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Historic Chaplain’s kit fresh out of the woodwork. KIA 1943 while conducting services in the PTO


USMC-RECON0321
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strawberry 9

As already stated...everything about this is amazing and a really great find. This is what we look for with every item saved...a direct and well documented link to the past. I'm sure all of us would love to have this in our collection and I'm glad it ended up with someone who will preserve it. Its hard telling why it was separated from the family but these things do happen and at least now it will be well cared for. Congrats and thanks for sharing!

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  • 7 months later...
  • 1 year later...

A wonderful and sacred relic. Glad that it was saved by someone who can treasure it. R.I.P. Chaplain Munroe. P.S. i wonder if he was a qualified parachutist? Bobgee

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Chaplain Munro's pic.

Regarding his jump status, the 87th didn't retain jump status for long.

I am still looking into it, but he may have landed in New Guinea via glider.

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AMAZING! an actual kit that was there in use and info to back it up. I do have a question, HOW DID THIS ITEM FIND ITS WAY TO A STORE AND WHO (FAMILY) GAVE IT UP?? at least a collector saved it.

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USMC-RECON0321

AMAZING! an actual kit that was there in use and info to back it up. I do have a question, HOW DID THIS ITEM FIND ITS WAY TO A STORE AND WHO (FAMILY) GAVE IT UP?? at least a collector saved it.

 

Would you believe it was a donation to good will.

 

Troy

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Mitch Dutton

Troy,

Unfortunately I’m just finding this forum. Active duty Army CPT here, and my BN Chaplian helped me hunt down Chaplian Munro’s story. Keith Munro was my great great uncle. Troy, would like to link in with you to discuss the history here, and ultimately getting his Chaplian kit back into family hands and on display at our family church in Fort Wayne, IN. Please reply so we can link up. Thank you for finding this piece of history and preserving it. 
V/R 

Mitch

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Mitch Dutton

Here’s a few pictures my family found in a box. As of today 23MAY22 I haven’t been able to get ahold of anyone who might have Keith’s Chaplian kit, so if anyone on here can help my family and I would be very grateful. Thanks. 

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Doug OLoughlin

Hi there! Keith Munro was my birth-grandfather. My mom, his daughter, was Nancy Munro, later Fernald after being adopted, then married as O'Loughlin up until she died in 1997 from MS. Nobody has told us of this until Mitch Dutton reached out. We're on all the registries.

I'm in possession of the posthumous Purple Heart, a diary, numerous letters. I'll post more when I'm home tonight, but here is a watercolor that a soldier named Len Birnbaum sent my Mom of the incident, we had it framed after her death. My sister Jill is also in the loop with Mitch and possibly Bob Nay (?), I see a Troy listed here.

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all who serve.

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Doug OLoughlin

I couldn't find Keith's posthumous Purple Heart (it's here in my house in Portland Oregon somewhere - Does not have the ribbon with it, to my knowledge), but here are a few pages from his diary. Starts on 1/1/43. Mention of Colonel Woodbury who I believe kept in touch w/my family & they called him "Woody." Final entry 8/8. The writing is pretty scrawled as time marches on but there is no mention I can see of his daughter being born on 6/4. He does say he'll write to his wife "Vi" (my grandma) a couple of times and in fact seems to mention airshows & firework shows which I assume are the planes. Lots of toil and misery setting up his tent in terrible conditions, etc.

Some of these comments offended me in this thread about how could the "communion kit" end up at a Goodwill, but I promise it was beyond our control and I hope people will take it with a grain of salt as far as how much can be learned. War in the end is a terrible thing and not for folks to glorify or "collect" things. Again, I am assuming one of the brothers really wanted to keep the 'communion kit' and my grandmother Vi was OK with that (she passed away around 1998), and at some point it got donated after they passed on around 2015.

Thanks all - I'll keep trying to dig up info.

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Hello Munro extended family.

Yes, I still have the kit. I was in contact with someone in your family several years ago.

It appears this kit has brought the family together.

 

To the grand-daughter who has the diary. Thank you for holding on to it. You mentioned "War in the end is a terrible thing and not for folks to glorify or "collect" things." 

There may be some people in this forum who glorify and even make money on these things. It is my experience that most seek to honor those who served and even died for our country. They display these items in an honorable way and tell the story, that their sacrifice was not in vain. And they do this out of their personal expense. 

 

For me, I tell tell the story of a chaplain who left his wife, and a daughter who was born shortly after he deployed. Thus he never saw her, He was with his soldiers in the South Pacific providing for the religious, spiritual and emotional needs for his battalion. This is what the Army Chaplaincy calls ministry of presence. Nurture the living, care for the wounded, honor the dead.   

 

The second lesson I draw from this is for all chaplains to prepared and ready to preach their last sermon. No one knows the hour nor day. Would a chaplain's preparation, the words they say and manner we they them be any different if they know it was going to be their last sermon. And a part of this, and a lesson that personally became real for me as a combat chaplain, that I must be always ready to meet my Lord and Savior. To love my neighbor. To have no hatred, bitterness but a pure heart before my creator.

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