1942 KIA Naval Aviator

[Matt-M]

This one is just a single medal, for that is all he was awarded. He was in the air in '42 with Butch O'Hare during the flight in which O'Hare won his MOH. The nice item in this group, in my opinion, is the hand written letter from O'Hare to the mother of Lt. Wilson describing how he was killed instantly by an enemy shell bursting in the cockpit, written on hotel stationary when O'Hare went stateside to receive his MOH before shipping back. Asks mother not to mention he wrote to her as he could get in trouble for doing so, but felt she had the right to know. There is also a large photo of the Japanese surrender which, in his own hand, Nimitz conveys his sympathies to Wilson's mother on her loss. I was honored to be able to obtain this grouping when the previous owner needed to raise some funds for his daughters wedding. Previous owner said that he rescued most of this from the trash.

[Teamski]

An amazing group! Sure would love to see close-ups.

 

-Ski

[Matt-M]

Hi, Ski

Here's one. Will try to get some more up in a few days.

[JDK]

Another great group! I agree, close ups on all 3 groups that you posted would be great!

JD

[Matt-M]

Will try to get some more pics up in a few days. running late for work now.

[scottplen]

looks like a keeper to me !!!! :thumbsup:

[John Cooper]

WOW - one of thise days I will be so lucky!

 

Is it possible to have you post close-ups of the wings as well?

 

Cheers

John

[kriegsmodell]

Outstanding, thanks for sharing ......

[vicjoy1945]

Hey Matt !!

 

Fantastic grouping !! I love groupings such as this with so much great documentation and history !!

 

Welcome aboard !!

 

Vic

[Matt-M]

Hi, Vic

Thanks for welcoming me. There are so many great collections to look at here it's pretty mind boggling. As far as my collecting habits go, I do my best to buy right from the vet, or from the vet's family directly. The number of "groupings" that are being pieced together is growing and without some sort of provenance, I have reservations about purchasing something of that nature. Groupings, as well as many other collectibles, fall under the "if it's in your collection, it's a repro, fake, or copy, but if it's in my collection, it's 100% right". I repair musical instruments for a living and have been dealing with faked collectible / vintage guitars for over 20 years. I've seen some really good fakes and some incredibly rare, genuine pieces as well, but there's nothing like meeting the guy who bought it himself and respected the instrument their entire life and then was willing to pass it on to someone else who would appreciate it. I'm doing my best in keeping that same thread of thought with collecting military groupings. I'm not a man of extraordinary means, so I've eaten my share of PB&J and Balogna sandwiches in order to save my nickles to buy what I really like. I've had the privilege to meet with some wonderful people through this hobby and hope that it continues. If the hobby is to sustain itself into future generations, I feel it's extremely important to get younger generations interested in what made this country so incredible. For one, our sense of adventure. It seems unpopular lately to be proud of those who took chances, sacrificed their lives, their chance at raising a family, their chance of growing old somewhere peaceful, for us who enjoy the benefits of freedom and innovations that they died for. If we can do our best to hold on to our history and be proud of who we are as a nation, as a country, we'll make it into the next century. Every great nation throughout history has risen to and fallen from power, and in these times, we need to hold steadfast. Keep our history alive and continue to honor those who sacrifice, fight and sometimes die for our Liberty. I hope that we take advantage of the new mediums we have available such as the internet, collectible shows and re-enactments, to promote this. I know, I know, we all thought the internet was invented by Al Gore for easy access to pictures of naked women, but lo and behold, it does more! I digress. I'll try to get more photos up of some of the other groupings I have in the near future. In the meantime, again, I thank you for the welcome and hope you all enjoy some of what I've been able to acquire and be guardian of.

Sincerely,

Matt

[usmcski]

Hey Matt,

 

I've been perusing your topics and posts, it looks like you've gotten off to quite a start! It's great to meet a fellow collector who respects the provenance of the items, there is so much untold history in every single photo on this site that needs to be preserved! For those of us who happen to acquire items after an old vet passes on, their personal "collections" of their own memories in the service obviously meant a lot to them, so if the families don't desire to keep the groupings, it's only fitting that we preserve their stories so they aren't lost to history.

 

Bravo Matt, keep up the great work.

 

Cheers,

 

Ski

[Matt-M]

Hi, Ski

Thanks for the kind words. I started off about 20 years ago collecting flight gear, as my grandfather was a NAP, and looking for flight helmets and flight suits and etc. at the local flea markets was fun. About 5 years into collecting, I started to pay closer attention to the world's history and how it shed light on so many events going on in my day to day life. By seeing patterns in my every day life events to things that happened several, if not hundreds, of years earlier, it gave me a deeper connection to collecting and turned the hobby into something that went from hunting down a type flight helmet I didn't have to looking for a name inside a run-o-the mill AN-H-15. I feel fortunate for the pieces I've acquired and hopefully will find others who will appreciate them when I'm no longer here. Thanks again for enjoying my posts. I look forward to posting some other pieces of mine in the future. Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Matt

[KASTAUFFER]

Hey Matt

 

I was sick in the hospital in Nov 2009 and I missed seeing this thread back then. I always wondered who got this one! Glad to see its in good hands.

 

Kurt

[ww1collector]

Matt-Nice! Dave

[Johnny Signor]

Wow , glad the man saved these from the trash, How I yet can not understand that people can just trash items of unique history like this , are people really that uncaring and or ignorant of what these items stand for ????????

 

Even if it is not of the least bit interesting to the person that decides to trash , they should at least have the decency to give it to a local VFW chapter or a military relic store/display , that way at least it will have a better chance of being preserved rather than fillin a landfill, man this really ticks me off when people don't respect our countries servicemen and thier belongings !!!!!!!!!!!

[Matt-M]

time flies doesn't it? Revisiting my collection and wanted to post some more pics of this grouping.

[Matt-M]

PH cert.

[Matt-M]

part of letter.

[Matt-M]

O'Hare sig.

[Matt-M]

Nimitz.

[Matt-M]

1.

[Jack's Son]

Really Nice Grouping.

Thank you for the closer look!

[1st Sgt CES]

What a Great Grouping of an Early War Hero !!! Nice Wings!!! Blue Skies 1st Sgt CES

[67Rally]

Matt,

 

That is fantastic! As a collector of autographs (been doing this long before I started with militaria), I'd kill for that grouping just for the autos. Thanks for sharing that!

[BigJohn#3RD]

Matt,

Great display of items that memorialize an American Patriot that gave every thing for the freedoms we enjoy.

De Oppresso Liber

Strength and Honor

John