Page 290 - 4093-BOOK2

LOT 1326
U.S. Army Ranger Captain Byron Stone’s Personal Effects and Documents, who was Killed in Action in
Vietnam - The grouping includes two military caps (one U.S. Army regulation style, the other Australian style
with a set of Captain’s bars on the front and a badge from the 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment on the right
brim), 1911/1911A1 magazine pouch, canvas sling, lensatic compass with pouch, an assortment of pins and
patches appropriate to an Airborne Captain, a NSDAP armband (appears to be post-WWII production), a 1943
vintage air map of Bayreuth, assorted photos (subjects appear to be a mix of U.S. military, German, Soviet and
Vietnamese), a number of documents, and a Randall #2 “Fighting Stiletto” dagger, 12 3/4 inches overall, 8 inch
carbon steel blade, brass guard, leather grip, alloy pommel and a leather sheath with sharpening stone. The
documents pertain to a Captain Byron Stone, who was killed in action on August 20, 1964 in the Kien Hoa region
of the Republic of Vietnam while part of the Military Assistance Command - Vietnam (MACV). A list of personal
effects calls out a Randall knife and a lensatic compass specifically as his property. Born in Alabama in 1939, Stone
graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1960, and was commissioned as an Infantry
Second Lieutenant. Qualifying as a Ranger and training in Panama, Stone was first deployed to Vietnam in 1963,
and was close to completing a second tour of duty in country when the incident occurred. Per his post-mortem
Distinguished Service Cross citation, his unit (a ARVN Ranger battalion) came under attack in an ambush while
returning from an operation, and he spent approximately an hour and 40 minutes fighting to fend off the attack
while the bulk of his unit successfully withdrew from the fight. He would also receive a posthumous Purple Heart
for the same action, on top of an Air Medal and a Bronze Star he had previously been awarded. Stone would be
among the American advisors commemorated by the Vietnamese with the construction of a 45 foot obelisk as a
memorial to the fallen in Kien Hoa, and by the Army would later name a bachelor officer’s barracks for Stone. Also
included with the grouping is a brown rubberized canvas suitcase hand-marked to Stone and bearing a stencil
marking from a tailor shop in Kowloon.
CONDITION: Good overall. The dagger shows sharpening and oxidization appropriate to a jungle-used combat
weapon, with mild scuffs and wear overall. The caps show some wear and tear, and the suitcase is rusted on
the metal hardware, with drying of the canvas and areas of cracking and lost stitching. The documents show
appropriate yellowing and foxing.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500
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