Plaque for Vietnam War service presented to Major Colin L. Powell: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A wooden plaque commemorating the Third Battalion, First Infantry Regiment, Major Colin L. Powell’s military unit in Vietnam, presented to Powell September 1969. This square medium wooden plaque features a four-point beveled front and two metal plates. The center and largest plate depicts the outline and list of cities in the country of Vietnam, tracing the activities of the U.S. military presence during the war. In large black text the plaque reads “THIRD BATTALION, FIRST INFANTRY” and “ALWAYS FIRST”. The United States Army 1st Infantry “SEMPER PRIMUS” Unit Crest is positioned parallel to the Vietnam map and features a red-white-and blue coat of arms on a golden oval with emblazoned shield and belt. A rectangular metal plate at the bottom of the plaque is engraved with the text “MAJOR COLIN L. POWELL / EXECUTIVE OFFICER 3RDBN 1STINF / JULY 1968 SEPT 1969”. On the reverse of the plaque, at the top, is a metal hanging hook and a white paper label with black text that reads “94-0014”.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: September 1969
• Created by: 1st Infantry Regiment
• Received by: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
• Subject of: United States Army, American, founded 1775
• Subject of: United States Department of Defense
• Subject of: United States Armed Forces, American, founded 1775
• Type: plaques
• Medium: metal on wood
• Dimensions: H x W: 10 × 8 × 3/4 in. (25.4 × 20.3 × 1.9 cm)
• Place collected: McLean, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
• Place depicted: Viet Nam, Asia
• Topic: African American
• Topic: International affairs
• Topic: Military
• Topic: U.S. History, 1969-2001
• Topic: Vietnam War, 1961-1975
• Object number: A2022.101.1.103
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alma J. Powell
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.