It’s never fun to say goodbye to a grandparent but it’s kinda cool when you dig up a piece of their history after they’re gone. This guy lost his grandfather a couple months ago and recently uncovered his duffel bag from his time serving in the military during World War II.
My grandfather passed away a few months back. He was drafted into the US Navy and fought in the pacific theater of WWII. He never talked about it much, but as he got older a few stories would slip out. The more he told the more I began to understand why he didn’t want to talk about it much. He was a radio technician who would be sent to the front (in this case on a beach) after the first wave of soldiers secured the beachhead so he could radio the ships for more reinforcements and supplies.
I know for sure that he was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He would tell stories about him and his buddies would sleep while holding their rifle because Japanese soldiers would frequently sneak into camp and try to kill US soldiers in their sleep. He also told me stories about how Japanese soldiers would hide in holes/tunnels all over the island and the US soldiers would throw grenades into the holes and later pull out and stack the bodies.
He always said he never came back with anything, that he got rid of it when he got back to California, and especially didn’t have any need for a gun or rifle. So to my surprise while cleaning out the garage at his house I found his Navy duffel bag and a rifle. After doing some research I was able to learn a bit about the rifle and some of the other memorabilia. I’m thinking about trying to restore the rifle, but that’s another project for another day. Everything that was his had his last name or initials on it. Each part of the tent displayed his name in various places as well as manufacturer information.
The contents of the bag are listed in his Reddit description but here are some photos of his awesome find.