02/08/2026
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THE PITH HELMET WITH 11 BULLET MARKS - COURAGE AND DESIRE FOR PEACE
Among the war artifacts being kept at the Military Region 2 Museum, there is a special merbilia that makes many people silent when looking at it.
It is the pith helmet of the martyr Bui Duc Hung, on the brim of the helmet there are still 11 bullet wounds and many scratches, peeling marks, traces of a fierce battle more than half a century ago.
Martyr Bui Duc Hung heroically sacrificed in the battle in Duc Lap, Quang Duc- Dak Nong- Lam D**g province, after an extremely fierce battle at base A-239. Despite the difference in force correlation, he still fought until the last moment to protect the battlefield.
The person who directly confronted him in the battle was Sergeant John Wast of the United States Army.
After the gunfire subsided, out of curiosity about the soldier who fought tenaciously until the last minute, John Wast approached the opponent's body. He picked up the pith helmet full of bullet holes, turned it over and suddenly saw the inside of the helmet engraved with Vietnamese words and a picture of a pigeon spreading its wings.
That moment moved the American soldier.
He realized that behind the soldier he had just faced was not only courage on the battlefield, but also a strong desire for peace. That soldier fought not for the war, but for the desire for the country to be independent and the people to live in peace.
With respect for his opponent, John Wast decided to keep the pith helmet as a memorbilia for 46 years.
In 2016, he returned to Vietnam, returned to the hometown of martyr Bui Duc Hung in Huong Non commune, Tam Nong district, Phu Tho province to personally hand over the helmet to the family of the soldier who had fallen in the past.
For the martyr's family, it is not only a meremorabilia of relatives after decades of separation, but also a proof of the heroic sacrifice of a son who has dedicated his youth to the Fatherland.
After that, the family gave the hat to the Military Region 2 Museum, so that the artifact could be preserved and tell the story of carage, sacrifice and the desire for peace for future generations.
The pith helmet with 11 bullet marks today is no longer just a war artifact.
It is a symbol of a soldier who fought to his last breath.
It is also a reminder that, even in the midst of the fiercest years of the war, Vietnamese soldiers always carry in their hearts the simplest wish:
To live in a peaceful, independent and free country.
Sincerely remember the martyr Bui Duc Hung and thank all those who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. Artifacts like this pith helmet will forever be a historical witness, reminding today's generations of the value of peace.
According to Jocelyn Minh Tue
