tfhiii Posted January 4, 2019 Share #1 Posted January 4, 2019 Hello everyone,I sharing some of my recent finds from an estate sale. Although I'm most interested in WWII militaria, I couldn't pass up this Vietnam War grouping. It consists of approximately 60 items that belonged to Captain Charles R. Ridgway, USAF in the mid 1960s. Although I don't have a lot of information about Mr. Ridgway, I believe that he retired as a colonel in 1980. The items were contained in two foot lockers (one of which is marked Holloman AFB and the other, Ubon RTAFB) and include pilot survival gear and flight paraphernalia, a tent, combat knives, .45 holsters, and sleeping bag covers, among other items. I was hoping that one of the knives would be a Randall fighting knife, but no such luck. If anyone has information on this officer, or comments about any of the items, it would be appreciated. Thanks for looking.Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River Patrol Posted January 4, 2019 Share #2 Posted January 4, 2019 Great stuff!! Thanks for sharing your find!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themick Posted January 4, 2019 Share #3 Posted January 4, 2019 You've gotta love these time capsules. Nice find. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfhiii Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted January 5, 2019 Thanks Guys! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted January 5, 2019 Share #5 Posted January 5, 2019 Great find, looks like you got some nice blades! BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tfhiii Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share #6 Posted January 6, 2019 Thanks BKW. Yes, I was especially excited to see the knives and the pilot's machete, otherwise I might have passed on the buy. Like I mentioned the knives needed to be cleaned up (and one has a little rust pitting due to poor storage) but still nice to have. The RH 3 knife and sheath caught my eye as the may date to WWII, so it would be interesting to know how Captain Ridgway came by it. The others look postwar Korean/Vietnam War period.The Fighting Knives books are pretty neat. These were published by Randall Knife Company, 1964 and 1965 editions. I was hoping to find a Randall knife buried in one of the trunks with the other knives but I think the owner knew what he had (probably had to special order it). Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now