My guess would be it happened at unit level by some company armorer, or some troop wanting a new stock because the original was cracked or broken. Remember these were war time conditions, with interchangeable parts, consideration was not done for future collectors.  SKIP

Found a little info to help you get started.   From the 1910 US Census:   Name: George H. Pantley Age in 1910: 50 Birth Date: 1860 Birthplace: New York Home in 1910: Lakeland, Polk, Florida, USA Sheet Number: 7b Street: Rose Street Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Head Marital Status: Widowed Father's Birthplace: Germany Mother's Birthplace: Germany Native Tongue: English Occupation: Carpenter Industry: House Employer, Employee or Other: Wage Earner Home Owned or Rented: Own Home Free or Mortgaged: Free Farm or House: House Able to read: Y Able to Write: Y Enumeration District Number: 0144 Out of Work: N Enumerated Year: 1910   Found a Commander Leland Frierson James in the USN officer registers. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1894, retired on 30 June 1912, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The Naval Academy Library Archives should be able to provide service information that would include when he commanded a Navy yard.

Yup, that is an early style liner. The snaps for the rayon sweat band are a hand me down from the Hawley liner. Those snaps didn't last long before being replaced with the clip on sweat band. It looks like the nape is also rayon. The version before yours had the Hawley style rectangle fasteners instead of the A washers like yours and the leather liner chin strap was non detachable just like a Hawley. Nice transitional helmet!!! Very nice! I would go back to the store and start digging on who owned this.

Thanks for the answer. I had not thought of the patch in that way before, but I see it now.  

It’s the symbol of the Ordinance Corps.  mikie

Great find.   Ill double your money and you can go out searching again.😁

This is devastating news….like others said, he was a pillar in the USMC collecting community and got me started collecting China Marine items over 20 years ago. He was my go to man for so many areas and even warned off a friend of mine who was about to drop big bucks for a German Army Airborne helmet a few years ago…..he will be greatly missed. 

Sure it is real and does look theater made.  The 9th Engineer Support BN is a current unit that I believe deployed to both OIF and OEF.  Of course, all USMC patches with the exception of squadron patches are novelty patches and not worn on their actual uniforms.  This one looks like it may have been made to have a phallic impression?  SF - Jeff  

I suspect what you got was his reconstructed service file...the original one was burned up.     Both his SSM & PH will have award cards.  Those are in St Louis as well.  Sometimes the award cards have the citations, most of the time not, but they should have the date of the action.  The 316th FS might have a unit history...I think I recall seeing one.

Nice find.  I have a tin just like this full of caps.  I also see a single pistol cap in your tin which is neat.