Fighting in the Vietnam War (holding a helmet shot by North Vietnamese soldier)

Mr. Kim Ho-il was a forward observation second lieutenant with 11th Company, 30th Regiment, 52nd Artillery, Ninth Division of the Korean Army. At 1500 hours on October 17, 1968, he participated in operation “Baekma 9” (White Horse 9) which was executed at Dongbo Base in the mountains behind Nha Trang city of Vietnam. Operation Baekma 9 lasted from October 11 to November 4, 1968, and its aim was to sweep the area of enemy bases threatening Nha Trang and Cam Ranh. The 25-day operation was plagued not only with bad weather but also bad terrain which often cut supply lines and marooned units. Friendly forces would gain control of the mountainous terrain only to lose it again, and operations to sweep areas would have to be repeated many times. Despite these unfavorable circumstances, friendly forces successfully pacified the enemy units in the area. During the operation, the donor was ambushed by regular forces of the North Vietnamese Army and took a bullet in his helmet in the process. He donated the helmet he was wearing at the time, and a photo that was taken with him holding the helmet.