NameJohn J Hopeck Birth Date21 Nov 1892 Death Date19 Nov 1972 SSN272059317 Enlistment BranchArmy Enlistment Date25 Oct 1917 Discharge Date23 Jul 1919   Mark sends

Here's John J. Hopeck...a guy local to you. He served in World War I.   Mark sends

The Presidential Memorial Certificate doesn't necessarily mean the name is from a Vietnam KIA....these are still available today, which can be requested regardless of when the person died - and they're for anyone...not just KIAs...any veteran who served honorably. So, your guy could be from either of the World Wars, Korea,...and since it's from the 1960's, could have been for a Span-Am vet.  Also, war time service isn't a prerequisite...anyone who served honorably qualifies, regardless of when they served.   The Luftwaffe visor isn't aircrew/FJ....the piping is pretty brown so I'd think Signals is your best bet. The first "name" is the Airman's last name...the second word if the abbreviation of "Gefreiter", which is the rank of Corporal. Still, a nice find and super easy to restore.   Mark sends

Please pardon the slow response. We were on vacation in Norway and the British Isles. We just got home today.   Thank you for the update and the excellent photo. The only information I had on this helmet until you commented, came from Zentner’s Deutsche Militärhelme, 1895-1975 (German edition).  Do you have any sources or photos concerning its use by the Belgian Army? 

I was going through some bags of misc medals and found this. I had never examined this one and noticed the edge was numbered. As you can see, the rim area preceding the visible numbers "704" is damaged. Medals aren't my thing, so I was just curious if this was soeone's horrible atrempt to enhance the value of a GC medal? Or if the numbers (at least the reamaining numbers) could be legit? Thanks for any help.

Great find as these are getting harder and harder to find.  One sold on eBay (photos below) last month for $204.00.        

Nice Cobra 6! What era is it from?

Thanks Blitz. It is because you guys are the experts that I submit this to you. You always deliver. Any thoughts on the Captain Skirving  in the Medical Corps-No. 0388147?

There is or was a similar one on WorthPoint described as, "RARE 1950'S EARLY 60'S 19TH ARMORED ENGINEERS "E" CO. ON TRIANGLE ARMY GREEN BRD."  The letter "E" is smaller and the number "19" uses a slightly different font.   https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1950s-early-60s-19th-armored-1901482006

Thank you, sir. I couldn’t agree more. The Korean War is absolutely wild to learn about and frankly, the combat conditions of Korea were anywhere from trench warfare to urban combat. We frequently learn about the Banzai attacks in the Pacific but seldom do we hear about the massive wave attacks in Korea.