Nice bright blade that escaped a later blue or parkerizing job.  Very fine scabbard too.

Detroit Police Department Vietnam M1 helmet and liner painted blue with attachable/detachable face-shield. 

Aye Steve,   Like this  

Saw this RIA Bayonet in local antique shop.  Asking $500, not sure what they might take.  It looks a lot better than my cell phone photos reflect.  Sorry about my bad photos...my Ipad died and this is my first attempt to post using a cell.  Thoughts?        

Here is the 99th AREFS(H) "Ramrod" hat patch. My memory is faulty. Obviously black & white. Approximately 3.5 inch.

I haven't seen a decent reproduction of the 778th BS insignia. I have not seen many of the original patches. Sorry i could not be more helpful.

Named World War II Uniform, Document, and Photograph Grouping Technician Fifth Grade Everett L. Haroldson / Haraldson Battery B, 602d Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion, U.S. Army This grouping belonged to Everett L. Haroldson, also appearing in some civilian records as Everett L. Haraldson, Army Serial Number 37165312. The small spelling difference does not hurt the identification. The same man is tied together by his name, birth date, hometown, serial number, rank, unit, photographs, discharge paperwork, and grave marker. Haroldson was born February 27, 1918, in or near Hills, Rock County, Minnesota. Prewar records show him living in the Hills/Luverne, Minnesota area. His CCC / Emergency Conservation Work paperwork identifies him as Everett Lyle Haraldson, born February 27, 1918, with his father listed as Lewis Haraldson. His 1940 draft registration gives the same birth date and area, lists his father as Lewis Oliver Haraldson, and describes him as white, approximately 5 feet 10 inches, 145 pounds, with blue eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. These prewar documents are important because they connect the wartime soldier to a real civilian identity before the Army. Haroldson entered the U.S. Army on March 4, 1942, according to the Veterans Affairs BIRLS death-file information shown in the records. He was later discharged on November 28, 1945. His grave marker also confirms him as Everett L. Haraldson, Tec 5, U.S. Army, World War II, with the same birth and death dates. The uniform itself matches the paperwork. The jacket is named Haroldson inside. The ETO identification card identifies him as Everett L. Haroldson, Grade: Tec. 5. His final pay worksheet again lists Haroldson, Everett L., ASN 37165312, grade T/5. The sleeve rank, artillery collar brass, and ribbon bar are all consistent with a Technician Fifth Grade serving in an artillery unit. The strongest unit identification comes from multiple documents naming him with Battery B, 602d AAA Gun Battalion. The Army Exchange ration card dated 31 August 1945 lists Everett L. Haroldson, ASN 37165312, organization Btry B, 602d AAA. The 602d AAA Gun Battalion enlisted men’s club cards also list him as Battery B, 602d AAA Gun Battalion. The V-Mail envelope gives his return address as Cpl. / Tec. E. L. Haroldson, Btry B, 602d AAA Gun Bn, APO 654, U.S. Army. The morning reports are a major addition. They show that Haroldson was not just later associated with the unit — he was present in official Battery B records before and during the overseas period. One report from Flushing, New York, August 1943, places Haroldson, Everett L., ASN 37165312, in B Battery, 602d Regiment, Coast Artillery Antiaircraft, before the battalion was redesignated. Reports from Fort Totten, New York, February 1944, place him in Battery B, 602d Gun Battalion, already as T/5. One report also appears to connect him with duty or schooling at Fort Jay, New York, likely cooks/bakers or special duty, which fits the kind of technical/specialist work often associated with a Technician grade. Another set of morning reports from Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire, England, June 1944, confirms Battery B, 602d AAA Gun Battalion was in England right at the time of D-Day. Those reports also include several surnames that match men named in Haroldson’s photograph captions, such as Johnson, Hietala / Hietela, and Zepnick. That is very important because it links the names written on the backs of the photographs to actual Battery B personnel. The 602d AAA Gun Battalion had begun as part of the 602d Coast Artillery Antiaircraft, activated at Fort Bliss, Texas, on 1 March 1942. It later became the 602d AAA Gun Battalion, Semimobile, on 1 September 1943. Before going overseas, the battalion defended major New York-area targets, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the New York Port of Embarkation. The official history states that the regiment arrived in New York in July 1942 and took up battle stations defending the city and its war industries. � 602d_AAA_Gun_Bn_Unit_History_Paginated.pdf This matches the album photographs captioned Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, including the camp entrance, barracks, latrine, cook house, dining room, recreation area, and beach washroom. Those photos fit the battalion’s New York defense period and help show