Winter was feared among the common people, as the cold months often meant famine and even death. The background of the symbol is derived from Germanic myths and the Yule festival, which marked the beginning of winter. The history of the relationship between the Ace of Spades and death dates back to ancient times when it was solely a European phenomenon. It was believed that all these features were well-known to the Vietnamese and that the card was a potent symbol that would strike fear into the enemy ranks. The intention was to target the alleged superstitions of the North Vietnamese, by making the Ace of Spades the symbol of death, humiliation, and suffering. Also, since it was easily recognizable, the emblem served as a means of identification among friendlies.īut in Vietnam, it took on a darker and more sinister meaning. For them, it was a good luck symbol, associated with good fortune in card playing. It was the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division who first started wearing helmets with an Ace of Spades emblem painted on them. The practice of putting those cards on the bodies of dead enemies began in Vietnam and was most probably initiated by American soldiers in the field.Įven though it became popular during the 1960s, the card’s use as a symbol dates earlier–to the days of World War II. The card, associated with death, could be found among standard-issued card decks distributed to soldiers. The card was flung onto the bodies of dead enemy soldiers as part of psychological warfare designed to reap fear in the Vietnamese. The Ace of Spades gained notoriety after Francis Ford Coppola’s war epic, Apocalypse Now, hit screens in 1979. When in Nam, what did this card mean to you? Other soldiers used the card as a morale booster – wearing it proudly on helmets to show they were tough and fearless warriors.
In Vietnam, the ace of spades (death card) was thought by some to put a scare into the superstitious enemy and were left behind on dead enemy bodies after a firefight.
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