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Happy Coincidence


TLeo
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Have you ever had a uniform, etc just seem to interest you for no real reason? Well, I was not really looking to get another uniform but ran across this one and for some reason just could not pass it up. At first and second glance it seemed nothing special but it was a early 1942 dated one with 2nd Division patch and version using only one stripe. With the date I thought there might be a bit more to the story but took quite a while before I decided to purchase it, but it kept nagging at me that I should get it. Well after getting it home and having Golden Arrow get his records I had a pleasant surprise and discovered a very nice couple of coincidences.

This young Marine enlisted in Nov. 1942 and after training went to 2nd Bn. 10th Marines. First coincidence....I have the dress uniform of the C.O. of 1st Bn 10th Marines. Then in Sept 1943 he transferred to Co. C, 1st Bn. 8th Marines and participated in the Tarawa invasion and would have landed the second morning on Red Beach 2. He later went on to participate in Saipan and Tinian with 18th Engineer Bn before returning to the states in late 1944 where he spent the remainder of the war and was discharged in Nov. 1945. He later re-enlisted in the Army in the 1950's for a brief period.

His duty with 1/8 brings up the second coincidence. A while back I had the chance to get a nice officer's 2nd Division uniform from another member who had been in the and Division at Guadalcanal as an NCO and prior to Tarawa was promoted and became commander of C Company, 1st Bn. 8th Marines. What a surprise to find that this Marine actually served in the same outfit with Lt. Brunn as his company commander at Tarawa. So, just by happy accident I reunited two members of Co. C 1/8.

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I'm going to move Pfc. Smith's uniform upstairs in a bit and display it beside his company commander's and here is Lt Brunn's and one more of Smith's.

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Kurt Barickman

Nice, there is another C-1-8th Tarawa enlisted group out there somewhere as well. Fun to find those connections.

 

 

Kurt

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Captainofthe7th

Nice, Tom...I know what you mean when you say you get the 'feeling.' It's kind of an odd thing and it happens to be sparingly. I will either purchase a uniform or something, uninformed about it, but feeling it will suit me well, or I tend to hang onto something that I think about selling again and again and one day some information surfaces that makes it a stellar keeper.

 

It's just a collecting 6th sense!

 

It's great to see the two uniforms together.

 

Rob

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Being dated so early I thought there was a good chance of a Tarawa connection but never imagined it would lead to a company commander and one of his men.

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Nice looking uniform. Do the records give any indication as to why he was switched from artillery to infantry and then engineers in the span of two years? That's an interesting combination of MOS's. Sounds like this marine has got quite a story!

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Nice looking uniform. Do the records give any indication as to why he was switched from artillery to infantry and then engineers in the span of two years? That's an interesting combination of MOS's. Sounds like this marine has got quite a story!

That also struck me as a bit odd but the file does not show anything about reasons for the transfers.

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