These uniform pieces are named to the same Marine and came out of Iowa. The khaki shirt has the soldiers last name (Woodcock) and laundry ID number. The khaki shirt is missing one of its brown cuff buttons. Otherwise, it’s in excellent condition. The HBT P41 pattern shirt has the soldier’s name hand written on the breast. It is in great shape and retains all its doughnut hole buttons.
Price: Sold
Original WWII issued USMC Paramarine wool Class A blouse and trousers. Blouse has a twill variant shoulder sleeve insignia, sterling marked pinback jump wings, PFC chevrons, matching EGA’s, and a two-place ribbon bar with a Pacific Theater ribbon and an American Campaign ribbon.
The trooper’s name (P.C. Hammons) is clearly inked inside the blouse and trousers and his name is verified on the Paramarine roster. It is difficult to find original WWII Airborne items. It is extremely difficult to find WWII Paramarine items, especially a clean uniform named to the vet!
Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States involvement in WWII, Elmer L. Clark worked as a sales clerk in the menswear department at J.C. Penney’s in Moultrie, Georgia. Elmer was inducted in the Marine Corps on March 27, 1943 and went through basic training on Paris Island, where he trained to be a mortarman (MOS 607) a rifleman (MOS 745), and a qualified combat swimmer.
On April 22, 1945, Elmer was attached to B Co., 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division. His unit embarked aboard LST 929 at Kawaihae, Hawaii on January 10, 1945 and began their voyage to the pacific theater. After a stop at Saipan, Mariana Islands, they boarded again for their final destination, Iwo Jima.
On February 19, 1945 Elmer charged Iwo Jima beach with his mortar crew and the 5th Mar Div. He fought until being wounded by gunshot at the base of his skull. Elmer was medevaced aboard the USS Highlands. By March 5, 1945, Elmer was recovering at the 148th General Hospital in San Francisco, CA.
On May 22, 1945 Elmer was transferred to the 1st Training Bn, 1st Training Rgt at Camp Lejune, N.C., where he served until the war ended. Elmer was discharged February 7, 1946 and earned the following awards during his military service:
Purple Heart Medal
USMC Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 1 Bronze Star
Presidential Unit Citation
WWII Victory Medal
USMC Sharpshooter Rifle Badge
Elmer passed away on September 9, 2002. His USMC Class A blouse and trousers were rescued from the trash by his great nephew when his wife’s estate was being liquidated.
This pair of NVA (North Vietnamese Army) boots were sent home as a souvenir by veteran Danny Felton. Danny served in Vietnam as a Marine in 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Division and acquired the boots during Operation Hastings in 08/1966, after his unit overran part of the 826th Regiment on “Mudders Ridge.”
After the battle, the remaining North Vietnamese prisoners were detained and their shoes were removed to discourage them from escape. This pair of boots came from a prisoner who had been shot through the thigh. You can see specks of dried blood from the wearer’s injury stained in the canvas. There is even Vietnam soil still clinging to the soles.
In my conversation with Danny, he mentioned that he had also acquired a Chi-Com (Chinese Communist) pistol, but an officer ordered him to turn it in (to him) for intelligence. Danny remarked that he had only been in country for a few weeks and didn’t have a choice in the matter.
Danny’s tour in Vietnam ended when he was wounded during Operation Buffalo in 07/1967 and sent home for recovery.
