June 24, 1963 - A new Army jungle boot, with a stainless-steel insert in the sole, is being rushed to South Vietnam this summer to protect U.S. servicemen against the rusty spikes and sharpened bamboo stakes of the Communist Viet Cong guerrillas. These crude weapons, some of them smeared with infectious materials, have been planted in rice paddies and on trails to inflict painful and even fatal wounds. The new boot, under development since October 1961, is specially designed for the hard conditions of the Vietnamese war. In final form, to be ready early in 1964, it will consist of a molded rubber outsole and a built-in stainless-steel spike-resistant insert. Early models of the new boot, which will reach Vietnam next week, will be equipped with a steel insert which can be fitted into the boot.
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