WWII 1944 Christmas V-Mail 5th Marine Division Hawaii

I was talking with some Iwo Jima vet families and it turned out that many of them had the same artwork on V-Mail they received from their Marine family member while the 5th MarDiv was in Hawaii in Christmas 1944. An artist in the division had created special Christmas artwork to be sent home to the family members back in the USA, with the only difference between them is the personalized message below the artwork. Two of the V-mails below are still in possession of the families of the vets while two others are in my personal collection. An incredible peek into Christmas of 1944 before anybody in the division had ever heard of the island Iwo Jima.

20's-30's Marine Staff Sgt. Photograph Portrait

Here is a great photo of a Marine in his dress blues and shooting badges.

WWII USCG AS1 Coast Guard Jumper USS Centaurus (AKA-17) Amphibious Forces

Hitting up the local Antiques fair I came across this excellent WWII US Coast Guard AS1 Navy jumper uniform. What is great is that it has the Amphibious Forces Patch SSI on the sleeve and the USCG shield on the sleeve. One of the other jumpers I bought had a pointer striker on the sleeve. I was able to ID this uniform to a sailor who lived here in California, he served from 1942-1946. Because of the SSI and pointer striker I'm led to believe this Coast Guardsman was a combat vet, perhaps part of a Gun crew on a USCG manned ship. I requested the records and hope to update you in the near future.

Dress Blues Mickey Mouse Toys for Tots Poster

Incredible image of Mickey Mouse in a dress blues uniform for the USMC Toys for Tots program. I believe this dates from the early 70's. Everyone needs this!

The Doctor and The Marine (Doctor Who Photo)

I've been a long time Doctor Who fan since the 1980s and I am currently watching the series in order from episode 1 and currently just started watching the War Games, the second Doctors last adventure. So I was blown away this morning when I saw this photo of a Marine in his dress Blues standing next to the legendary 4th Doctor Tom Baker. Being a Fan of our beloved Corps and the Doctor Who, this is both worlds coming together in one great picture. I would love to know the background of this photo!

Dan King's A Tomb Called Iwo Jima symposium at Planes of Fame Sat Dec 6th

On Saturday 6th, my friend and writer Dan King will be discussing his new book A Tomb Called Iwo Jima at the Planes of fame Museum in Chino California. A unique book where he interviewed Japanese vets from the Battle Of Iwo Jima in their own language and weaves an untold story not found in any other books. I will be also displaying some of my WWII USMC uniforms that belong to vets who were both present at December 7th 1941 and the Battle of Iwo Jima. Visit the Planes Of Fame website for more info. Hope to see some of you there! A Tomb Called Iwo Jima is Available on Amazon