Flight helmet used by Colonel James E. Randall

James Randall served with the 562nd Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War. On October 13, 1965, he was shot down near Dien Bien Phu while flying his F-105 Thunderchief “Thud” fighter bomber on his 44th combat mission of the war. Forced to eject from his aircraft, Randall lost his helmet while hiding in the jungle to await rescue. In 1990, a collector named Dominique Eluere found the helmet at an Army surplus stall in Ho Chi Minh City, a thousand miles from where Randall had been shot down. Eluere spent the next 22 years trying to track down Randall, with the help of Gary "Paco" Gregg, another Vietnam veteran. Finally, in 2013, 86-year-old Randall was reunited with his flight helmet, 48 years after he lost it.