WWII Japanese IJA Gas Mask and Bag

One item that has and still is eluding me is the IJA WWII Gas Mask. It was part of the gear the Japanese were issued during the Battle Of Iwo Jima. I came across this stone mint example online that is in unbelievable condition. Since it is already priced out of my range I will have to enjoy these great pictures.

USMC 50's-60's Field Pack Layout Korea Viet Nam

This is a scan of the different field pack layouts and configurations from my Dad's Green Cover Marine Handbook he was issued in 1965. Many of the items are still similar to the WWII layout of the Marine Field pack.

WWII Corporal 3rd Marine Division Vandegrift coat cutdown

My friend purchased this incredible and not often seen Vandegrift cutdown from a full service coat. This coat IDed to a Marine Corporal in the 3rd Marine Division is an exceptional representation of this type of jacket. I really don't collect USMC Vandegrift coats but this one would be great to have in any collection.

WWII USMC Corporal 5th Marine Division

And for my 100th post, here is the other 5th Marine Coat that I picked up, all patches are original to the coat. Two sets were put up by the seller, I missed the first one but low and behold a second set was put up a week later which is the one I purchased. I have already received the records for this Marine, he was chosen for OCS at Notre Dame but was taken out due to low grades, he made it over to the 1st Raider CO, in time for its dissolution and was moved over to the 5th Marine Division. He was in the Hq Co, 1st Battalion 28th Marines when he made it over to Iwo Jima. An incredible coat from a top Marine!

WWII USMC PFC 5th Marine Division

A nice pick up this weekend is my fourth 5th Marine Division coat belonging to a private in I Co. 3rd Battalion 26th Marines 5th Marine Division, the Sgt. stripes were added on at a later date and not original to the jacket and a welcome addition to my USMC spare patch box. He doesn't look like he was in long maybe two years at the most, looking forward to bringing this one back.

6/2/13 update: I picked up a matched set of collar EGAs and a very nice original 5th Marine Division patch for this restoration. I already had a spare set of PFC patches in my spare patch box. I ordered his records last week so hopefully I will receive them later this month.9/9/13 update: I received the records for this Marine to quite possibly the shortest career in the USMC ever. He enlisted in April of 1944, after which he was attached to the 26th Marines in time for Iwo Jima. He was part of a light machine gun crew during the battle. By October 1945 he was honorable discharged from the Marines perhaps ending one of the shortest careers I have seen. His unusually sparse ribbon bar, even by USMC standards, reflects his short career in the service: Presidential Unit Citation with 1x Star, Asiatic Campaign with 1 Star and WWII Victory Medal. Well done Marine!

Woskamania! Harry S. Wosk WWII Military Supplier San Diego

Harry S. Wosk was the owner of a Military supply shop in San Diego California during WWII. He was one of the foremost suppliers of military sailors and soldiers that were based in San Diego area during the war. This weekend at the Fairplex Pomona, I was able to attend the annual Militaria Show there. I had a wonderful time and one of the most important stops I made there was visiting the daughters of Harry S Wosk, and purchasing many genuine NOS WWII items for my uniform restorations including the two items above. Why I like purchasing from them is the fact the items have sat untouched for decades and its all original. It is amazing we still have a time capsule of such items in 2013! I will be putting the Staff Sgt patches and Sharpshooter badge on a in process restoration soon.

Iwo Jima Survivors Banquet Camp Pendleton March 23rd 2013

Sorry about the long delay from my last post. Had a lot of events going on over the last few months including the Iwo Jima Survivors Banquet Camp Pendleton on March 23rd 2013 where I displayed some of my Iwo Jima items. This was a landmark event for me as I had only met one Iwo vet previously and there I was in a room full of these gentlemen. In was an incredible day for me to be able to talk about the battle first hand with so many vets, and to meet in person with so many people that I have read about. Here are a couple of photos from the event, one of the Iwo vets in their lineup and my small display.