Armed Forces Day 2014

My latest impression is a U.S. Marine in Vietnam sometime in 1970.  I'm wearing a 2nd Pattern M1955 Flak Vest over an olive drab t-shirt.

The men of the 2nd I.D. gathered for our 10th Annual Armed Forces Day exhibit at Cabela's LaVista on Saturday, May 17.  The weather was sunny and gorgeous but a little cold in the morning - I wore long johns under my jungle fatigues.  Jeff, Dave, Will and I displayed a wide variety of uniforms, weapons and equipment from early World War II up through Vietnam.  My primary focus this year was portraying a 1970 Marine in Vietnam, so this technically qualifies as my Uniform of the Month for May.  It was a great day and my wife and kids even got to come up and hang out for a while.  We're all looking forward to our next event which will be D-Day at the Durham Museum on June 8.

Some items in my Vietnam display included an ARVN rucksack, roughout Marine combat boots, and a pair of locally made "tire" rubber sandals.

For this event I picked up a M17 Gas Mask, several more plastic canteens and an Ontario produced fighting knife, commonly called a Ka-Bar.

In front of a watchful Jeff is a wide assortment of uniforms and equipment that a 2nd Division soldier would have carried.

Here's Will's famous "Bunk of Junk" covered by an assortment of early World War II items.

Here is a really nice looking Jeep brought out by the GPS guys.

This vehicle was popular with the kids all of whom got to stand in the back and pretend fire the M-2 .50 cal.

Looks like Will got in a little shut eye while sitting behind that ole' typewriter.

Here's our favorite Navy man Jeff with an awfully long M1905 Bayonet.  

Will wore his full Class A uniform for most of the day.  He's got a lot of fruit salad on that thing!

Here I am wearing the ERDL camouflage trousers cuffed over my Panama Sole Jungle Boots.

From the back you can see my ARVN Rucksack with an extra canteen held on by a carabiner.

And finally, here's the whole gang with me, Dave, Jeff and Will.  It was another fun event!

April Uniform of the Month - Battle of Okinawa

A Marine of the 1st Division stands determined on the muddy hills of Okinawa.

My April Uniform of the Month is a tribute to the brave Marines and U.S. Army soldiers who fought in the last great battle of World War II on the Japanese island of Okinawa.  Will and Casey and I headed out on a rainy morning to try to capture the essence of what being wet is all about.  The temperatures were around 50° with a steady rainfall that got quite heavy at times.  Casey and I were representing the Marines of the 1st Marine Division and Will was representing the Army's 77th Infantry Division.

The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War.  The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945.  After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 340 mi (550 km) away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the U.S. 10th Army, the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th Infantry Divisions and two Marine Divisions, the 1st and 6th, fought on the island.  Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces.

The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or tetsu no bōfū ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese.  The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island.  The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77,166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14,009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds).  Simultaneously, 42,000 to 150,000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population.  The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki together with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa.

The location of our photo shoot had some excellent broken concrete slabs which really added to the realism of the environment.

Here I am keeping a vigilant watch over the ridge line with my trusty M-1 Rifle.  I am wearing the Marine Corps' camouflage poncho.

This was Casey's first event as a Marine and I think he had a good time.  He's wearing the standard Marine P41 Utilities.

Marines would sometimes wear the Army's M-1941 Field Jacket in colder weather as seen here.  However, Field Jackets are not waterproof.

Casey and I are holding a captured Japanese "meatball" flag as a souvenir.  Note how well the camouflage poncho blends in with the background.

This was our extremely shallow scrape that we sat and ate some C-Rations in.  Note the T-Handle Shovel to Casey's right.

When dealing with rain and mud, the Marine Corps leggings are extremely valuable in keeping the muck out of your Boondockers.

The Marine Corps poncho can be used as a shelter as well if you unsnap the sides.  It has reversible green and brown sides.

The Marines typically wore their helmet chinstraps fastened or left them hanging loose.

Here Casey and Will make their way down a stream.  Will's helmet has the horizontal white stripe of a non-commisoned officer.

Will is wearing the Army's poncho which unlike the Marine version is not camouflaged.  He is also carrying an M-1 Rifle.

Mud and misery were the name of the game on Okinawa.  It's hard to imagine that some of these guys lived through three solid months of this.

Time for a smoke and a warm meal.

March Uniform of the Month - 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment

A 507th Easy Company paratrooper points off into the distance near Nebraska's Alliance Army Air Base. 

This month's uniform is a further examination of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment which was featured in September 2013.  The 507th was activated on July 20, 1942 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Lieutenant Colonel George V. Millett Jr. was given command of the regiment. After jump training at Fort Benning the regiment moved to Alabama for 22 weeks of advanced training.  The 507th took part in maneuvers at Barksdale Air Base in Shreveport, Louisiana on March 7, 1943 and then they headed west.  Their train arrived at Alliance, Nebraska on March 20, 1943 where the 507th was to be stationed at the Alliance Army Air Base as part of the 1st Airborne Brigade. On Sunday, April 4, the 507th performed a tactical jump and paraded before 20,000 spectators in Alliance.  It was considered by many local citizens to be the largest gathering ever to take place in the city.  The 507th was stationed at Alliance from March through October 1943 making demonstration jumps at Denver, Omaha and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Many period photos from their time at Alliance show that the men of the 507th wore the one-piece HBT Overalls just about as often as they wore their M-42 Jumpsuits.  This uniform is intended to depict what they would have typically worn on a training day out on the open prairie.  Look for more featured 507th uniforms to come in June and July 2014.

