Insignia from the long night of the Vietnam War.
Welcome to Blindbat Militaria !! I'm Steve Kirby, and this is the latest evolution of our online presence. After our original site went offline years ago, this page now serves as our central hub for all things related to Vietnam War militaria. Many of you may also know me as "River Patrol", a moderator on the U.S. Militaria Forum. I'm a passionate collector specializing in Vietnam War-era U.S. Navy patches, with a focus on Task Force 116 — the River Patrol Boats (PBRs) that navigated the Mekong Delta in IV Corps. My book, "River Patrol Insignia of the U.S. Navy, Vietnam 1966–1972", is a detailed history of TF-116 units and is available throughout the web. In addition to TF-116, my collection also includes items from U.S. Navy SEALs, HELATKRON 3 (HAL-3) – The Seawolves, and VAL-4 – The Black Ponies, all of which played critical roles in Vietnam. Blindbat Militaria is more than just a place to buy, sell, and trade. This platform exists to help educate both new and seasoned collectors about the history, authenticity, and complexities of Vietnam-era militaria — especially in a field where misinformation and reproductions are all too common. We’re also growing our presence on Instagram, IG Reels, and TikTok, offering insights, tips, and educational content to help you navigate the world of Vietnam War collecting with confidence
Not a surplus bin. A field archive.
Blindbat Militaria treats each patch as a historical document. Whether it hangs in the store or rests in a private collection, every piece is photographed in raking light and researched for unit, era, theater, and construction. The grim humor and macabre iconography of these patches — reapers, skulls, Sat Cong — are part of the record, not a costume.
Featured Showcase Lots
Stitched in Vietnam, worn by American soldiers
Theater-made patches were hand-embroidered in-country by local makers — wild variation in color, weave, and iconography found nowhere else. Many carry the dark visual language of the men who wore them: bats, flames, death's-heads, and tigers. Documenting them preserves a fragile, fast-disappearing record before it scatters.
Reading the iconography
Reading Vietnam-Era Patch Iconography
Skulls, snakes, bats, and spooks — what the dark imagery of Vietnam insignia actually meant.
Read → ContextReal From Reproduction Page
Here we will show how to identify real, unit used patches from the Vietnam war.
Read → ContextTheater-Made vs. US-Made
How to tell an in-country made patch from a reproduction patches
Read →New patches, pulled from the dark.
Fresh acquisitions, raking-light detail shots, and research notes are posted first on Instagram.
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