Yup, that is an early style liner. The snaps for the rayon sweat band are a hand me down from the Hawley liner. Those snaps didn't last long before being replaced with the clip on sweat band. It looks like the nape is also rayon. The version before yours had the Hawley style rectangle fasteners instead of the A washers like yours. Nice transitional helmet!!! Very nice!

Thanks for the answer. I had not thought of the patch in that way before, but I see it now.  

It’s the symbol of the Ordinance Corps.  mikie

Great find.   Ill double your money and you can go out searching again.😁

This is devastating news….like others said, he was a pillar in the USMC collecting community and got me started collecting China Marine items over 20 years ago. He was my go to man for so many areas and even warned off a friend of mine who was about to drop big bucks for a German Army Airborne helmet a few years ago…..he will be greatly missed. 

Sure it is real and does look theater made.  The 9th Engineer Support BN is a current unit that I believe deployed to both OIF and OEF.  Of course, all USMC patches with the exception of squadron patches are novelty patches and not worn on their actual uniforms.  This one looks like it may have been made to have a phallic impression?  SF - Jeff  

I suspect what you got was his reconstructed service file...the original one was burned up.     Both his SSM & PH will have award cards.  Those are in St Louis as well.  Sometimes the award cards have the citations, most of the time not, but they should have the date of the action.  The 316th FS might have a unit history...I think I recall seeing one.

Nice find.  I have a tin just like this full of caps.  I also see a single pistol cap in your tin which is neat.

Heh, you can buy original Eyemo camera body shells for a $100. Though resin/3D printing would be an easier base to work from.       

Started stretching the fabric over the helmet which is by far the hardest part. Cut up and old faded OD T shirt since it’s made of stretchy material. I’m going to try to glue it slowly in multiple stretched sections so that it conforms better. I’m also fine if there are some folds as I can literally iron the out hopefully. Will also try to shrink it to the liner by soaking it in water and then drying it outside super fast. Do that multiple times and it should conform.