Thanks for that. It’s always good to hear personal touches about these things we love to collect. Makes a cheap beat-up thing like this cap priceless. Ok, maybe not priceless, but certainly makes picking it up worth it.  mikie

Thanks for the video and the details!  It's amazing you found that Regimental history book.  I looked at it, but can't figure out which chapter he wrote.  Maybe Chapter V?   I didn't know that picture was a CDV.   Wouldn't it be fun to go back in time (as long as we didn't have to remain there in that dreadful war!)

Just as an aside, I’ve always preferred the Pre 1948 CPO uniforms. They were more distinctive from officer uniforms. My uncle made CPO in 1944. He was a Ships Cook Third Class on an ocean going Tug, stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attack, originally enlisting in 1939. He had the anchor on his caps, pinned at a slight angle, near the top of the front. This harken back to the days of the “Masters Mate”, who wore a silver bullion Foul Anchor, on the front of their caps, set at an angle. He had been in mostly, constant combat from PH on, serving in a DD and Amphibious Assault ship, as a cook, but Mount Captain for 40 mm Bofors Guns during battle.   Wearing the anchor at an angle was a sign of the old Salty Pre War Regular Navy Chiefs.  

You are missing the left shoulder webbing. This is a Gen II and I didn't want to bother with taking it off the quick-release cable but hopefully these photos should suffice. Good luck finding a replacement, unfortunately I doubt it will be easy to find on its own, I skimmed through the manual and unless I overlooked it it doesn't seem to have its own NSN. 

Tail hook, Skyraider. The shipping was expensive...but what the heck, who has one? It is over 5' and heavy.        

Foot Pedals    

robinb,   There was indeed a Type 2.  74-S-349-85  Quick release, packboard, type 2.   JT    

So of the three Fred Braemer autographs, it appears to me the AN Relief Fund card is the different one. Completely different IMO. I guess not really a surprise.

There was significant opposition to acquiring the Phillipines, but not because so many people opposed empire, and there were some of those, but many more who didn't want nonwhites to be part of that empire.  Of course, the imperialists won out no matter how Americans died in a brutal war or how many people we kill.   In my view, its a tragedy we didn't just free it from Spain rather than take its place and arguably worse.  As far as I know, Black Jack Pershing having his soldiers dip their bullets in pig's blood or perhaps lard/fat, preparing to fight the Moro tribesman is a true story. some say its false.  I believe it to be true.   

I've had this for several years but but now posting photos of my AD-4 Skyraider aviator's seat. It appears to be NOS.