Original Item: Only One Available. If you watch a movie and see troops lighting up a cigarette, you’ll probably notice that Zippo in their hand. Search-and-destroy missions in the Vietnam War were often referred to as “Zippo missions.” There’s simply no denying the fact that American troops have long had an intimate relationship with Zippos.
The American Zippo Manufacturing Company was founded in the 1930s, but when World War II started, the company ceased all production for consumer markets altogether and instead manufactured lighters exclusively for troops being sent to war. Millions of them were carried by troops and, no matter what, they knew they could rely on their trusty, metal lighter to spark their cigarette during a long day of warfighting.
Zippos took on a different function during the Vietnam War. Aside from reliably lighting cigarettes, they were used to light flamethrower tanks when the built-in, electrical igniter didn’t work. They were also used as mirrors to shave, to heat up popcorn, and the list goes on.
In fact, Zippos became synonymous with Vietnam War operations as troops would raze villages with lighters on seek-and-destroy missions. But Zippos weren’t just for burning things down — they actually became a kind of cultural timepiece, and this one is a perfect example of that.
Many lighters featured tragic, humorous, aggressive, patriotic, or rebellious slogans while some just had a simple DUI to tell a story like this one. The face of the lighter features a lovely, what appears to be, a South Korean made Distinctive Unit Insignia for the 122nd Signal Battalion who had a majority of its members at Camp Howze in South Korea during this time. Dating zippos could be tricky, especially if the bottoms of them are quite worn which most of the time they are. Luckily enough this one still has the bottom markings visible! The markings on the bottom are:
BRADFORD
.. Zippo .
PAT. 25I7I9I
The two dots to the left of the stylized “Zippo” and the single dot to the left, combined with the patent number dates this lighter’s manufacture to 1963.
The lighter is still fully functional and even has a good wick and cotton insert, all you need is fuel and you got yourself a working lighter!
Comes more than ready for further research and display.
Inactivated 22 June 2005, the 122nd Signal Battalion was originally organized on 10 October 1916 as the 1st Field Battalion, Signal Corps, comprising three existing companies (A, B, C), one of which had taken part in the Philippine Insurrection campaign of San Isidro. The Battalion was reorganized and redesignated in August 1917 as the 1st Field Signal Battalion and was assigned to the 2nd Division (2nd Infantry Division after February 1941). While serving with the Division in France, the Battalion fought in six campaigns and was awarded two French Croix de Guerre with Palm and a French Croix de Guerre Fourragere.
Following World War II, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 2d Signal Company on 23 April 1921. Under this designation, it would go on to serve in five World War Campaigns, with its service recognized with the award of a Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, and a Belgian Fourragere 1940 for two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army. During the Korean War, the Battalion—still designated as the 2nd Signal Company—would take part in all ten campaigns of the war, earning another Presidential Unit Citation and Meritorious Unit Commendation along with two Republic Of Korea Presidential Citations.
In 1957, the Battalion received its current designation as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 122nd Signal Battalion. It would continue to serve for nearly a half-century more before its eventual inactivation in 2005.
