A few more examples, lots of other stuff from same era of time including trucks, trailers, low loaders, buses,too many to keep putting on here. There is also a large workshop manual for the Matador  Truck and a few other British trucks. 

ASMIC Is updating their Engineer DUI Catalog. The new version will combine the old Parts 1 and 2 and provide full color images for every US Army engineer unit.  After several weeks of work we have about 15 DIs that were in the old catalog that we can't find a photo for. The new catalog will cover 152 pages and illustrate over 2,000 Engineer DIs.   We need a full color image, preferably an actual photo of the DIs shown, saved as a jpeg with 300 DPI resolution.   The new catalog is scheduled for release on July 1st and will be available at our ASMIC Military Show, Jul 17th. Thanks in advance                

The Uniform of Major Lavern Hodges, Commander of D Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team from the Vosges through the Maritime Alps and Po Valley.    I was excited to recently add yet another 442nd uniform to my collection, particularly given their important connection to the 36th Division. Funnily enough, the first 442nd uniform I ever acquired belonged to one of the soldiers under this guy’s command!   His full story here: https://www.36thdivisionarchive.com/pa-eto-hodges   A native of Erick, Oklahoma, Lavern Hodges grew up in a farming family that turned to the grocery business after the dust bowl ravaged the region. Both Hodges and his father went in on opening their own grocery in Elk City, Oklahoma, leading them to great success throughout the 1930s.   With war on the horizon, however, Hodges was one of the first three men in Oklahoma to voluntarily enlist under the selective service law, joining the 45th ID in January 1941. After Pearl Harbor, he was promoted to sergeant and eventually given a commission, going through OCS in the summer of 1942. His first post afterward was as a basic training instructor at Camp Wolters. He left the position and became a company commander in the 42nd ID in early 1944.   Hodges was finally sent for overseas service in the fall of 1944, arriving in Europe that October. On November 2, he was part of a group of 23 replacement officers joining the racially segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team in the Vosges Mountains.   Because the 442nd had just suffered mass casualties only days before while rescuing the “lost battalion” of the 36th Division, he became a replacement platoon leader in D Company of the 100th Battalion. He was met with a weary and battle-hardened company which could barely boast a measly 57 men to its roster.   After a week holding off German forces near the rescue site, Hodges and the 442nd were sent down to the French Riviera, where they replaced the FSSF in the Maritime Alps. Their new job was to keep German and Fascist Italian forces from crossing the border and moving into Southern France. This meant holding a line throughout the cragged, cold, and rainy mountaintops of the Alps.   On December 9, 1944, Hodges was promoted to company commander of D Company, meaning he now oversaw all its machine gun and mortar teams deploying in support of the 100th Battalion.  The company was now back to 127 men and, under his leadership, successfully countered German patrols throughout the next several months in scattered and sharp skirmishes. His 81mm mortar teams proved especially useful in the difficult terrain.    Hodges grew to truly love and respect his men and came to understand the broader social mission for equality that drove most of his Nisei soldiers. He constantly wrote home about their exceptional record and superior performance. In one letter to his wife, he firmly pronounced that “they are Americans, and dislike the connection of Japanese in their designation.” He saw them to be great patriots to whom all Americans owed “a debt of gratitude.”   In March of 1945, the 442nd was relieved by French troops and sent back to Italy where it joined the Allied efforts against the Gothic Line. Knowing they were going into heavy mountain combat, Hodges ordered his men to abandon their heavy machine guns in favor of carrying BARs and lighter .30 cal setups. These proved extremely effective once they began a quick and intense campaign against dozens of well-defended hills. Thanks to their efforts, the 100th was able to seize objective after objective, driving the Germans further north until they surrendered on May 2, 1945. Interestingly, during this second Italian campaign, D Company was one of the only in the 442nd with a single white officer: Hodges. After the 442nd proved itself in combat, Nisei were allowed to receive battlefield commissions. By April of 1945, Hodges was the last Caucasian in the company with all Nisei platoon leaders and company officers. One, Lt Francis Takemoto, went on to be the first Asian-American general in the U.S. Army.   In occupation, Hodges continued to lead his company in its many new missions. This included processing tens of thousands of prisoners at Ghedi Airfield, undergoing MP duties, and preparing for a possible deployment to the Pacific. The war ended soon enough, however, he and the rest of the 442nd were ordered to remain in Italy as an occupying force until June of 1946. During this time, Hodges was promoted to Major and made Executive Officer of the 100th Battalion.   Hodges came home and immediately set to work rebuilding his career, opening an entirely new supermarket which dominated southwestern Oklahoma for over a decade. He eventually got out of the business, opening a nursing home with his wife, and became a prominent civic leader in Elk City.   Most importantly, however, Hodges never forgot his Nisei comrades. He was an active member of the VFW, American Legion, Japanese American Veterans Association, and the 442nd Regimental Association. He was proud of his boys and advocated for them until he passed in 1979, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves.  

Thanks for your reply. I found CHRIS A. MCKINNEY but he has way more awards than the ones on this ribbon bar, which makes it difficult to determine if it's really his. 

When I first enlisted, my first ship still had the sized caps, rather than the adjustable ones. They were a wool flannel or something like that. My next ship had the adjustable that felt like plastic. I never liked ball caps so much. 

Your Gerber Mark II was made in 1980.  Interestingly, Gerber introduced 440 stainless steel blades in 1979, but had not exhausted their 1095 carbon tool steel blades until late 1981.  Beginning in 1982, all survival knives made by Gerber had 440 stainless steel blades, unless you specifically asked for 1095 carbon tool steel.  Between 1979 and late 1981, Gerber randomly used both steels for the Mark II, and did not mark the knife to let you know what steel was used.  After 1982, the serial number system changed and all 440 stainless steel blades serial numbers ended with the letter "S".  If you special ordered a knife with the 1095 carbon tool steel blade, the serial number ended with the letter "T".  So, your knife could have either blade steel.  There are methods to safely check if you do not know how and are interested.  

The RIA "stamp"  looks rather large, what are the dimensions of it? I can't think of any item with a RIA stamp that large. Just a thought.  The US looks large also, compared to say a M-1916 holster stamp.  The size of each "stamp" may help identify these items. Are there any identifying marks or numbers on the sides at all? Thanks.     Steve 

Thanks Yokota. When I searched this unit all I found was WWII reference,  but I knew it had to be from around the 50's to 60s.   Was this unit still around in the 1950s or is a after war vet lighter? Thanks much

many thanks yes....i have with zero results i suspect it is LATIN AMERICAN military thanks for looking

I think it has value, even as an 80s novelty patch.   I would buy one of those if I saw it out.