2003.23.1

This hat was used as a costume in the film "We Were Soldiers," a Vietnam War film about the battle of the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965. Mel Gibson was one of the stars of the film. The hat is meant to simulate a woven grass hat stitched in concentric circles and tied under the chin with a black ribbon which is treaded through loops of red yarn. This type of hat is traditionally worn in Vietnam. A star is stitched inside the hat at the top of the crown. The hat is folded and bent, cracked and generally beat up to make it look like it's old and heavily used. A "Certificate of Authenticity" accompanied the costume certifing that the costume was indeed used during the production of the movie 'We Were Soldiers."

Used: We Were Soldiers | Motion picture | Vietnamese | Actor | Vietnam War | Icon Pictures