The CAP badge
This small painted metal badge (actual size) was issued to Marines when they completed CAP School at the My Khe compound in Da Nang. Most of us wore them pinned to the pocket flap of our utility jackets. We considered the CAP badge a symbol of our special status, and wearing it told other Marines we were “…those crazy guys out in the villes.”
The badge was shaped like a shield and colored sky blue. On it were crossed U.S. and South Vietnamese flags behind an eagle with widespread wings. The words “Combined Action Program” were across the top, with “Luc Luong Hon Hop” in Vietnamese across the bottom. I’ve heard various translations of “Luc Luong Hon Hop,” but the consensus is those words are the Vietnamese equivalent of “Combined Action Program.”