October 19, 20214 yr Author #28 3 hours ago, otter42 said: Incredible! Nice save. Thanks for the kinds words.
October 19, 20214 yr Author #29 3 hours ago, dhcoleterracina said: Great save. Thanks. I have to assume some items are in the care of others. There were a few letters in the group between Hess and Mark Bando. They were friends for quite a bit of time.
October 21, 20214 yr Author #31 1 hour ago, GIKyle said: I love when a historic group is “document heavy” thanks for sharing! Thanks, Kyle. Couldn't agree more!
November 4, 20214 yr #32 Great history in there. Was there any detail about the wound taken on June 6th? Too bad there weren't any uniforms, but what a career!
November 4, 20214 yr Author #33 1 hour ago, scotty1418 said: Great history in there. Was there any detail about the wound taken on June 6th? Too bad there weren't any uniforms, but what a career! Thanks. I wish the uniforms were there too. Hopefully they were saved by someone, and didn't get discarded. According to this thread from Mark Bando's forum, Hess was shot in the legs. See post #5, where Mark adds the comment below: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/triggertimeforum/viewtopic.php?p=63884#p63884 Clair Hess was shot through the legs before he could get off the DZ. He laid in no man's land between there and Base Abbeville for several days and when he was evacuated, he probably went straight to the Beach and not to the church aid station.
November 5, 20214 yr #35 great pickup from my neck of the woods - well done and so glad this got Saved!!!
November 8, 20214 yr Author #36 On 11/5/2021 at 9:34 AM, katieony said: A really great group, thank you for sharing it! Mike Thanks, Mike. Much appreciated! On 11/5/2021 at 10:01 AM, mdk0911 said: great pickup from my neck of the woods - well done and so glad this got Saved!!! Thanks @mdk0911! Love finding items from local vets. This area is definitely rich in military history.
November 9, 20214 yr Author #37 So, the seller included this M1 helmet with the group, as well as a Navy flight helmet. He was positive the Navy helmet was picked up at a different cleanout, but thought the M1 was found at Hess' home (the seller suffered a brain injury recently, so memory is spotty). The helmet liner has the name "Scott" written on either side, with the "S" on one side written backwards, as if a kid wrote it. Per Hess' obit, he had a son named Scott. Thinking the seller's story was correct, and Hess's son used the liner as his own at some point, probably to play Army. That, or a very odd coincidence. I was able to track the family on FB, but not sure if I want to reach out just yet to confirm. Link to the helmet -
January 28, 20224 yr #38 Hello,I am very interested in this post as Clair Hess was my uncle, my mother's brother. His entire family was very proud of his accomplishments, he was a true soldier who never thought what he did was special. He was just doing his job. I was therefore astounded to see that all of his memorabilia, medals, letters to my grandmother ended up here. I would love to correspond with you. I attended his funeral in our hometown, where his flag with his picture flies on mainstreet, a real hometown hero. I was googling his name to find out info for Penn State's athlete veterans museum ( he was a gymnast and a wrestler) and found this article. Thanks for your reply.
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