These items came from a cousin George Craft, who I haven't been able to track down yet...a nice wool BSM hat, with two very pointy hat pins under the flap, and a neat crocheted Blue Star banner. It was missing the stick, but I've replaced that....   Mark sends

Hello I was wondering if I could get some opinions on these swords. I want to say they are Calvary   One is a Horstmann and Sons  The other is W Walschied Schingen   Any help is appreciated

After the war, he returned to Ohio State University and was part of the marching band ("The Best Damned Band In The Land!") and then became a teacher at the nearby Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Orphan's Home, where he taught until he retired.

The ribbons on the uniform are the original WWII pin-backed issue....

At last weeks Greene County Flag Day /250th event Harold put us in touch with a woman who wanted to find a good home for her father's WWII artifacts; yesterday I made the short drive to Xenia to pick them up. Technician 4th Class Jack H. Newhouse served as a surgical technician in a field hospital under the 9th Army through France, Belgium and Germany. His notes indicate he stayed in two of Herman Goring's hunting lodges, and took part in the liberation of a concentration camp. There's more items (likely photos) in boxes downstairs that Diana hasn't gotten to yet, so who knows what else there might be.  Check out all those Medic helmets!   Mark sends

Few more smalls, the 9th patch is my first silk type and was being sold as a normal US made type.   The cross I found whilst trawling through items to display with dog tags, I thought it looked period being pressed Bakelight, and for a few $ it was worth picking up. To my surprise, I’ve come across various grouping and personal items in collections with the same cross. I’m not sure where they originated from, anyone more familiar with them here? 

Looks like a "cherry" jump helmet. New guys to airborne units traditionally wore such helmets to lwt everyone know they're new and inexperienced jumpers. 

$33 to $67 based on eBay completed auctions - probably towards the higher end of that, based on it being a Belgian pistol.     Would likely be worth much more to the person that now owns that gun.  

Totally original, well used AG

Well yes, I have no love for this current version of the 7th ID.  It was reborn during the GWOT only as a Div level command unit to deploy and provide a DivHQ  for various BDE and lower units to fall under in Iraq.  It then became a garrison command at Lewis due to the GO rank structure.  After we returned from Afghan 11-12 the 7th had all 3 then 2 (after casing the colors of 4th SBCT) fall under the 7th for C2 of units at Lewis.  Finally they just reassigned the maneuver units of the 2nd ID to the 7th now leaving 2ID in Korea with just rotational units and 2nd SUS Bde under them organically.  No, not a fan of their growth at the expense of 2ID which, unlike the 7th, has had continual active service since 1917 in the USArmy.