jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Share #1 Posted October 23, 2014 I had promised a friend to show this next time I retrieved it from the black hole in my house. A WWII uniform for the 1st Samoan Marine Battalion, Tutuila, American Samoa. Their uniform consisted of a khaki lava-lava, white t-shirt, overseas cap with patch, red sash, cartridge belt, bayonet and initially, M1903 and later, M1 Garand. A patch and any rank chevrons were attached on the right lower front of the lava-lava. Oh yes, bare feet. The M1903 in the photo is also in my collection and is a well documented Springfield actually issued to the Marines in early 1943 and sent to San Diego. It seemed appropriate to include it... regards, pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted October 23, 2014 Khaki lava-lava... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted October 23, 2014 Share #3 Posted October 23, 2014 It's not very often I am speechless, but WOW....... I have owned one of the overseas hats but never the whole lava-lave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #4 Posted October 23, 2014 Overseas cap with patch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #5 Posted October 23, 2014 Khaki lava-lava with patch, right front... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted October 23, 2014 Sash, actually 2 and one is named... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted October 23, 2014 Patches are 2 sizes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted October 23, 2014 Here is a B&W photo of marines, note chevron on right front... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pathfinder505 Posted October 23, 2014 Share #9 Posted October 23, 2014 That is awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarbridge Posted October 23, 2014 Share #10 Posted October 23, 2014 That is a Humdinger... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted October 23, 2014 Share #11 Posted October 23, 2014 NICE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted October 23, 2014 Share #12 Posted October 23, 2014 I live in a Marine town with a large Samoan population and I've often wondered how many of these are packed away in local garages. The guys who trim our trees wear lava-lavas as their normal clothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted October 23, 2014 Share #13 Posted October 23, 2014 Now this is a great uniform grouping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted October 23, 2014 Share #14 Posted October 23, 2014 Wowsers. This is going to sound like an understatement, but really nice!! RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocsfollowme Posted October 23, 2014 Share #15 Posted October 23, 2014 I never knew about the lava-lava being issued gear. The MCRD in San Diego has the cap with the patch, but I have to go back to see if they have the lava-lava. A super rare and awesome piece. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry K. Posted October 23, 2014 Share #16 Posted October 23, 2014 Never thought I would see one in a collection, GREAT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted October 23, 2014 Share #17 Posted October 23, 2014 Rare, rare, rare! Amazing items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefallenbuddha Posted October 23, 2014 Share #18 Posted October 23, 2014 The lava-lava is one of my dream pieces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corpsmancollector Posted October 23, 2014 Share #19 Posted October 23, 2014 Speechless… Just incredible. A pleasure just to see one in a collection! Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted October 23, 2014 Share #20 Posted October 23, 2014 Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BagmanL6 Posted October 23, 2014 Share #21 Posted October 23, 2014 I never even knew this Battalion existed. Thank you for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted October 23, 2014 Share #22 Posted October 23, 2014 Fantastic pieces Pat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted October 23, 2014 Share #23 Posted October 23, 2014 I've seen drawings of their Navy uniforms, but this is pretty darned cool. I showed the pictures to my class today. We're talking about the Span-AM era, etc., and I included this since Samoa came into American possession in 1899 or so, part of our dabbling in empire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstout Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share #24 Posted October 23, 2014 Thank you for the kind comments, guys. I get pretty stoked when I pull it out of the black hole and look it over. But I am glad I can share this with people who appreciate its historical significance. I need to find a shirt to put with it and display it at some point. regards, pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonc Posted October 23, 2014 Share #25 Posted October 23, 2014 No words! I LOVE IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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