Good evening everyone,   I’d like to share this uniform grouping of Corporal Richard William Chiles, which I acquired from his home state of California. The belt appears to be a private-purchase item, and the tie and wool shirt have been added for display purposes.   Corporal Richard William Chiles (MCSN: 436013) was born on July 4, 1922, in Davis, California. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on August 26, 1942. He trained as an artilleryman, serving with various units but primarily with the Headquarters and Service Battery, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, throughout the majority of World War II. His service took him through intensive training in New Zealand and Guadalcanal, followed by combat in the Pacific campaigns at Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. During the fierce battle for Iwo Jima, his division initially remained in reserve offshore before landing to establish artillery battery positions, with the 12th Marines earning a second Navy Unit Commendation for their actions. After the war, in 1946, Richard married Ermyl Baker. He passed away on May 27, 1998, at the age of 75 and is buried in his hometown of Davis, California.

To add to that, the UNIS site that had a semi complete 3rd MarDiv. List has been taken down/lost to the internet. When I got this one I went looking for it and the site was no longer operational.

Really cool mess kit, great score and a great item for the museum.    Scott

Anti-Galloping Knob Rot. Along with nylons; Hershey bars; and Camel cigarettes - just what a soldier needs to have an invigorating 48 hour Pass to London.    

You probably have this info but just in case.                      

Love the variety of artwork on this mess kit.  It's not often you see so much etching on a mess kit either plus the fact the sides are even done.  Nice one!

No disrespect but I don’t believe you’ve seen enough marked pieces truthfully for your logic.Your logic is very very flawed. You’d know this if you’ve handled a lot of field gear pieces. I’m gonna answer all your points. • UNIS markings were being painted well after the war into late 46. I’ve seen many UNIS marked pieces belonging to post war non combat guys. They even used UNIS marks in small numbers during Korea. So I can totally understand this being marked after Hawaii. I can pull pictures of examples if need be.   • It’s VERY common to see UNIS marks repainted and redone over top of each other. This is nothing new.   • There are tons and tons of sea bags out there with both UNIS marks and division insignias. There was no “rule” against this. This is a VERY common thing to see on seabags. I have some myself.   • I have seen m tons of Marines using their last name first followed by initials. This was most commonly done by early war guys. Nothing fake about that.   I can almost guarantee you whoever sold that bag has not even the slightest clue what a UNIS mark is and how they’d even paint it. The 3rd MarDiv UNIS chart is one of the biggest unknown charts out of them all. No one has fully developed it. So how is some random dude going to fake it without a chart to follow?