Iwo jima kia purple heart

[BobS]

A very fine grouping and I have to say I'm proud to read he was from Westmoreland County, where I was born & grew up.
My father and six uncles, all gone now, served in WWII and thankfully, all returned home.
Many thanks for preserving & honoring the memory of this Marine.
BobS

[Rakkasan187]

Mark,

Your Purple Heart and all accoutrements are WW2 period authentic. The medal brooch looks to be a slot brooch type, (Could possibly be a Robbins Contract circa 1944), The Ribbon bar is also correct and appears to have a locking pin clasp) and lastly the enamel lapel pin (which in some cases is not with the complete set) is also very nice and authentic..

From what I have read and understand,, KIA hearts were engraved officially and sent to Next of Kin,, In some cases WIA (Wounded in Action) medals were engraved also, but I believe it was not an official mandate, hence the reason you see so many different types of engravings on the backs rather than the official engravings seen on the KIA hearts. I do have some engraved hearts for WIAs that have official engraving (Most likely done at the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot) PQMD as they match exactly in type and font to the KIA hearts.

When I have some time I will post my Pearl Harbor Purple Heart (Most likely in a separate thread to commemorate Pearl Harbor) to a Sailor who was wounded in action on the USS Pennsylvania during the attack and I believe he had his medal engraved by a private jeweler and you will see the stark differences in engravings..

@ Everyone..

I want to thank you all for stopping by and reading the history of this young Marine who lost his life in defense of our Nation and posting your comments..

It validates the importance of telling the stories and knowing the sacrifices of those who can no longer share their personal accounts..

I just may have to start posting some of the other named medals I have to share..

Stay safe everyone,,

Best regards

Smitty

[Watchdog]

Thanks Smitty "alte junge"

Yep, let's see your others

My collectors nose is itching and my US section might just be about to get a make over

Regards

Mark

[jtomasze1]

Hello My name is Jonathan Tomaszewski (username jtomasze1) and my father is John Raymond Tomaszewski. We are seeking Rakkasan187 aka"Smitty" as he is in possession of my father's Uncle Ray's purple heart and other war medals. We would like to contact him about returning these heirlooms to the family. Please help me connect with this individual as we are not sure how to utilize the site and we are the only remaining Tomaszewskis in this family. My father John is deeply distressed as to how these ended up on the secondary market. My father's uncle Edward was the last known individual to have these medals in his possession and in the months leading up to his death he attempted to locate these for my father. Unfortunately, he passed and was not able to locate them, his house was sold and apparently the medals and artifacts have also been sold. Please I am begging you to help me locate this individual so I may reacquire the medals for my father. My phone number is 304-771-****. My father's phone number is 304-771-****.