It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again an item belonging to a member of First Battalion will find its way onto eBay.
Your humble webmaster has been lucky enough to add a few of these pieces to his collection.
• A blouse belonging to Technical Sergeant John A. Gibson, a cook assigned to Charlie Company from 1943 through the Marianas campaign, where he was evacuated for illness. He returned to serve as Able Company’s mess sergeant for the remainder of the war.
• A “Red Book” – the yearbook-style memento printed in 1943 and sent to the veterans (or their next of kin) after the war – belonging to Platoon Sergeant Philip Fagan, an old salt wounded twice during the war while serving with Charlie Company. Fagan wrote notes and included newspaper clippings in his book; many of the photos on the biography pages come from his memento.
• More touchingly, a stripped down, worn out blouse with a single platoon sergeant’s chevron on one sleeve. This belonged to Stanley Michaluk, a 24-year-old former DI who was assigned to the FMF for the planned invasion of Japan. Michaluk was leading a group of teenaged enlisted men from Charlie Company on a night cliff-scaling problem when the rope he was climbing snapped. The fall injured four Charlie Company privates; Stan Michaluk fractured his skull and died instantly. He’s buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
However, I’m not always quick enough on the draw, and in this case I was outgunned by another bidder. The seller, Brennan (who runs the amazingly well-done Portraits of War blog – check it out!) was kind enough to take some pictures.
Corporal George Asack was a native of Bridgewater, Massachusetts; he passed away in 1998. The blouse was originally found in a shop near Bridgewater, and now belongs to a private collector.