Treasure Chest, the memorabilia of Gen. F.J. Chesarek

[Ches-Gen-4]

A Formal Evening out for the General!

 

Photographed and shown below for your enjoyment is General Chesarek's custom made Dress Mess Blues formal jacket.

 

This uniform was made on 15 July 1959 by James S. Lee & Co., Custom Tailor, Hong Kong.

 

The uniform is presented in front of the Generals personal 48 star silk flag.

 

 

I'm sure this is what Ches would have worn for his visit to the White House event " How do you do Mr. President"

 

 

 

A close up look at the Generals miniature medals!

 

 

The gold and silver bullion embroidery still looks like new.

 

 

The shoulder knots are brilliant! And the jacket itself is in pristine condition.

 

 

From December of 1958 thru August of 1959, General Chesarek held the assignment of Executive Officer to the Assistant Secretary of Defense

for International Security Affairs, at the Pentagon, Washington D.C.

 

 

I had a great time putting this mannequin together all the while thinking how regal my Uncle must have looked while wearing it

[firefighter]

Beautiful jacket.Love the mini medal racks.You must have your own little museum there.

[Ches-Gen-4]

Beautiful jacket.Love the mini medal racks.You must have your own little museum there.

 

Thanks, I'm workin' on it. I call it my annex to the Smithsonian.

[manayunkman]

Unbelievably outstanding.

[Ches-Gen-4]

Unbelievably outstanding.

 

Thank you, I appreciate the complements. Bob

[firefighter]

 

Thanks, I'm workin' on it. I call it my annex to the Smithsonian.

 

 

LOL.I'm sure the West Point museum would be impressed.

[Ches-Gen-4]

Today I would like to show a few items from the Generals post war time in Europe.

As stated earlier, in 1959, General Chesarek became the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Communications

Zone or COMZ as it was called. He then went to Italy in July of 1960 to be the Chief of Staff

of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force and was awarded the Order of Republic Medal

by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army.

 

 

 

 

This appears to be some kind of medal or pendant and it is hand engraved.

 

 

[History Man]

All I can say is wow! That is a beautiful group and one of the most complete I have ever seen!

 

Philip

[buzzard517]

Speechless.

[firefighter]

Interesting medal.Does anybody know what the hand pin is on the pocket hanger?

[Ches-Gen-4]

Not sure there is any relationship but this is the same hand signal that the Boy Scouts use when saying their oath.

[Ches-Gen-4]

Well I certainly have been enjoying my time here on the Forum and for my just over 100th post.......

 

May I present the ultimate gift for the General that has everything....

 

SOLID 14K GOLD ENGRAVED COLLAR STAYS

 

 

They really don't look that scratched up in person, but when you blow them up this big! YIKES!

 

 

And some sweetheart pins from West Point. Unbelievable how small they are. The useable space on the short pin is only 3/16" long.

 

 

Here is a close up of the Dialectic Society pin dated 1938 from the U.S.M.A.

The Dialectic Society was authorized and formed as a literary and debating society in 1824, when Sylvanus Thayer, the Father of the Military Academy, was superintendent.

 

 

And a view showing the hand engraved back. Note that the maker is Bailey, Banks & Biddle!

 

 

 

Lastly for tonight, a bracelet from France. Some of these towns the General was quite familiar with.

From left to right: Nantes, St.Brieuc, Rennes, Bretagne, Brest, Quimper & Lorient.

Thanks, Bob

[firefighter]

A never ending treasure trove of item's.

[Sandlapper]

Incredible, thats all I can say, INCREDIBLE!!

[Ches-Gen-4]

I know, I know...when's it gonna end? Well, I have just about reached the bottom of the pile.

 

I will be gathering the materials I need to dress another mannequin with Ches's dress whites, which in the

mean while will give me more time to explore the Forum and read lots of the great posts you guys have

made here. There is so much to learn!

 

And I'll be looking for a little help from the members here to gather the uniform items that I need to build a

mannequin to represent my Uncle as a Colonel in the ETO. I only have a couple of photos as shown below

and I do have his officers combat boots and all of the insignia that he would have worn. I would like to find a

size 38 or so officers IKE jacket as seen in the photos as well as the correct shoulder holster.

I may just be able to fill that holster someday with my Uncles .45

Any ideas what color Ascot the Colonel would have been wearing??????

 

Thanks for following along and any help with the uniform requests. Bob

[firefighter]

I know, I know...when's it gonna end? Well, I have just about reached the bottom of the pile.

 

Say it's not SO!!!!

[Ches-Gen-4]

Just for you Firefighter...I'll show a couple more items from the collection.

 

When the general received his Italian Order of the Republic medal in 1962. He was also presented with a

ceremonial hat worn by the Bersaglieri (marksmen) a corps of the Italian Army. They are a high - mobility light

infantry unit. The black (Capercaille) feathers are usually worn on their combat helmets. Another distinctive

trait of the Bersaglieri is the fast jog pace they keep on parades, instead of marching.

 

 

[Ches-Gen-4]

Something else of interest from the artifacts that my Uncle had was a little soft cover diet book that was given to him

by General Dwight Eisenhowers wife Mamie.

It is signed inside the front cover with a little extra note that states " John say's it's great! -M-

 

I believe that would be their son John Eisenhower.

 

 

Here is the Eisenhower family shown below. IKE, Mamie, John & Barbara.

 

[firefighter]

Thank's.I'm addicted.

That is an awesome hat and in excellent shape.

[Ches-Gen-4]

There were quite a few ribbon racks with my uncles memorabilia and here are a few. I haven't been able to date these exactly

but they would have to be after 1968 when he received his first Distinguished Service Medal.

You can see that these are custom racks and were worn quite a bit and have been repaired several times.

 

 

 

[Ches-Gen-4]

One of the many gifts the General received is this beautiful hand decorated presentation plate

from General Refik Yilmaz of the Turkish Army.

General Refik Yilmaz was born in Istanbul in 1904 and entered the Military Academy in 1935.

He was promoted to Brigadier in 1956 and by 1961 was a full General.

 

 

 

[firefighter]

Very cool ribbon racks.We haven't heard from you in awhile.I thought you may have hit the bottom of the pile? Glad to see you're still digging.And yes a week is a long time.

[Ches-Gen-4]

Another dress uniform that I was fortunate to have been given are his Dress Mess Whites.

I only have these two pieces, the jacket and the vest but I am sure that he looked grand when wearing them.

He must have worn this quite often as there were multiple holes punched through the lapel from his miniature medal racks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

[Ches-Gen-4]

Firefighter, glad to see you are still watching. I have been busy searching for and buying items to recreate his

WW II uniform. I have picked up a nice M1 and an Officers IKE jacket. Looking for a shirt and pants next. But I

check in here every day to see whats new. Thanks, Bob

[Ches-Gen-4]

What kind of artillery man would the General be if he didn't decorate his office with at least a few model cannons.

 

Here they are

 

First is a big heavy all brass and wood model. This is almost 18" long. Fully adjustable for elevation.

 

 

 

Next we have a presentation model marked " In appreciation for outstanding leadership,enlisted personnel, Army Materiel Command, October 1970"

 

 

 

Shown below is a hand made presentation cannon given to the then Brig. General Chesarek by the U.S.A. General Depot, Verdun, France

 

 

And we will finish this post up with a few cast iron toy pieces.

 

 

 

Enjoy