Held some history. Humbling.

[cavscout1983]

These were at the Huntington Beach Intl. Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach, CA.

Sand from Iwo Jima:

Back of Iwo Jima jar:

Kwajalein Island, <span style="text-decoration: line-through">one of the few truly joint USMC/US Army efforts in the WW2 Pacific Campaign that I know of.</span> (please correct me if I am wrong, thank you, Ramrod: <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ramrod14(winkie)</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There was actually 9 joint engagements in the pacific theater. According to a map in the Kerrville VA hospital.</div></div> ):

I walked into the museum looking for a way to kill some time and walked out quite humbled. I don't know if the particular examples I held ever felt the weight of an American fighting man from the Greatest Generation, but, it was truly an honor to hold such history in my hand.

To all Marines past and present, Semper Fi Devil Dogs!

To my Army brethren past and present, This We'll Defend!

PS: If you're former/current Army and didn't know that is the Army's Official Motto- knock 'em out.
---
*<span style="font-weight: bold">addendum</span>-<span style="font-style: italic">It appears there has been some offense taken at that line:"I don't know if the particular examples I held ever felt the weight of an American fighting man ". I was merely trying to convey that no claims were made as to when the particular examples were gathered- either at the time of the battles or years later as no indication was given on the jars themselves. I merely did not want to confuse the issue with supposition.</span>

 

[ZLBubba]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

Cool post, man. That's a real piece of history right there.

 

[Switchblade]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

You know that a young man was standing on that sand when he bent to pick it up, and that there were many who walked over that spot in front of him. From the stories I have heard from my grandfather's, those men who came back from those particular places were mighty lucky. The Japanese defended them quite vigorously

 

[Unknown]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

WOW!!! Very cool. Just thinking what happened there, and if those little vials of beach could talk what they could say sets my imagination reeling!

Semper Fi.

Many thanks to all who served....then and now.

 

[Switchblade]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

If those little jars could speak, they would cause many a wet eye

 

[GardDog]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

One of my friends took in a foreign exchange student from France. After the school year, the student's family invited the host family to come and be their guests in France. As part of his trip, he visited the beaches of Normandy. Before he left, I asked that he bring me something good back from France. He brought me ziplocs of sand from the five beaches involved during D-day. Strange how much a container of sand can mean to some.

 

[hyoslvr]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

I don't think you can put a real price tag on something like that. Thanks for sharing with us ssgt greitzer

 

[ramrod14]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

There was actually 9 joint engagements in the pacific theater. According to a map in the Kerrville VA hospital.

 

[cavscout1983]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ramrod14(winkie)</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There was actually 9 joint engagements in the pacific theater. According to a map in the Kerrville VA hospital.</div></div>

T/m, I edited OP.

 

[bohem]

Re: Held some history. Humbling.

That's neat stuff. Things like this should be mandatory reminders of where we came from as a society...

My next door neighbor growing up was a Iwo Jima Marine. He was on the 1st wave as a demolitions man, his study looked a lot like that. Several vials of sand, various captured "bring backs" and several other items that should be in a museum instead of the attic box his ingrate grandson dumped them in.

He had a bottle of Sake' taken from captured Japanese soldiers, silk Japanese flags that were brought back, his whole platoon signed a series of the silk flags for each other once the island was secure.

At my single digit age I wasn't really aware of the man who lived next door, it wasn't until in my later teens when I began to appreciate the history he had carefully preserved in his study next door. I'm still in touch with some of his older sons and some other family members. I'm hoping one day that I'll be able to get ahold of those pieces of history and get them to a museum.