And it just keeps getting better!  

Thank you for the comments. I may not have done the best job showing everything in the initial photos. While there is some supporting research included, the majority of the archive consists of original wartime material retained by the family, including original correspondence, photographs, award-related documents, casualty paperwork, press material, and other period documents. I’ll try to post additional images of some of the original documents so the scope of the archive is clearer.

Patches have been around for hundreds of years. We often get tunnel vision about our areas of interest. Patches are/were used for more than the military we often collect. Club and school patches, special organizations and veteran groups, etc. all had some fairly ornate crests and, thus, jacket patches. If you travel much, you will still see kids in matching school uniforms including sweaters and patched jackets. The UK and India come to mind.  Go do a search and see what Pakistan patch makers still offer today. It's an eye opener. Dave 

Amazing finds!!  One of the great things is noting the April 1949 date on the Purple Heart award, and the script engraving. Off the top of my head, that may be one of the latest script engraved medals I've run across. 

It looks to me that it's just the DFC that's engraved? What is interesting is that the DFC itself, with the 1947 time period engraving, is quite unusual. One other recently came to light and that was the first one I can remember seeing. Not saying this is a "lotto win" but for those of us who track engraving types, it's interesting.  The paper with the group is really interesting...the material in with his service record has a lot of potential to have some really interesting information.  The research with the group is fairly common - it appears to be mostly what can be obtained off of fold3. Definitely interesting, for sure, and definitely important for the history of the group. Does it add a whole bunch of value? Not really.    The missing Purple Heart is really a shame, but it is what it is.  Overall, this is a stellar group, and I really like it. It would have more people clammoring for it if the PH were there, but even as it stands, it would be welcome in many collections. 

The 45th vets family got back to me here’s a Sneak peek.

Dear fellow collectors,   Over the past week, I have acquired several insignia to help make my scrapbook more complete. However, I notice quite a few differences on the reverse sides, and since I mainly collect World War II–related items, I am curious about their authenticity and period. I also have a question regarding the Hell on Wheels Tab: were these already in use during World War II? It would be a wonderful addition to my collection, as my hometown was liberated by this division in 1944. I would greatly appreciate the opinions and expertise of collectors who are more knowledgeable in this field.   Thank you in advance.

Cool! One of those odd things you have to think about a good way to display.

Recently heard that Eagle Shows is closed and Eastern Gun Expo is handling the Marlborough MA show in September as well as PA. I was surprised to hear that especially since Eagle Shows had good turnouts there.  Has anyone heard if Eastern Gun Expo will be adding additional shows in MA area - Western Springfield The Big E or Sturbridge in the near future?  Also heard some minor issues at their PA shows/other locations- public carrying concealed, a few vendors firearms and military dealers gave the vibes of being hustlers.   

After further review that is not Lt. Goode. He is obviously a Christian and the Lt. Goode was Jewish.