hink441 Posted November 13, 2015 Share #101 Posted November 13, 2015 I remember this helmet, and it has always been at the top of my list!! Now it has a complete detailed history behind the helmet. Just a great helmet and a great story. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted November 13, 2015 Share #102 Posted November 13, 2015 Incredible...and to answer the question of your original title of the thread "If only it could speak"...i believe it has spoken!....mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Niles Posted November 13, 2015 Share #103 Posted November 13, 2015 Ron, Great helmet, a very historic piece. Some items you just get a "feeling" from them when you pick them up. It is amazing when some of these items turn up at of the woodwork and thankfully it ended up in the right hands, as always, another great piece from a time period long ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share #104 Posted November 14, 2015 Not sure how I missed this thread. Aside from Theorywolf's D-Day worn 29th ID lid, this is absolutely the most incredible helmet I've ever had the honor of seeing posted. I mean, what more can you ask for? The documentation, everything is flawless. A 110% combat-worn used and abused lid that survived all these years and an almost death sentence while on its owners head. Absolutely the item I could safely say that most of us here would go nuts over. Congratulations man, well done. Thankyou sir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share #105 Posted November 14, 2015 Ron, Great helmet, a very historic piece. Some items you just get a "feeling" from them when you pick them up. It is amazing when some of these items turn up at of the woodwork and thankfully it ended up in the right hands, as always, another great piece from a time period long ago! Thanks D. Appreciate the comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share #106 Posted November 14, 2015 Incredible...and to answer the question of your original title of the thread "If only it could speak"...i believe it has spoken!....mike Thanks Mike...it really was one of those light bulb moments when I first saw it.Something made me keep looking at it.You could say it had a secret to be revealed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share #107 Posted November 14, 2015 I remember this helmet, and it has always been at the top of my list!! Now it has a complete detailed history behind the helmet. Just a great helmet and a great story. Chris Thanks Chris for the kind compliments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted November 14, 2015 Share #108 Posted November 14, 2015 very cool story and documented...when I first started reading the thread...and looking at the pics...I was thinking this guy could have survived...the way the bullet or fragment went across the top of helmet hugging the top and creasing the liner...Ernie Pyle wrote of such a story I think, and several other documented cases of bullets entering and exiting without a kill wound... anyway rambling...great helmet...very much a center piece with an awesome story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M24 Chaffee Posted November 14, 2015 Share #109 Posted November 14, 2015 Amazing helmet! These pieces of history are always exciting to hold and study. But, when you can be fortunate enough to ID something, it will forever take on a special glow when you look at it. Thanks for sharing this! Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted November 14, 2015 Share #110 Posted November 14, 2015 Amazing story. Makes that helmet a real responsibility now that there is a name and a face along with the story. No faking that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundance Posted November 14, 2015 Share #111 Posted November 14, 2015 What a neat piece of history to treasure. Great to know the wearer survived the hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted November 14, 2015 Share #112 Posted November 14, 2015 Duplicate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCDUFF Posted November 15, 2015 Share #113 Posted November 15, 2015 Truly remarkable piece of history! Congratulations on the discovery and preserving the memory of this Marine for us all to witness. Cheers, Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMPETE Posted November 18, 2015 Share #114 Posted November 18, 2015 WOW, What an amazing, singular thing you have there. Truly a museum piece. With all the provenance that has come together it reminded me of the Walter Stauffer McIlhenny helmet in the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. As I recall, I believe somebody placed the helmet together with the sword with which it was struck on his stretcher when he was taken away unconscious. I mention this because I would like to think that Wren himself got the helmet home. Some of the damage to the liner could be the result of a thorough cleaning beforehand that got worse over the years. Just speculation, but I struggle a little with the idea that another Marine would pick up a fellow Marines through-shot helmet that anyone who didn't know would assume resulted in the wearer's death, and send or give to his sister. Anything Japanese would be fair game, but I would have thought that it would be frowned on as ghoulish if not his helmet and sister. Just a thought, and perhaps a naïve one. In any event, WOW. Congratulations on the rescue of a truly REMARKABLE object. Thanks for posting. Unforgettable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share #115 Posted November 21, 2015 WOW, What an amazing, singular thing you have there. Truly a museum piece. With all the provenance that has come together it reminded me of the Walter Stauffer McIlhenny helmet in the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. As I recall, I believe somebody placed the helmet together with the sword with which it was struck on his stretcher when he was taken away unconscious. I mention this because I would like to think that Wren himself got the helmet home. Some of the damage to the liner could be the result of a thorough cleaning beforehand that got worse over the years. Just speculation, but I struggle a little with the idea that another Marine would pick up a fellow Marines through-shot helmet that anyone who didn't know would assume resulted in the wearer's death, and send or give to his sister. Anything Japanese would be fair game, but I would have thought that it would be frowned on as ghoulish if not his helmet and sister. Just a thought, and perhaps a naïve one. In any event, WOW. Congratulations on the rescue of a truly REMARKABLE object. Thanks for posting. Unforgettable. Thanks Pete We will really never know the full story and lots of questions still to be answered. I only know it was found in Florida and the veteran passed away several years prior in Michighan.Will never know if he or his widow ever lived in Florida or how it ended up there.Just a fague story from the shop it came from. I often think of a knife we have here in a local museum.Its card states it was found on Tarawa.There was no scabbard with the knife.It was an early red spacer Kabar One day I was speaking to a volunteer there and found out he had been a WW2 Navy vet.During the conversation the topic of the display came up and he was actually the man who donated the knife.He went on to say he found the knife stuck in the sand.He said beside the knife lay a dead Marine.He went on to explain he reached down and picked the knife up.He didnt even know why he did so.Just said it was an automatic response.He said I still dont know why I did so.He seemed a bit embarrassed to even admit or tell the story.He went on to say everytime he looked at the knife over the years he saw that marine in his memory and the smell of the island.He decided to donate it one day to the museum.We may never know what compells people to do things as with this veteran he had no explanation to why he picked up a knife on a day like any other day on a small island in the pacific.Makes you wonder how many items could have a similiar story but never will be known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CjVl Posted January 13, 2016 Share #116 Posted January 13, 2016 Thank you for showing this amazing peace of history And rest in peace marine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldabewla Posted January 14, 2016 Share #117 Posted January 14, 2016 That's a killer lid Ron! glad you got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEABEE SON Posted May 16, 2017 Share #118 Posted May 16, 2017 What an amazing helmet and story! The helmet spoke volumes in the end. Well done! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanormalTrooper Posted May 16, 2017 Share #119 Posted May 16, 2017 Awesome helmet, it was great to read all five pages and see the progression on IDing the guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEABEE SON Posted May 16, 2017 Share #120 Posted May 16, 2017 Here is some radio chatter between Marine units on Saipan that might be of interest. I see he was in an antitank unit. Maybe his? https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByvMmQyvgnKENGU2YjE3YWYtNzljNi00NmJjLTk0YzEtZTE2YjM3ODMwMGI3/view?ddrp=1&hl=en# Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share #121 Posted May 16, 2017 Here is some radio chatter between Marine units on Saipan that might be of interest. I see he was in an antitank unit. Maybe his? https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByvMmQyvgnKENGU2YjE3YWYtNzljNi00NmJjLTk0YzEtZTE2YjM3ODMwMGI3/view?ddrp=1&hl=en# Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Thanks for the comment and the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share #122 Posted May 16, 2017 Awesome helmet, it was great to read all five pages and see the progression on IDing the guy! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMinistryOfAviation Posted May 23, 2017 Share #123 Posted May 23, 2017 So glad this thread found its way back to the top! What an incredible tale of research for this incredible lid! Got goosbumps when I read the line "gunshot would of the scalp"!! -Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted May 23, 2017 Author Share #124 Posted May 23, 2017 So glad this thread found its way back to the top! What an incredible tale of research for this incredible lid! Got goosbumps when I read the line "gunshot would of the scalp"!! -Jeremy Thanks Jeremy for taking the time to read and comment. I really have to give a lot of credit to member Kanemono (Dick).I reached out to him for help in researching the rolls and if not for him this would not have eveolved as quickly as it did and I cant say enough thanks to memeber Kanemono and others who give freely of there time and research abilities on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted August 2, 2018 Share #125 Posted August 2, 2018 Ouch! A full circle and now the helmet lives. Excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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