Okinawa US Special Forces Custom Submariner (and other) Dive Watch Bands

[warpath]

Vietnam era Okinawa US Special Forces Custom Metal Submariner (and others fit) Dive Watch Bands...One has jump wing and SF crest while the second has an added Scuba insignia.

[linesiders]

Very cool Olongapo bands - did they come with that Tudor?

[warpath]

No, the Tudor is from a Vietnam SEAL Team member and just displayed with the bands.

Link to the Tudor Sub and its history http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=367979

[Beef]

Great Ologapo bands! Must have been a 1st Group guy's. You don't see many SF O bands, mostly UDT/SEAL, Hard Hat or USMC Force Recon. Thanks for posting !

[stmoore]

To liberate the oppressed. 5th group. Unlikely worn much while "working" however.

[Beef]

Originally Posted by stmoore

To liberate the oppressed. 5th group. Unlikely worn much while "working" however.

All 7 current SF Groups (as did the deactivated groups, 6th, 8th, 11th, 12th) wear the "DOL" crest of the beret flash. "Redsnake," one of the other two SF guys I know on TRF, uses it as his avatar. The color of the flash denotes the group. 1st was on Okinawa from the early 1960s thru early '70s. It's currently headquartered out of Lewis-McCord and has a Bn. based on Oki. Group Motto: "First in Asia."

[stmoore]

Yes. Familiar. Father was part of 5th and later SOG. I didn't get the 1st ref as those as I understand were made in country, could be off on that.

[Beef]

Originally Posted by stmoore

Yes. Familiar. Father was part of 5th and later SOG. I didn't get the 1st ref as those as I understand were made in country, could be off on that.

WOW! SOG. Your father was really something special. A hero to even today's young SF guys. I served with some SOG guys in the late '70s and 80s, including Col. (then Major) Bob Howard. If your father is living, please pass my him my warmest regards and best wishes.

The Ologapo bands were made in Ologapo City, PI, hence the name. Most of your RVN era UDT/SEAL units rotated thru there to prep for their VN tours and picked them up then. The SF units out of Oki and Force Recon ( I was a Jarhead at that time, SF later) units trained there primarily to do sub lockouts on the USS Grayback, a troop carrier sub. The Grayback was decommissioned and sunk in Subic Bay around 1984, I think. There's a guy that makes them I our classified section. My wife and kids won't let me get one lest I be mistaken for Elvis or a rapper!

[stmoore]

Thank you. I will happily pass along your regards. Most don't know what SOG was ... That was a long time ago for him and something I only started to research when he got sick (he is mid 70s now). He was over I think starting in 63 (technically there for agricultural reasons on paper or some nonsense). I know he was in the highlands a lot of the time. Have a look at something called the Phoenix program ...

[Im Lauf der Zeit]

Great history guys, thanks.