[VERNACULAR PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM DOCUMENTING AFRICAN-AMERICAN AIR FORCE SOLDIERS IN THAILAND DURING THE VIETNAM WAR]

[Various places in Thailand, perhaps centering on Korat Royal Thai Air Force Bas, 1977. Seventy-seven Kodak color photographs (almost all approximately 3 1/2 x 5 inches, a handful slightly smaller) and one postcard. Slim quarto. Contemporary glossy purple floral-patterned cloth photograph album, gilt- stamped label on front cover. Some images slightly faded. Overall very good. A highly entertaining collection of vernacular photographs capturing the lives of young African-American G.I.s and their romantic interests in a village in Thailand during the latter years of the Vietnam War. The photographs show African-American men in both uniforms and street clothes, often posed alone or with Thai locals, almost exclusively women. The men are seen at work and play, including an image of the gun shop with a sign labeled "Phase Section" on the front and a large military van with a similar sign reading "2 Orange." There is also a great deal of coverage of the locals living in the village, including women and children. One photograph of particular interest shows part of a commercial building emblazoned with both a Coca-Cola and a Pepsi sign. The date range of 1972 to 1977 stems from the fact that some of the photographs are date-stamped in the margin "Oct 72" and one later image is stamped July 1977; most images seem to emanate from the earlier date. The single postcard is an image of Wang Not Ten Waterfall in Phitsanulok, in north-central Thailand. The album could possibly have been retained by a local Thai person documenting their interactions with the visiting Americans.

There were a half dozen active American Air Force bases in Thailand during the 1970s from which over 80% of the air strikes of North Vietnam originated. The American servicemen seen in the present photographs were either airmen performing these strikes or ground crew in support of the pilots. Also, given that Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base and Phitsanulok are both in north-central Thailand, it is likely the images depict this area.

A rare look at African-American servicemen in a strategically important region of Thailand during the Vietnam War.