom stick grenade and one "pineapple" body stick grenade, the latter retaining the original wooden plug. The pineapple example retains some markings on the stick and is a tremendous example, measuring 6¼”. The other short handle stick grenade measures 5⅝” long, and the long handle example measures 8¼” long.
The carrier is in great service-worn condition with the carrying strap still intact. The set looks amazing with the grenades in their carrier, making for a fantastic display.
The original capture paper is in a small frame measuring 5 x 7” and it notes the theater as Vietnam, the name as Ippolito, Peter J, Service Number 098151, Rank Captain, Organization 1st Admin. Co., Permanent address as 23 Jackson Ave., Rockaway, NJ 07866, and the item as a Chicom grenade, 3 each, and he even notes the T.T.806B marking on the pineapple grenade handle. Provenance does not get better than this!
We were able to find Ippolito’s obituary, stating that he passed away on January 22nd, 2021, having built a fantastic career as a “construction lawyer, mediator, father, grandfather, and patriot”. His obituary page and a page commemorating him on LinkedIn show just how great of a person he was, touching the lives of many around him. His obituary can be found here: Peter John Ippolito.
This is a terrific set of bring-back grenades from the Vietnam War, brought back by a Bronze Star recipient of the 1st ID. Comes ready for further research and display!
- This product is not available for international shipping.
- Totally inert, cannot be converted to an explosive devise, not available for export
This item is completely legal within the USA. International Military Antiques, Inc observes all Federal, State and Local laws. Everything for sale on ima-usa.com is completely legal to own, trade, transport and sell within the United States of America. Every display machine gun and machine gun parts set and gun sold by IMA, Inc is engineered to be inoperable according to guidelines provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).
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