the early part of Haroldson’s service. In early 1944, the 602d prepared to go overseas. The unit history states that it moved to Fort Totten, New York, then boarded the HMT Aquitania, sailed in March 1944, arrived at Greenock, Scotland, and moved into England. By late April and May 1944, the battalion was involved in air defense duties in England. � 602d_AAA_Gun_Bn_Unit_History_Paginated.pdf This ties directly to the photos captioned Grantham, England, May 1944, including washing clothes and getting a haircut. Those are good personal camp-life photos from the pre-invasion period. The unit was in England during the buildup to D-Day. The official history describes the night of 5 June 1944, when C-47 aircraft were warming up and the invasion was clearly underway. The battalion did not land on D-Day itself, but crossed to France shortly afterward. Headquarters, Battery A, and Battery B left England aboard the Empire Lance on 2 July 1944, and the whole battalion was together at Omaha Beach, France, on 3 July 1944. Battery B moved near Houtteville on 9 July, and the battalion became operational in the combat zone on 11 July 1944. � 602d_AAA_Gun_Bn_Unit_History_Paginated.pdf That makes Haroldson’s handwritten photograph caption especially important. The caption says the photo was taken in the latter part of August 1944 at St. Pierre du Mont, near the famous Ranger assault area at Pointe du Hoc. Haroldson wrote that the U.S. Rangers landed there on the morning of June 6th, that the ocean was just behind the cliff about 100 feet high, and that “we landed about 1 mile from them.” That is historically believable. He was not claiming to be a D-Day Ranger; he was saying his unit landed near that famous area after D-Day, which matches the 602d’s July arrival at Omaha Beach. That same caption also identifies men in the photo, including Cpl. Steinbrenner, Tommy, Brown, White, Haroldson himself, Cpl. Nohlman, Stewart, Pfc. Kelly, Albrecht, Benya, Pfc. Hietela, T/3 Zepnick, and Johnson. Since some of those names appear in Battery B morning-report material, this is a strong personnel link between the photo album and Haroldson’s actual unit. The Normandy and France photographs also fit the route of the battalion. The album includes images captioned part of the Normandy invasion beach, knocked-out German pillbox, destroyed German gun, St. Lô France, and other ruined towns and German defenses. These photographs are consistent with a Battery B man serving in Normandy after the invasion and moving through the destruction left by the campaign. In October 1944, the 602d moved to Le Havre, where its mission was the antiaircraft and harbor defense of the Port of Le Havre. The album has several very strong Le Havre images, including Le Havre ruins by bombs, the escalator in Le Havre, looking down the escalator steps toward the center of Le Havre, and one of our guns, Le Havre France. These match the battalion’s documented Le Havre mission very well. In December 1944 and January 1945, the 602d was involved in the Battle of the Bulge period. The battalion served around Liège, Kalterherberg, Camp Elsenborn, Eupen, and Verviers. The official history records that Battery B fired 200 rounds of harassing field artillery fire on Honsfeld, Germany, on 19 December 1944, and that Battery B also engaged German aircraft during this period. The battalion was placed into antitank positions near Camp Elsenborn during the German offensive. � 602d_AAA_Gun_Bn_Unit_History_Paginated.pdf This fits the album photographs captioned Luxembourg, slushy road in Luxembourg, bombed-out rail south of St. Vith, and knocked-out German tank. The official records do not prove Haroldson personally took every one of those photos, but they are very consistent with the 602d’s Battle of the Bulge-area service. His obituary also states that he served in the Battle of the Bulge and the invasion of Normandy, which supports the wartime story from the family/public record. The unit later moved north to defend Antwerp against German V-1 flying bombs, often called “buzz bombs.” The official history says Battery B and Battery D left Liège on 21 March 1945 and went into action on 23 March in the Antwerp “buzz bomb belt,” with Battery B located at Frecht. The 602d recorded V-1 claims during this period, and the history notes that there were no fatalities or Purple Hearts during that Antwerp phase. � 602d_AAA_Gun_Bn_Unit_History_Paginated.pdf After the Antwerp mission ended on 6 April 1945, the battalion was ordered to report to the 451 PW Stockade at Epinal, France, marking the end of its active antiaircraft combat role in Europe. The battalion then helped with prisoner and liberated Allied personnel processing work. � 602d_AAA_Gun_Bn_Unit_History_Paginated.pdf Your 11 April 1945 restricted travel order is one of the best personal documents in the entire group. It names Tec 5 Everett L. Haroldson, 37165312, and orders him and other men of the 602d AAA Gun Battalion to proceed to Marseille, France, as escort guard for 4,681 German prisoners of war. That document directly connects Haroldson by name to the battalion’s post-combat POW work. The