. Dirty Dozen 1967.   Back in 1967 one of my friends who had served prior to that in the British airborne worked as an armorer on one of his first film jobs the Dirty Dozen, he approached Lee Marvin and said that he had been told to show Marvin how to hold and operate a Grease gun.   Marvin looked at him with a wry smile and took hold of the weapon, field stripped it, reassembled it and dry fired it saying he had served in the USMC in the Pacific during WWII. All done in a friendly way, it was never known if someone more aware of Marvins service history had set my friend up to embarrass him.    regards lewis.    ..

Please reread my posts.  I explained all of this:   The reverse swastika painted on the sides is actually called a Manji.  The Manji in Buddhism and Japanese culture represents peace, auspiciousness, good luck, prosperity, and eternity and is not to be confused with the Nazi Swastika.  It appears the Manji's are on fire, so I'm guessing this is a reference to being at war with Japan.   It's not a reference to a year: The "61' "mark seems to be referencing the 61st regiment foot, which is arguably the very 1st Marine corp regiment in American history. I found the below website that indicates this. https://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/revisiting-americas-first-marines/   It probably wasn't worn in battle as it is, however it may have been something he wore and then painted later. Maybe some sort of tribute or parade helmet.   

Hi Folks:  Recently picked up these two German-made bullion US Army patches...while attending a German flea market.  I recognized them in a display holding German Bundeswehr patches.  They are so beautifully made.   US ARMY EUROPE (USAREUR)   7TH ARMY

Ummmm, when did the 1st Marine Division fight the Germans? The 61' normally denotes a year. Why a white helmet liner? Maybe so you don't loose it in that thick jungle orrrrr in case of a freek snow storm? Please add this up for me so I can at least get a grip on how you came to your conclusion...I'm not seeing it.

. Hi Johan,   yes I saw the blue tag but didn't pay much attention to it, I was more concerned looking for Ford parts, here's a link if anyone wants to read more about the Maltournee Jeeps.   http://www.m201.com/ITM/ITM.htm   Norman D. Landing, Forum Normandy Correspondent, July  05  2O25.     ….    

While this patch is fake I have seen real one's similar to this one sell for this price if not higher. In fact there's some patches that have sold for several thousand. I am not a patch collector however over the years one gets accustom to the market. Patches are one of the most desirable items in the military collector world and there are thousands of patch collectors around the world. While its true you have to be careful with what you buy at times as there are fakes out there especially of the more valuable ones. However its like that in any hobby. This is why there are reference books and fantastic discussions online in many different groups and forums.    Also the price is in the eye of the beholder. What you may see as a $5 patch someone else may see as a $500 patch. But generally speaking bullion patches are some of the more desirable and do command a premium. 

I do love seeing stuff of this era. I mainly collect infantry, so it’s nice to see the cav stuff as well. 

Hey all, a friend of mine recently went on a road trip to Oklahoma and New Mexico to see a bunch of family and brought back this INSANE helmet that he said belonged to one of his relatives. He said he found it in the garage with a box of other stuff, it was missing a liner and the cover was stuffed in the honey rolled up and tied off with the helmet band. He sent pics, and the rest is history. Now I have the helmet on hand and J’m super excited at the potential of research. The helmet itself is a 1945 produced McCord (I think) still with the original ww2 paint and very degraded curling which you can see poking through. It’s missing one of its bales which is annoying and has no chinstraps. The Mitchell cover is EXTREMELY salty with tears all through the brim and it’s nearly ripped in half, the seam down the middle is also ripping. There is also some graffiti on it which is super cool, not sure what it is, I doubt it’s months in country, or something of that sort, but probably something else. Because if it was months he would have almost 4 years which is extremely unlikely. The helmet band which is named “Harjo” is in fairly decent condition, and the name has clearly been on there for a hot minute. I feel the name will be pretty much say to r search, as I know he lived in either OK or NM, and I know he is either a Shawnee or Creek Indian since those are the tribes my friend is apart of. Either way, I’m super excited to be the caretaker of this helmet as this is my first Vietnam helmet! Thanks for looking.   PS the liner is a post war Euro clone I put in it to keep the cover on. Not apart of the helmet.

No problem, 8 dated 42’ is Awsome, I still only have 1 43 dated pouch, nothing earlier, still haven’t found one yet. Always love seeing your posts, never disappoints!