tourist item

[Marcus]

I attach new pictures of this sword. An unusual, and not very effective, technique was employed to decorate the blade. The surface was scratched and cross hatched. Then it appears that an effort was made to polish letters and images into the roughened surface. The effect is not very striking. It is difficult to bring out the images even by eye, and nearly impossible with photography.

The owner was Hugh J. Benn Jr. (November 21, 1918 - June 30, 2012). He enlisted in the Army in 1939 and served through World War II, the Korean War and during at least part of the Vietnam war era, achieving the rank of Chief Warrant officer Grade 4. Army Warrant Officers are technical experts and not usually combat soldiers. At various times in his army career, he was stationed in Japan, Germany, Ethiopia, and Burma. This sword tells us that in 1969 he served in the clandestine U. S. "Military Equipment Delivery Team” (MEDT), that provided military aid to the then current dictator of Burma, Gen. Ne Win.
The MEDT provided various sorts of supplies and equipment "conducted under the guise of a sales program, which allowed Burma to 'purchase', with token payments in non-convertible local currency, U.S. materiel and services provided through grant aid military assistance. Such an arrangement obviated most of the normal grant aid regulatory requirements, which are distasteful to Burma, and allows the maintenance of her posture of neutrality and nonalignment."* As of 1969, the Burma Military Assistance Program had provided approximately $50 million in investment items and $30 million in supporting items, training and related services.
The program was exposed in the American press in August 1970 and discontinued in 1971. A new Military Equipment Delivery Team was established in Cambodia.

* From a declassified report of the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command 1969 (originally defined as top secret).