Bradford, Zippo, 1967. The ubiquitous Zippo lighter, notorious in this country during the war as a symbol of the casual destruction of rural Vietnamese houses and villages, had a more interesting and variegated personality to the soldiers actually serving in Vietnam. Many, after buying their lighter at the PX for a few dollars, would take it to an engraver and have it personalized, often with humorous inscriptions and drawings. They became a form of self-expression -- one little-known in this country -- and millions were given away or left behind when their owners left Vietnam. Later they began to re-appear in the markets in Vietnam, artifacts and souvenirs of a long-gone era, which captured with freshness and immediacy the sentiments of the time and the people, at least the Americans, who fought there. 67-68 Chu Lai. "If you want/ to f*ck/ smile when this/ lighter you hand/ me back." Naked women on reverse. Top detached; very good. [#028721] SOLD