According to Kevin M. Elliott, “This is an example of what some talented, industrious soldier did in 1965 when he had time on his hands and no money. In a shop with the right tools he made this ashtray using a 50-caliber machine gun round bolted into the casing of a shortened 105mm shell.”
Popularized during and after World War I, the art using spent ammunition casing became known as Trench Art. Trench art is any item made from materials of a particular conflict and was often created in facilities behind fighting lines. Although the ashtray may have been made during down time in a shop, the 26th Infantry Regiment was one of the longest serving First Division units in Vietnam and spend much of that time in combat.