Our trooper wears the one-piece Herringbone Twill Overalls often worn by mechanics as a working suit.  

The trusty M-1910 T-Handle Shovel hangs from the trooper's Cartridge Belt on his right hip. 

The M-1936 Musette Bag was favored by Airborne troops over the M-1928 Haversack.

Slung under the left arm is the early war M2A2 Gas Mask in the MIVA1 bag.

Our Easy Company trooper takes a drink from his M-1910 Canteen with an aluminum body and cap.

The regimental patch of the 507th Parachute Infantry featured a fearsome jumping spider holding a lightning bolt and lit bomb.

The helmet worn here is the Parachutist's M2 Helmet with its round chinstrap loops welded to the helmet shell.

This trooper crouches to fire his semi-automatic M1 Rifle which could quickly pump out 8 rounds of .30-06 ammunition. 

March in Nebraska can still be quite cold on the open prairie, so a M-1941 Field Jacket comes in handy.

Scanning the horizon near Alliance, Nebraska.  Note the Parachute Cap Patch on his wool Overseas Cap.

February Uniform of the Month - Iwo Jima Flag Raiser

With my M1 rifle slung over my shoulder, I'm holding an original 48 Star flag from my collection.  

In honor of the Marine Corp's 69th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, I thought it would be fun to do an impression of an actual Iwo Jima flag raiser from the famous Joe Rosenthal photograph.  This was a pretty easy impression for me to put together as I have a pretty complete Marine Corps uniform and equipment collection.  The uniform consists of an M1 helmet with a Marine camouflage helmet cover, a cloth utility cap, a set of P41 Marine Corps dungarees, an Army M41 field jacket, leggings and a pair of Boondocker boots.  I wore only the equipment worn by Franklin Sousley.  Sousley was always thought to be the flag raiser standing behind Bradley, but based on what he is wearing and his equipment, I am positive that he is in the second slot behind Harlon Block in front.  Please visit my website to learn more about the flag raising and the 5th Marine Division in World War II and Vietnam.  http://www.5thmarinedivision.com

Many of the Marines on Iwo Jima wore a cloth cap under their helmet.  This is the Army's short-billed M41 Cap.

Back view of this impression.  Quite a few of the flag raisers went up Mt. Suribachi with minimal equipment. 

You can see here how the Jungle First Aid Kit can slide over the back strap of a Cartridge Belt.  It can also be hooked to a belt like the canteen carriers. 

On Iwo Jima, most of the Marines wore leggings over their boondocker boots and then just let their trousers hang loose.

Because of the constant fear of a surprise Japanese attack, a lot of Marines kept their bayonets affixed at all times. 

I am replicating the uniform and gear worn by the second flag raiser from the right who I believe is Franklin Sousley.

January Uniform of the Month - War Correspondents

Will's typewriter, field desk and a stack of YANK magazines.  We had to set it up on two chairs this year - next year we'll get a table.

The guys wanted to see me draw something with a few more curves, so this is Julie Bishop, a YANK pin-up girl.

Some of the 84th Division "Railsplitters" getting prepared in the barracks.

Our event coordinator, Dave Hruska, going over the details of the day to come. That furry Russian cap works well in the cold.  

Another Combat Correspondent from YANK Magazine.  He worked as a photographer throughout the day with a 1940's camera.

Will's all stuffed with goodies for the morning march.  He's wearing some spiffy new M1939 Leather Riding Gloves.

Another shot of Will as we march to our first scenario of the day.  He has a M1938 Map Case and a Transitional Lightweight Gas Mask Bag.

Some of the Railsplitters stopping along the roadside near Recht.  The sun came in and out all day long.

This is me working on a sketch out in the field.  I found it very challenging as guys were constantly moving from place to place.

Associated Press writer, Will Green, takes a break from the action.  Note the green Correspondent's Brassard on his left sleeve.

Life Magazine Combat Artist, Eric Krelle, grabs a drink just northeast of Recht.  He is wearing a M1936 Musette Bag on his left hip.

The 84th Division men prepare to move out.  Most are wearing the M1943 Field Jacket with Wool Trousers and M1943 Combat Boots.

Looks like Will is trying to fall in with the Germans... wrong side buddy!

We got a fire going to cook a few K-Rations between scenarios.  Some of the Railsplitters know that hot chow is better than cold chow.

Will's only weapon in the field, a M1917 Bolo Knife.  And man, what a knife!

Our Canadian friends wearing their Denison smocks and Scrim Scarves, also known as Face Veils.  I love their uniform!

Private James Welborn takes a breather during a lull in the action.

Will's second fire of the day in the town of Recht.  What happens every time Will gets hungry - he just makes another fire!

A black and white photo of some soldiers in the town of Recht.

A battle-hardened, yet smiling Combat Artist late in the day.  Yes, that's a pretty fine mustache indeed.

Last photo of the day, the Railsplitters waiting for orders along the roadside.