This is a map case my grandfather Charles Adelbert Orr 3rd Marine gathered from outside of his foxhole one morning while on Iwo Jima.
He started in Jan 1935 or so and took any and all training he could, ending up as a ParaMarine instructor and writer of protocol for entering/exiting various aircraft, testing parachute ideas , mockup pilot seat bailouts, HALO, HILO, and up to 20,000 feet, etc. and basicly a crash test dummy.
He knew Mr.Ira Hayes while in the Paramarine, but didn't see him ever again after they transferred my grandfather to the CV77 USS Marcus Island, a 'Jeep' Carrier, in the spring of 1944, where he was a now a Sargent and Chief Parachute Rigger, as a duty station, but his battle station was as observer, with binoculars. There he would watch out for aircraft and torpedo's etc. during the fighting or alerts.
During the Battle of Layte Gulf, as a part of Task Force Taffy Two, around Christmas time, his ship was hit almost simultaneously by two Kamikaze, the first being splashed down 30 feet from the ships side, with A section of wing skipping up to the tower, decapitating the man next to him, and wounding him in the thigh and scrotum ("No kids" was part of my grand ma marrying him later , LOL!)
The plane on the other side skipped its bombs as it was shot down and killed a further 6, wounded 19 men.
He was flown off to Guadalcanal to a big hospital to recover, and was reppldeppled back into the 3rd in early Febuary.
A few days after the first landing, he landed to push across the mid part of the island.
While most of his career was well document on planes and ship, his combat record states "Disembarked Iwo Jima 2/28/45(or 26?) Departed Iwo Jima 4/5/45, and I think he went straight to San Francisco. He told my dad "he picked this up one morning", and from the story it was likely left by someone who made enough noise to get shot at or grenaded the night before.
The mans name, I think, is what is written in ink under the flap, he told us the mans name, but it escaped me years ago.
He rounded out his 21 years a Marine in dec 1955 or so after 2 tours in Korea, again, mostly writing developing and flying protocols and tests/experiments and field mods in Helicopters.
I have his leather flight jacket and this map case.
I want to care for these, though not use it, as they are personal family artifacts.
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Maybe some Neets footoil for a light cleaning?
He started in Jan 1935 or so and took any and all training he could, ending up as a ParaMarine instructor and writer of protocol for entering/exiting various aircraft, testing parachute ideas , mockup pilot seat bailouts, HALO, HILO, and up to 20,000 feet, etc. and basicly a crash test dummy.
He knew Mr.Ira Hayes while in the Paramarine, but didn't see him ever again after they transferred my grandfather to the CV77 USS Marcus Island, a 'Jeep' Carrier, in the spring of 1944, where he was a now a Sargent and Chief Parachute Rigger, as a duty station, but his battle station was as observer, with binoculars. There he would watch out for aircraft and torpedo's etc. during the fighting or alerts.
During the Battle of Layte Gulf, as a part of Task Force Taffy Two, around Christmas time, his ship was hit almost simultaneously by two Kamikaze, the first being splashed down 30 feet from the ships side, with A section of wing skipping up to the tower, decapitating the man next to him, and wounding him in the thigh and scrotum ("No kids" was part of my grand ma marrying him later , LOL!)
The plane on the other side skipped its bombs as it was shot down and killed a further 6, wounded 19 men.
He was flown off to Guadalcanal to a big hospital to recover, and was reppldeppled back into the 3rd in early Febuary.
A few days after the first landing, he landed to push across the mid part of the island.
While most of his career was well document on planes and ship, his combat record states "Disembarked Iwo Jima 2/28/45(or 26?) Departed Iwo Jima 4/5/45, and I think he went straight to San Francisco. He told my dad "he picked this up one morning", and from the story it was likely left by someone who made enough noise to get shot at or grenaded the night before.
The mans name, I think, is what is written in ink under the flap, he told us the mans name, but it escaped me years ago.
He rounded out his 21 years a Marine in dec 1955 or so after 2 tours in Korea, again, mostly writing developing and flying protocols and tests/experiments and field mods in Helicopters.
I have his leather flight jacket and this map case.
I want to care for these, though not use it, as they are personal family artifacts.
Maybe some Neets footoil for a light cleaning?
