“Trench Art” USMC Duffel Bag

[hftiii]

I was fortunate to come across this Marine's duffel bag (and carbine pouch, not picture) several months ago and thought I'd share some pictures (though the pics are not great quality).

J.. A. [Jack Albert] Schaeffer, Combat Service Group (CSG),Headquarters (HQ)1st Marine Division

Stations: Norfolk, VA; Panama Canal, Pearl Harbor, and Tientsin, China (Occupation Duty)


Obituary

Jack A. Schaeffer, 88, a retired Marine Master Sergeant passed away February 17th, 2016.
Jack was born in Hershey, Pennsylvania on December 12, 1927. He graduated from John Harris High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1945 and joined the U.S. Marine Corp later that same year. Mr. Schaeffer's first tour of duty after boot camp was in Tientsin, China. His experience there made a lasting impression on him and he was always ready to tell what he called "sea stories and lies" about his time there. He also served in California, Alaska, Korea, North Carolina, aboard ship in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean and in Virginia.
After leaving active duty in May 1966, Mr. Schaeffer entered George Washington University. He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in February 1970 and was employed at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (METRO) until his retirement in 1997.


The bag is handleless, tan-colored example and I believe it is a pre-1943 pattern. I'm not sure that Mr. Schaeffer was the actual artist, as I have seen very similar renderings on other bags.

Tom