Every year, local papers carry sad post-Fourth of July stories about folks injuring themselves with fireworks, despite the pervasive warnings and instructions that circulate in the days and weeks before. Far less common but far more devastating are the occasional tragedies that occur when vintage explosive ordnance is mishandled. A few years ago, a California school teacher found a 40MM […]
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Ask anybody who has ever been in the military, and they will tell you wearing a uniform is serious business. Everything must be exact to regulations and that uniformity must be across the board. There is no individuality when it comes to wearing the uniform of one’s branch of service. Woe be it to the Marine who does not have […]
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The practice is as old as aviation itself: the personalization of aircraft by painting a name or unique design on an aircraft’s fuselage. Since these depictions often appeared on the front of the aircraft, they became known as “nose art,” and to a certain extent, the practice continues to this day. The origin seems to center around WW l. America’s […]
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With some 15 million Americans in service during WW II, wearing a military uniform became the fashion plate for an entire generation. It seemed you needed a scorecard to tell them apart. In addition to each service having their own distinctive uniform, there were subsets of uniforms, depending on the job, climate, or occasion in which the uniform was being […]
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The Vietnam War saw the advent of some of the 20th Century’s most deadly and sophisticated weapons. These included the latest Soviet surface-to-air missiles that protected North Vietnamese cities and the USS Long Beach (CGN 9), the world’s first nuclear powered guided missile cruiser, which the U.S. Navy deployed in the Tonkin Gulf. For all its modern technology, the Vietnam […]
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During the Second World War, the most popular of all war souvenirs in the islands of the Pacific and occupied Japan was the “Samurai” sword. Deeply imbedded in the psyche of the Japanese, the sword took on almost a sacred role. It was identified with the legendary Samurai warrior code of bushido. Not only did it hold a place of […]
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The Italian American Veterans Museum and Library has one of the most extensive patch collections on display in the Chicago area. Frequently, I’m asked by visitors, “My father has this patch on his Army uniform. What does it mean?” While other branches of the U.S. military use patches to establish esprit de corps and identify different units, ships and organizations, […]
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In recent years, one of the most popular military collectibles has been the “challenge coin.” Generally the size of a silver dollar, it comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, with each coin being unique and specific to an individual unit or organization. Challenge coins are usually presented by a military unit’s commander as a show of appreciation for […]
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General George Patton called it, “The greatest battle implement ever devised.” Recalling his Army basic training at the end of World War II, my father, Steve A. Corbo, said, “It weighed 9-1/2 pounds the first mile and 109-1/2 pounds every mile after that.” Both were referring to the .30 caliber M1 Garand, the standard battle rifle of the United States […]
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When the United States entered World War II, most of its military was still equipped with the WW I era, bolt-action M-1903 Springfield rifle, accompanied by the M-1905 bayonet. Military doctrine of the First World War dictated “over the top” charges by mass infantry formations, closing with the enemy and engaging in close-quarter hand-to-hand combat. The bayonet designed for use […]
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