You have a good start to the impression...   I still have much of my 1980s gear stored away.. After I got out it stayed packed in my duffel bag and is still packed today...   Most of the items are new or newer since I kept two sets, one for use in the field and the other set used for inspections. After serving 22 years most the items that I was inistally issued were no longer used and I did not have to turn the items in...   Not really needing much of it anymore...   Leigh   

Awesome display! Mine will get there eventually! 

Another Admiral buckle up on the 'bay,  Seller's description: Vintage 1960s Philippines Made US Navy Belt Buckle - Vice Admiral - Charles K Duncan. -Vietnam era. The second line of the description is a little mis-leading as it reads.... Charles K Duncan retired a Four Star Admiral in WWII.  Not picking on the seller, but we know this not to be true as the buckle is labeled as "VN era", long after WW2 ended and per wiki, didn't attain flag rank until 1958.   Charles Kenney Duncan (December 7, 1911 – June 27, 1994) was a United States Navy four star admiral who served as Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic/Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Command/Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (SACLANT/CINCLANT/CINCLANTFLT) from 1970 to 1972. As Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, he conducted the largest NATO naval exercises held until that time. He received the Order of Orange-Nassau from the Netherlands, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Aviz from Portugal. He retired from the U.S. Navy on November 1, 1972, as a full admiral.    Nice buckle, but at the listed price of $549.99, even got an offer of $350, just WAAAYY TOOO MUCH  

Hi. What do you think of this lighter?

okay thank you I have gotten used to seeing cut edges patches 

The merrowed (overedge) stitching shows that it's 1968 or later production. Though a few pre-1968 SSI had merrowed edges, cut edges were the norm.

This week I was excited to reunite yet another part of Brigadier General Stack's Grouping, primarily his M-38 dress blues, a few small medals, some insignia, and a large framed photo of the general with Hermann Goering at the 36th ID HQ in Kitzbuhl after his capture, which once hung in his home.    As many of you all may know, I have been working to try and piece back together much of General Stack's grouping which has been split over the years. Stack was a legendary figure in 36th ID history, known as "Uncle Bob" and dearly loved by his troops. As assistant commanding general, he was the general on the frontline, going from battalion to battalion in his jeep making sure that combat orders were carried out, attacks were made properly, and at times, taking over combat unit when their commanders were wounded or unable to perform their job.   While I have some longer posts about General Stack out there, a brief summary of his service includes: joining up out of Cornell ROTC in 1917; serving as a platoon leader in the 1st ID during WWI; commanding the 6th Armored Infantry of the 1st Armored Division in the early 40s and throughout North Africa; receiving the Silver Star for rescuing an armored force of the 1st which was hit by a German ambush near Kasserine; getting wounded by a Stuka while in his jeep during the advance on Bizerte; taking over as assistant commander of the 36th Division in February 1944 just after the Rapido; primarily planning the division's landings in Operation Dragoon; leading the division from Southern France, into the Vosges, and during the breakout into Alsace; taking command of the 141st Infantry for several weeks during the German drive in December 1944 in Alsace; leading a patrol in the final days of the war dozens of miles into occupied German territory to take Hermann Goering into custody and bring him back to 36th Division lines; serving as the military attaché in Tangiers postwar; retiring with the 7th Armored in 1953.   Among the new pieces I received are his M-38 dress blue uniform, which is decorated as he would have worn in as the military attaché to the U.S. embassy in Tangiers from roughly 1949 to 1951. The blues date to 1939 when he was a Major with the 1st Armored Division. The early blues are not encountered super often in the collecting world, as they were not produced during WWII to save materials. Stack bought this set prior to that cutoff, however, and it includes the original pants with white stripe (the old infantry branch color) as well as the matching suspenders. The ribbon setup matches his postwar rack from '47 onward. The gold aiguilettes are also a rare thing to see, as these were only worn by White House aides, military attaches, and few select military officials working with foreign militaries.    Other objects recently acquired are the shoulder boards for his even earlier blues, the M-36 set, his Major shoulder boards for the M-38, a mini WWI victory medal and Croix de Guerre, some ribbons worn by Stack in the field during his time with the 36th during WWII, other misc. Insignia, General Stack's personal planning map showing the entire invasion force movements for Operation Dragoon, and another diplomatic passport used by the general while serving as military attaché.    In all, very excited to add even more of this historic T-Patcher's items to my collection!   I’ve also updated his little info card with photos of him in these uniforms, and with Goering, and reattached the combat leader tabs (which were in the Ike jacket’s pockets) onto the shoulders as he wore during the war.   

Yeah, it is unbelievable... It has become an expensive hobby. However, I think, I will pass on this one. I just found a pretty rough looking second pattern this year for a decent price in my opinion (about 110 USD shipping included, but I live in Germany, so it isn't that expensive). I have to keep a spot in my collection unoccupied I think. This way, the hunt doesn't end and I might get a bargain some day :))   Jules

Just to be certain…. The photo is real but when I received it from a relative I think it had already been colorized…..presumably from some sort of AI program.     I really apologize for the confusion. Had I realized this occurred at the time I probably wouldn’t have posted it.  My bad!