August 11, 1945 V-Mail from Langres, France is another excellent piece. In that letter, Haroldson writes about the new atomic bomb, Russia entering the war against Japan, and the possibility that Japan would surrender. He also writes that “our trucking is just about finished here now.” That matches the unit history, which states that Battery B later became a provisional trucking company at Langres, hauling ammunition between railheads and dumps. So the letter is not just personal mail — it directly matches Battery B’s late-war assignment. The Camp Tophat document from Antwerp, Belgium ties the group to the final redeployment phase. It identifies Camp Tophat as the soldier’s “last stop in the ETO” and gives instructions for money exchange, customs, baggage inspection, final physical examination, and movement to shipside. That fits Haroldson’s return-home process after the war. The final payment worksheet and Separation Quick Sheet finish the story. The final pay sheet identifies Everett L. Haroldson, ASN 37165312, grade T/5, and shows processing through Separation Center #33, 1610 SCU, Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. The VA BIRLS information gives his discharge date as 28 November 1945, and the separation papers fit that timeline. After the war, Haroldson returned to civilian life. The obituary states that he moved to Luverne after discharge, worked for an International Harvester dealer, then the Luverne Fire Truck Company, later moved to Sioux Falls, worked for Graves Construction, and in 1976 began working for Norwest Bank in the purchasing department. It says he retired in 1984 but continued working part time. It also states that he was a life member of Luverne VFW Rock County Post 2752. He died July 30, 1992, and was buried at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery, Hills, Minnesota, with military rites provided by the Luverne VFW. The ribbon bar on the uniform fits the service record. It includes the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal. The EAME ribbon carries five bronze campaign stars, which fits the battalion’s route through the European Theater: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. Why this grouping belongs together This grouping is very strong because it has several independent proofs all pointing to the same man: The uniform is named Haroldson. The ETO identification card confirms Everett L. Haroldson and grade Tec 5. The ration card and club cards confirm Battery B, 602d AAA Gun Battalion. The V-Mail confirms Battery B, 602d AAA Gun Battalion, APO 654, and Langres, France. The travel order names him personally on 602d AAA Gun Battalion POW escort duty. The final pay worksheet confirms his name, serial number, rank, and separation. The morning reports confirm him in Battery B before overseas movement and show the unit in New York and England. The photo captions match known 602d locations and even identify men who appear in Battery B records. The grave marker and obituary confirm Tec 5 U.S. Army World War II service, Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge. My conclusion: yes, this all should stay together. This is not a random uniform with unrelated papers. It is a coherent named archive for Tec 5 Everett L. Haroldson / Haraldson of Battery B, 602d AAA Gun Battalion. Final collector-style description Named World War II U.S. Army uniform, document, and photograph grouping of Technician Fifth Grade Everett L. Haroldson / Haraldson, ASN 37165312, Battery B, 602d Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion. The grouping includes his named enlisted uniform with artillery collar brass, Tec 5 rank insignia, and ribbon bar with Good Conduct, American Campaign, EAME Campaign with five bronze campaign stars, and World War II Victory Medal; ETO identification card; Army Exchange ration card; 602d AAA Gun Battalion enlisted men’s club cards; motor vehicle operator’s permit; V-Mail from Langres, France; 11 April 1945 POW escort travel order; Camp Tophat redeployment paper from Antwerp; final pay and separation paperwork from Camp McCoy; prewar CCC and draft-registration records; morning-report evidence; obituary; grave-marker evidence; and a captioned wartime photograph album. The group documents Haroldson’s service from prewar Minnesota and CCC enrollment, through Army service beginning in 1942, Battery B service in the 602d AAA Gun Battalion, New York defense duty, England before D-Day, Normandy after the invasion, Le Havre harbor defense, the Battle of the Bulge period, Antwerp V-1 defense, POW escort and post-combat trucking duties in France, and final return home in late 1945. The photographs, paperwork, morning reports, ribbon bar, and uniform all support one another and make this a historically meaningful named WWII grouping.

Wow do ya have one of his uniforms or waa that just his ribbon bar?

Wow do ya have one of his uniforms or waa that just his ribbon bar?

After all the information I’ve been able to gather, I decided it was time to put the uniform together. I hope you guys like it, and I’d love to hear what you think! Added the ribbon bars and the collar discs