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Birthday Presents

Article about: I am now 18! Free to... vote and be tried as an adult. So nothing special there. :/ Anyways, a friend sent some amazing artifacts to me and my grandmother sent a book I've been wanting to re

  1. #1

    Default Birthday Presents

    I am now 18! Free to... vote and be tried as an adult. So nothing special there. :/

    Anyways, a friend sent some amazing artifacts to me and my grandmother sent a book I've been wanting to read for a while now.

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    The patch and pin belonged to an un-named uncle of a friend, from WWII. Apparently he was over in Germany in an M16 trying his luck at taking potshots at the Luftwaffe.


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    This is a patch from the 84th Infantry Division, uniform removed. It belonged to a man named Earl Mcmurray, a tank commander during WWII. My friend has his diary, and a photo album from a soldier who had served with his grandfather, and sent everyone photo copies after the war.

    After landing on Omaha Beach (after D-Day), his tank was going through a small french town when it ran over a landmine. The tank was disabled, and shrapnel went all up in his legs, stomach and barely missed his privates. He recovered, and was soon in the tank again. He would write in his diary: "When we were running low on ammunition, our commander would tell us not to waste ammo on the farmhouses, but drive through them instead. There would sometimes be a squashed family inside, and that was unfortunate, but sometimes we got a hun ambush." He crossed the Rhine with Patton, and when he was close to Berlin, he was hit by a sniper when he was looking out of his tank hatch. He survived the wound, and the war.

    Apparently, his favorite pastime was to take medals and badges off of dead Germans he saw, and on a couple of occasions, even live ones. My friend has a cigar box full of German badges and medals in perfect condition.



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    A USMC Badge given to Mcmurray as a gift for saving his unit from the Germans, with his Sherman. Mcmurray mentioned his affinity for Kraut badges, and the USMC guy gave him this kindof as an appreciative joke.


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    This .50 Cal. was found 15 mines North, of Alamogordo NM. Apparently they did some kind of aircraft training there. It's marked S L 4 3 (St. Louis, 1943)





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    My grandma sent me this one. Just the guys record is unbelievable. It should be an interesting read, although I don't know if he mentions his support for hitler in it or not.

  2. #2

    Default

    Congratulations on turning 18. That is a big deal in every young man's life.
    Those are some very nice birthday gifts. It's great to have items with a known history behind them.
    gregM
    Live to ride -- Ride to live

    I was addicted to the "Hokey-Pokey" but I've turned
    myself around.

  3. #3

    Default

    Congrats Rusty on turning 18. Now we know what side of the historical fence you are on and hope you will continue to uphold that honor.
    Not everyone can do what we do here and need more teachers everyday.

    Its a great start of the items you show and in time to come more will be added to it.
    Good Job !

    Regards Larry
    It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C

    One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C

    “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill

  4. #4

    Default

    Quote by Larry C View Post
    Congrats Rusty on turning 18. Now we know what side of the historical fence you are on and hope you will continue to uphold that honor.
    Not everyone can do what we do here and need more teachers everyday.

    Its a great start of the items you show and in time to come more will be added to it.
    Good Job !

    Regards Larry
    Historical fence?

  5. #5

    Default

    Yes..its easy ..one either reports history as it happens or denies it.
    It appears you are reporting it

    Sad to say alot doesnt get taught in schools anymore.
    Glad your here and be a teacher
    Last edited by Larry C; 10-10-2020 at 06:53 PM.
    It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C

    One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C

    “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill

  6. #6

    Default

    Rusty,

    Happy belated Birthday and you have some nice pieces with provenance attached to them.. Well done.

    The .50 caliber bullet is not an uncommon find for the area around Alamogordo. I live about 1 hour from Alamogordo, NM and the area during WW2 was part of the Anti Aircraft Training Center and School with the headquarters based at Fort Bliss, Texas just South of Alamogordo. The vast open desert area was where most of the Anti aircraft gun training took place and live fires were common everyday and night from the smallest .30 caliber machine guns all the way up to the largest 90 mm guns. Units from the 200th Coast Artillery (New Mexico National Guard) came from these parts as well as all over the state of New Mexico and this unit trained at Fort Bliss/Alamogordo and the local area before shipping out to the Philippines before Pearl Harbor. This unit was one of the first in action against the Japanese in the Philippines and many of the men survived the Bataan Death March. After the war many of the Death March survivors returned to their hometowns in South West Texas and New Mexico, many living in Alamogordo, NM. Each year there is a 26 mile Bataan Death March event held at White Sands Missile Range which is also very close to Alamogordo. The event brings thousands of people from across the world to participate in the event. Sadly due to COVID the event was cancelled this year but some of the Bataan Survivors still met.

    I have had the opportunity to do this Death March when I was in the Army and at the end of the march I was greeted by several members of the 200th Coast Artillery and other survivors of the Death March. It was very moving to see them and to hear their stories of what they endured on their 90 mile march. The 26 mile event I did was nothing compared to what they endured...

    Alamogordo, NM was a sleepy southern New Mexico town but in 1942 Alamogordo Air Field was established and it serviced just about every aircraft from fighters to bombers at this base and there was also aircraft who who pull tow sleeves for the Anti-Aircraft gunners to fire at, so again not unlikely to find shell casings and bullets all across the landscape down here in the Southwest.

    Alamogordo was also one of the locations for the Manhattan Project (The development of the Atomic Bomb) with the famous Trinity Site where the bomb was tested not too far from Alamogordo.

    Today Alamogordo is a bustling town and the Air base is now known as Holloman Air Force Base which is home to the 49th Fighter wing which at one time had the F117 Stealth Fighters located at the base. The base now helps to train F-16 pilots and Reaper Drone pilots as well as other mission support tasks.

    Hope this adds a little more information to your .50 bullet and casing..

    Smitty

  7. #7

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    Congrats on turning 18 Rusty, I’ve still got a long way to go! Very nice items especially with those stories.

    Hope your day is spent well,
    Bodhi

  8. #8
    CSW
    CSW is offline
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    Default

    Ignoring the unnecessary political remarks above, I'm sending you the very best birthday wishes all the way from northern Europe. Enjoy your day!

    Very interesting items as well - glad to see they found a good home.

  9. #9

    Default

    Thread edited for content
    It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!! - Larry C

    One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C

    “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill

  10. #10
    MAP
    MAP is offline
    ?

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    Happy birthday RR. Some great stories to go with those gifts
    "Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated

    My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them

    "Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)

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