Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to you as the Granddaughter of the Marine... my Grandfather’s Iwo Jima possessions once belonged — not as a collector and not with any expectation of entitlement, but simply as family, his Granddaughter 🤍 My life’s mission is to preserve and share my Grandfather’s legacy. I speak at American Legion posts, veterans’ organizations & museums to share his incredible legacy.  I volunteer my time and my graphic design skills to honor him, including volunteering for the Iwo Jima Association of America, where I will be speaking at their reunion this year along with other incredible legacy members.  When I share his story, I travel with his cherished belongings I do have and  displaying them so others can see, touch, and understand the cost of service and the meaning of sacrifice. I am SO PROUD.  These possessions are not memorabilia to me, not a collection. They are the last physical connection I have to my Grandfather who shaped my values, my love of country, and my deep respect for our veterans.  I would not be here today had my grandfather not survived 36 days of combat on Iwo Jima.  Last year, I raised the funds to travel to Iwo Jima thanks to all the incredible people who helped me raise the funds, where I honored him on the 80th anniversary of the battle, where I stood on the same ground my Grandfather once fought to survive. My Grandfather would never have wanted his belongings sold. Unfortunately, as his first Grandchild, I had no say in the estate sale. Family members were not permitted to retrieve items once they were listed & watching precious belongings of his legacy leave was heartbreaking. I have since learned that my one uncle believes my grandfather would have left these items to me had he known how devoted I would be to preserving and sharing his story. I do not expect anything to be handed to me. If the opportunity ever arose, I would save, fundraise or do whatever is necessary to purchase my Grandfather’s precious belongings back.  All I am asking for is the chance to be seen...  not as an interruption or an inconvenience.. but as a Granddaughter trying to reunite with my Grandfather's precious possessions and a piece of the history of my family. I hope you might one day be willing to see these items not only as part of a collection, but as a legacy still being actively carried forward by me, His Granddaughter.  I would be honored simply to speak with you, or to share the story of the Marine, my Grandfather behind the artifacts you now hold. If you could hear my words... or see the way I present his life and service... his legacy, I believe you would understand that my intentions come from the deepest place of respect and gratitude and love for my Grandfather. Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Regardless of your decision, I remain grateful that my Grandfather’s service has been preserved at all - and hopeful that one day, his legacy and his precious belongings might find their way back to me, his Granddaughter. I hope and pray your heart can see that my intentions are nothing but the purest, full of love and honor for my Grandfather. I am not chasing objects — I am protecting My Grandfather's legacy, and that kind of love and devotion is something no estate sale can ever take away from me. I love my Grandfather and I miss him so very much.  Please consider watching my speech honoring my Grandfather!  With sincere respect, Jessamyn Harter Granddaughter of United States Marine & Iwo Jima Veteran Sgt. Marty Connor  𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡  🤍🇺🇸

And the 1302th ASU  

Simply amazing and lifelike and a great display with the two birds with operators.  I will echo what PK said, your figures are simply outstanding!  Love the mini-dio/scene you have with these two vehicles and "passengers" on their way to the infill or extract.

Found two obscure WWII unit DIs, haven't got hits so far to what they did and where they were, will look around a bit more.   But in the mean time.   the 1927th Army Service Unit, were ASUs Color Bearing to warrant a Unit Crest of their own??  

C6A is correct. 100% authentic period Japanese unbranded. Ichi-Ban !!!

Hello all, I took this EGA off a very damaged white dress cover assuming it was ww2 era because I also got his named ww2 era mameluke.  Name tag was also inside the cover and he was an attache in Berlin I believe so maybe this EGA is 1950s era?  Any info is appreciated.  I think it looks neat in the small antiqued beveled glass case.

Very cool theatre knife. Did a quick search on the coin, it stated " Japanese 5 Rin bronze coin minted during the Taisho era (1912-1926)

You’re welcome, SonofNamVet. And, Nestor, I’ll leave it to yokota57 to address your question. It looks fine to me, but I’m a little outside of my expertise, since it’s not a Zippo.

First looks at a side project. Bravo 6 figures with a slight change: I removed heads with boonie hats and replaced with berets. I really wanted to show off soldiers wearing their green berets. also added John Wayne Green Beret for fun. no fighting dinosaurs this time, though.

In my opinion, the WW2 belts are fairly common. The pre-war belts are scarce and usually go for a lot. Tim