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Wake Island Marine Grouping


tom2001
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First off, this group is NOT FOR SALE

 

But, it just arrived in the mail today, so I thought I'd share one of the coolest groups to come to me in a while:

 

SSgt Paul F. Hemmelgarn served with VMF-211 during the defense of Wake Island. SSgt Hemmelgarn became a POW and was imprisoned in both Shanghai and Osaka. On the night of June 5, 1945, an American fire bombing mission struck Osaka POW Camp, and after serving almost 4 1/2 years as a POW, SSGT Hemmelgarn was killed in action.

 

Lot's of pics, so bear with me.

 

First up, Hemmelgarn's posthumous Purple Heart

post-126-1307042718.jpg

post-126-1307042736.jpg

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Unbelievable grouping. To have survived so long in a Japanese prison camp then be killed a few months before the end of the war.

I am at a loss for words.

 

....Kat

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vicjoy1945
Unbelievable grouping. To have survived so long in a Japanese prison camp then be killed a few months before the end of the war.

I am at a loss for words.

 

....Kat

 

 

Very, very tragic story...imagine the heartbreak his family must have gone through.

 

Vic

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Tom....

 

Astonishing, both the story and the group.

 

How do you find these incredible slices of American history (I don't expect you to really answer that)?

 

Thank you so much for sharing this.

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