RD585.)FOUR (4) VIETNAM WAR USN RIVERBOAT PATCHES: these come with an interesting story. I was very familiar with the two now-deceased militaria dealers responsible for the manufacture of these fakes...Ron Wolin and George Petersen, both of Virginia. Ron served aboard a PBR patrol craft in the Mekong River Delta back in 1968-69 and it was he who designed both of the originals for these patches. I actually examined several original examples that were Ron's way back in the day....both super-rare and desirable. He designed them himself (I saw the original drawings) and had them made in downtown Saigon by one of the local patch and insignia makers located there. Way back in the 1990's he loaded the two originals to George Petersen who had them reproduced by several of his contacts in Vietnam. With only four crewman per PBR and with only fifteen boats in the section, Wolin would only have to have made less than 100 patches. The patch's design is a shield motif with the US Vietnam Campaign Medal colors along with red dragon and scroll 'PBR River Section 534'. All three of these patches are markedly different in construction, materials used, embroidery. One is actually hand-embroidered while another is machine embroidered on twill (like an old WWII period patch). 'The Lai Dai' piece is actually a pocket patch and is encased in clear plastic film with hanger. Ron Wolin explained to me that it was offensive to the Vietnamese to be waved over (during a river interdiction and inspection). It was appropriate to wave them over with the palm down as shown. The 'Lai Day' call is an on-the-water hail to Vietnamese river craft. These are Vietnamese-made copies of Vietnamese-made originals! EXC++++

• Standard Crew Size: PBRs were typically manned by a four-man crew.
• Composition: A typical crew consisted of a First Class Petty Officer (boat captain), a gunner's mate, an engineman, and a seaman.
• Operational Context: These boats frequently operated in pairs (two-boat patrols), with River Section 534 engaging in heavy action, particularly around the Saigon River and Mekong Delta areas.