Del Prado 173rd Airborne Sergeant, 1971: Airborne on the Ground

Del Prado · US Army · Vietnam · 1971

The boonie hat is a useful corrective to the word “airborne.” Del Prado’s 1971 American sergeant is dressed for service on the ground, not suspended beneath a parachute, and that is central to understanding the subject.

The weapon hangs down beside the body, one hand is raised near the face, and the equipment includes a bag at the side. Compared with a jump-ready figure, the silhouette is loose and practical. The broad hat rather than a helmet or beret supplies the most immediate identifying shape.

The last year of a long deployment

The 173rd Airborne Brigade served in Vietnam from 1965 until 1971. The US Army’s account of its first year notes its arrival in 1965 and departure in August 1971. Del Prado’s date consequently falls at the end of that deployment, not at its beginning.

That matters when choosing the history to put beside the miniature. The brigade’s identity does not make every figure a representation of a combat jump. “Airborne” names a trained formation; the field clothing here draws attention to the soldier’s day-to-day presence on the ground.

The late date also makes an interesting companion to Del Prado’s earlier Vietnam subjects. A 1966 Marine radio operator and a 1971 Army sergeant may share a broad theatre, but they represent different services, roles and moments. A good collection preserves those distinctions instead of making the word “Vietnam” carry all the explanation.

The raised hand is a subtle feature: it gives the pose a momentary quality without specifying an action that the reference does not name. The bag and downward-pointing weapon spread the outline on either side. Those details make the figure more readable when it has a little space around it; crowded tightly between other soldiers, it can become a jumble of straps and dark shapes.

At the collecting table

The hat brim, weapon and bag are the places to begin. Ask for a view from each side so that a bent barrel or a repair at the bag’s attachment does not hide behind the torso. Paint wear on the brim is often more visible from above than in a seller’s eye-level image.

As a collecting subject, this sergeant broadens an airborne display beyond parachutes and famous landings. He represents the less spectacular but essential fact that an airborne unit’s history is also the history of its soldiers walking, waiting and fighting on the ground.

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