Bob Hudson Posted June 25, 2014 Share #1 Posted June 25, 2014 Got a call today asking if I'd be interested in a helmet from a POW: I thought I was going to see one that had belonged to an American who'd been a POW. Turns out it belonged to a Japanese POW captured on Okinawa and attached to it is the provenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry K. Posted June 25, 2014 Share #2 Posted June 25, 2014 unbelievable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted June 25, 2014 The person I got it from has collected artifacts relating to Marine MP's and Provost Marshals and this helmet was donated by a former Marine who'd been an officer with the 1st Military Police Battalion on Okinawa. Supposedly the vegetation is all original (there's even a leaf or two stuck in the liner). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share #4 Posted June 25, 2014 .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Devil Posted June 25, 2014 Share #5 Posted June 25, 2014 WOW! That is a very cool helmet and provenance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellasilva Posted June 25, 2014 Share #6 Posted June 25, 2014 Ho-lee crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted June 25, 2014 There were a lot of item donated to this USMC MP/CID archive, so much so, that there is a lot of excess, especially of items such as this helmet which don't directly relate to MP history even though they came from MP's. They would like some of it to get out of storage and into the hands of people who can appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted June 26, 2014 This Marine retired as a Colonel. Here's his name in the USMC Monograph for the Battle of Okinawa: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F 106 Pilot Posted June 26, 2014 Share #9 Posted June 26, 2014 What a great find!!!! If that helmet could tell what it had seen it would be very interesting. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsmilitary Posted June 26, 2014 Share #10 Posted June 26, 2014 WOW just amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelligerentBlue Posted June 26, 2014 Share #11 Posted June 26, 2014 Wow... drool! Very nice piece. I need to get my name out there so I can get calls like this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch03 Posted June 26, 2014 Share #12 Posted June 26, 2014 Great helmet!! Thanks for sharing it with us! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted June 26, 2014 Share #13 Posted June 26, 2014 Daaaaaaangggggg!!!!!...... ............mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCapturephotos Posted June 26, 2014 Share #14 Posted June 26, 2014 I love it Bob. The GI connection makes it especially awesome. Thanks for sharing! Let me know if you ever decide to sell! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share #15 Posted June 26, 2014 From the China Marine Association book, here's a brief bio of the Marine who brought this home. The connection between him and the guy I got it from (a former Marine MP/CID agent) was another China Marine MP. (Here's a thread a posted last year about the intermediary: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/193723-pacific-war-china-marine-dress-blues/ ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share #16 Posted June 26, 2014 As I mentioned, I was told the vegetation is original to the helmet. Since this was acquired by an officer, he might have had the space to tuck it away and ship it back to the US so everything stayed intact. I did look around online and found one drawing showing the vegetation pretty much all stuck in the front like this helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted June 26, 2014 Share #17 Posted June 26, 2014 Museum quality. They don't get much better than that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Posted June 26, 2014 Share #18 Posted June 26, 2014 Wonderful helmet!!! Thanks for your sharing !!! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCDUFF Posted June 26, 2014 Share #19 Posted June 26, 2014 What an amazing piece of history! It is wonderful to see so untouched. Thanks for the really interesting photos and information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share #20 Posted June 26, 2014 It is wonderful to see so untouched. As I wrote above, I think it helped that an officer brought it back from Okinawa: he'd have had better resources for storing while in Okinawa and later for shipping it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted June 26, 2014 Share #21 Posted June 26, 2014 Neat relic, the plant branches are from the Cycad Revoluta v. aurea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share #22 Posted June 26, 2014 Neat relic, the plant branches are from the Cycad Revoluta v. aurea Thanks! Found this online - does it jibe with your understanding? In the islands around Amami Oshima, just north of Okinawa, Japan, there exists an odd type of Cycas revoluta known in the west as variety aurea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted June 26, 2014 Share #23 Posted June 26, 2014 Thanks! Found this online - does it jibe with your understanding? In the islands around Amami Oshima, just north of Okinawa, Japan, there exists an odd type of Cycas revoluta known in the west as variety aurea. Ditto, "Sago Palms" are indigenous to both hemisphere and most continents, the v. aurea is unique to the Asian islands chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOLO Posted June 26, 2014 Share #24 Posted June 26, 2014 I agree, this is a museum quality piece with provenance , something like this is too historical and rare to be in a private collection it belongs on public display in a museum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted June 26, 2014 Share #25 Posted June 26, 2014 An amazing find with great provenance...congratulations and thanks for posting! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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