Super Impressive Army Medal Group on eBay

[Dave]

If you could only have one Army medal group...this might be in the running... (no, I don't know the seller nor the group; just thought it was cool...)

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-WW2-ARMY-Medals-Belonging-to-Chester-B-McCoid-Official-Documents-/111815962724

 

 

[Dave]

A bit of bio. From: http://capitolwords.org/date/2000/01/31/E27-3_in-memory-of-colonel-chester-b-mccoid-of-middletow/

 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Colonel Chester B. McCoid of Middletown, CT. Colonel McCoid, who passed away on January 2, was a true American Hero, a veteran of three of the century's largest military conflicts and a patriot of the highest order.

Colonel McCoid began his 34 year military career by concealing his age to enlist in the Army in World War II. The Colonel became a member of the fabled 82nd Airborne Division and parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. Wounded by ground fire before even exiting the aircraft, Colonel McCoid nevertheless landed with his unit and moved to carry out its mission. Steve Ambrose has recently written a testament to the extraordinary efforts of the men who struggled ashore on Utah and Omaha beaches and parachuted into the Norman countryside on June 6, 1944. In assessing the success of the Allied campaign on D-Day, Mr. Ambrose concluded that ``. . . in the end success or failure in Operation Overlord came down to a relatively small number of junior officers, noncoms, and privates or seamen in the American, British, and Canadian armies, navies, air forces, and coast guards.'' Colonel McCoid and other brave young men made the difference that day and laid the foundation for defeating the Nazis in Europe.

After recovering from his wound, Colonel McCoid returned to active duty and was again wounded in combat. Following the War, he received a commission in the Army. He went on to serve in Korea and in a number of positions in the Pentagon before beginning duty in Vietnam in 1966. Over the next eight years, Colonel McCoid would spend fifty-one months on active duty commanding the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and acting as Deputy Commander of the Independent 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Near the end of the American involvement in the conflict, Colonel McCoid headed the American Element of the Four Party Military Commission encompassing the City of Da Nang and three surrounding provinces. In this capacity, he directly participated in negotiating the terms under which American forces would withdraw. On March 29, 1973, Colonel McCoid was the last ground force soldier outside of Saigon to leave Vietnam.

Colonel McCoid received many decorations and awards during his military career, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, five Legions of Merit, five Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. The Colonel is one of less than 300 Americans who have been awarded the Combat Infantry Badge three times. This honor is bestowed on American service men and women who have been engaged in direct combat with enemy forces.

Athough these awards tell us much about the Colonel's bravery and valor, we can learn as much about his character based on an account of a decoration he would not accept. According to retired Army Colonel John Collins, Colonel McCoid refused to accept the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in Southeast Asia. Colonel McCoid declined saying that he had done much more in World War II and didn't receive the medal so he didn't see why he should receive it later in his career. Colonel McCoid made a powerful statement about honoring veterans who came before--and later--by declining to accept an award he did not believe he had earned.

Mr. Speaker, Colonel Chester B. McCoid was an American hero. He answered his nation's call to service and distinguished himself at every turn. He helped to ensure the freedom of the world and to safeguard the rights we hold so dear. I extend my sympathy to his family and ask all members to join me in remembering Colonel McCoid for his extraordinary service to our country.

[uniformcollector]

I bid on the original auction someplace in CT. They sold for well under half that. Everything from the colonel was there. They had his WWII jump jacket, one of the last flags to fly over Vietnam, all his certificates and a lot more. I passed on the medals because the auction house said none were engraved, but I did manage to get some silk maps of Europe from him.

[Captainofthe7th]

I am bidding on his dress blues right now. Really stellar history. I wish I had the capacity to keep it all together, but this looks like a group that is split up and will remain that way. There's a huge volume of stuff...I guess the jump jacket sold for $3500+. I am hoping the blues stay under the radar. They're set up for right after his Korea service with the 2d Div. If I remember he was commander of B/507 in WWII, got his knee busted up on the jump and was evacuated on D+3. He returned to duty with the 17th AB I think.

 

Rob

[jguy1986]

I was wondering how quickly this stuff would show up on the market. From the auction photos they sold his WWII jump jacket, trousers, boots, pocket knife, dog tag, and all these medals (plus more). A world-class group that will now be a bunch of smaller but still impressive groups.

[jim2]

I am bidding on his dress blues right now. Really stellar history. I wish I had the capacity to keep it all together, but this looks like a group that is split up and will remain that way. There's a huge volume of stuff...I guess the jump jacket sold for $3500+. I am hoping the blues stay under the radar. They're set up for right after his Korea service with the 2d Div. If I remember he was commander of B/507 in WWII, got his knee busted up on the jump and was evacuated on D+3. He returned to duty with the 17th AB I think.

 

Rob

 

Did you end up with his Blues? I was also bidding to, but settled for his white mess dress uniform.