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Searching for WWII 2nd Infantry Division painted metal signs by Liberto Vilarino


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Recently a couple in my neighborhood stopped by my house after seeing the WWII related license plate on my truck. The guys wanted to share with me the story about his grandfather, Liberto Vilarino from the 2nd Infantry Division of WWII. Evidently his grandfather was a famed sign painter who produced thousands of signs. One of those signs sold on IMA several years ago, but after years of searching, my neighbor has not been able to find another.

 

Has anyone ever come across any of these signs before? Here are pictures of the one from IMA, and part of Liberto's obituary.

 

 

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Have not seen one of his signs buy this is one I made for our re enacting unit.

Met Mr Bock at FIG Battle of the Bulge event back in 90s, gave him the sign, was MacDonalds runner in the battle.

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  • 4 years later...

I wonder if anything in either source was true. 

3,700 signs in one day? That's one sign every 23 seconds for 24 hours. Maybe he only needed 12 seconds to paint a sign and so could eat and sleep. Maybe he was painting signs while he was shooting down three airplanes with his other hand. And I guess his superiors decided that during the battles in Normandy his training as a rifleman should be put aside so that he could spend the time to paint 17,000 signs, one for every person in the division to carry around while they did the fighting. "Sign, hand painted" was probably in the 2nd ID TO&E. Maybe that's how he earned the Silver Star and all those battle stars on his bronze star.

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