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History nut


Boonie Stomper

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Numerous times I checked out this forum & others looking for info on militaria.  I finally decided to join one, read their rules, and saw that they only allow US items.  What's the fun in that??  Most vets bring back stuff that formerly belonged to the enemy,  This forum looked great and I was happy to see that the Brits even allow rebellious colonists (Yanks) to join/ participate.

I was born & raised in the Pacific theater, and went through 11 of my 12 years of early education there.  While most of the guys were going out for sports after the school day ended, myself and a few other nerds would head up into the jungle & mountains nearby and "Booney Stomp".  It was a target-rich environment and yielded a lot of US & Japanese treasures that my parents viewed as "scrap iron".  Most of my nerd-boy friends eventually grew up, but not me.  I still have a lot of that scrap iron, plus more.

I now live in Washington State & my lovely wife has allowed me a room in the basement that we call "The Bunker".  I like to sit down there & wish that my historical treasures could speak and tell me their story & what brave soldier had them.  Those treasures cover from about 1873 to the present conflicts over in the sandbox.

 

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Bru Saipan bunker 3.JPG

Bru Saipan bunker 5 swords.JPG

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Great Selection of Super Items.....Well Done & Best Wishes...Desert Rat

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Lovely Comments about the items you found and the incredible memories that each and every item has....If only they could relate to you what the men/ boys went through, suffered, in horrific conditions, especially by the Japs, (I wont mention what I feel about these----I will be banned)

My Dad's mate in the Bus Garage in the mid 50's (Ted Cox) told my Dad about his capture and imprisonment in "Changi" prison by the Japs...he was Liberated but only weighed 6 stone when he was released....!!!...We do NOT appreciate at all....Just How Lucky, Fortunate and Privilaged we are Today...even with all the suffering and War's still raging..!!! These prisoners of the Japs were suffering malaria - no drugs/ malnutrition - no food/ beatings- no help/ helplessness - no one to talk to/ possibly just hoping they would die?.....!

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Since I grew up in the Philippines I was able to spend time in some of the famous (infamous) WW2 locations there. One area I spent much time in was Bataan, where the "Bataan Death March" occurred.  The numbers vary, but on 9 April 1942, 78,000 Filipino-American soldiers surrendered (about 12,000 were American).  They were force-marched in the tropical sun for 55 miles, then packing into blistering hot boxcars for 27 miles, then marched 8 more miles to POW Camp O'Donell.  7,000 to 10,000 died & were killed on that march.

I was privileged to know a guy (Yank) there who survived the march, survived POW camp there, survived being shipped to Japan crammed in a filthy freighter with 100's of other POW's.  He was POW forced labor in Japan until liberated by the Allies.  His health was pretty much ruined the rest of his life.  He never talked much about it until he got together with some Filipinos who were also there.  Then they talked, and such stories that they told.  Those guys were true heroes. 

I think I posted some pictures (Eye Candy) & one was of a Nambu Type 14 pistol with other Jap stuff.  The Arisaka bayonet in the picture was a relic picked up in Bataan.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello Boonie,

A sad and tragic account of so many thousands of Allied prisoners who were marched to death in the East.. .similar to those tens of thousands of Jews who were marched from Auschwitz, as the Russian advanced on them, many loaded into cattle wagons the rest had to walk, many ended  in the up in Bergen-Belsen. and other camps all across Germany ....hundreds of miles they were marched in the freezing cold of December/ January with no food, only pyjamas as such, those who fell on the way were quickly shot or beaten to death then left by the side of the road...I Think to ALL of these Ones we REMEMBER THEM

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