Original U.S. Model 1881 “1st Infantry” Enlisted Dress Spiked Pith Helmet by DeMoulin Bros & Co. Manufacture Type_Original Items with aircraft familiarization training given

with aircraft familiarization training given with crews alternating at NAAS Banana River

000 French steel helmets

Arsenal marked

and finally the Verwundetenabzeichen (Wound Badge) 3rd Class in Schwarz (Black)

These medals were struck in error using the die for the Naval General Service Medal (1847)

Original U.S. Model 1881 “1st Infantry” Enlisted Dress Spiked Pith Helmet by DeMoulin Bros & Co. Manufacture Type_Original Items with aircraft familiarization training givenOriginal Item: One Only. Much like our European cousins in the 1880s, the U. S. Army started to adopt spiked pith helmets, often in white, with all brass mounts and occasionally plumes. These saw active service in the Spanish American War of 1898 especially in the tropical climate in Cuba. While often referred to as "pith helmets" in the broad sense, it was made from cork, like many European variants, such as the Wolseley pattern used by the British.