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Ralph R. Swift - Marine WWII


WWIIEnthusiast123
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Semper Fi SGT Swift, thank you for your service.

 

I hope you get the items back someday, I will certainly keep an eye open at the local Michigan shows. Scott

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Semper Fi Sergeant Swift! I hope you recover his gear Chad. In fact, I look forward to the day when you let us all know that you did.

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  • 2 weeks later...
WWIIEnthusiast123

Hey, I haven't been on this site in forever and I'm sooo sorry about this, I had literally NO idea this happened. Please message me

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WWIIEnthusiast123

And I'm so sorry to hear of your grandfather's passing. My own grandfather was a veteran and died last year, so I feel your pain. I just texted you, and hope to ship these items to you as soon as possible. Rest in peace Sergeant Swift

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Thank you all for your kind words. I could not sleep last night after i got an email @ 2:00 in the morning from WWII. I cant wait to speak to him and thank him.

Thank you All , for keeping my hopes up with your words of encouragement. Thank you Mr. Hudson for your added efforts. It is all greatly appreciated .

Thank you, Chad

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Wonderful to see this turn out like this. Kudos to wwllenthusiast123 for showing some great understanding and class. And kudos to those others who helped make this happen.

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I spoke with WWIIEnthusiast123 yesterday by phone ,, what an awesome guy ! He would not take any money and is shipping the items to me here in Tx . I wish I could some how repay him , or at least could shake his hand . I have gained a friend for life and will keep in touch . We would all be lucky to have a friend like him in our lives.

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  • 1 month later...
Civil War Corporal

Ralph Swift was my Uncle. His sister Audrey was my grandmother. Sorry to say that Uncle Ralph passed away the Thursday before Memorial Day 2013. And yes he was a tough man. He enlisted in the US Marines in late 1942. After completing boot camp he was assigned to his unit. His unit was part of the initial assault wave to hit the beach on Tarawa. He also was in the battle's of Saipan, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. He made it though some very fierce fighting during the Pacific campaign. At one time he and a few hundred fellow Marines were given the duty of acting as extra's for the movie Guadalcanal Diary. His photo appeared in a WWII magazine that was similar to Look and Life. It was called Click. The picture was a frame grab from a piece of film that was taken of the Marines burying their dead at sea after the battle of Saipan. Ralph Swift was the third Marine back. This film was also included in the History Channels program "The Battle History of the United States Marines." Ralph pretty much grew up around Lacey Michigan. He was a first class mechanic. He hunted and fished as we all did who were from that area. The family was very proud of Ralph for his service to our country and for what he and his generation did for the country and future generations.

He is buried in the Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta, Michigan.

Chad, if you are still monitoring this board please update your contact information. I would like to talk with you. We are cousins and I don't believe we have met. At least I don't remember you.

Cameron Davis

 

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ReverendJake

It's so nice to se groups reunited with the family. I saw this topic a while ago and I thought that the grouping was lost. It's such a pleasant surprise to see a happy ending to this story.

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What an awesome chronicle of an American heroes life, his long lost mementos, and their final return to his descendants due to the tenacious search by his grandson, the outreach of this Forum, and the generosity and honor of a collector. It's stories like this that keep restoring my faith.

 

Larry

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  • 5 months later...

I went up to Michigan for Thanksgiving, while there i took my Son to see my Grandparents home . I Had not been there since before the passing of my Grandmother. We walked around the property and I told my son things I could remember about the place . As we walked around the outside of the house we notice the side door had been kicked in again (thieves suck). We went in and walked through the house as I shared some more of my memories . We went into the kitchen and my son said, "Dad look"! Laying right on the counter, by the sink was the leather sheath to my Grandpa's knife. They are now back together again . Hope you like the picture . Thanks Again WWIIEnthusiast123,

Chad,post-106011-0-22297700-1386370347.jpg

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