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Do you have a box/s of military treasures that you would run into a burning house to save? What do you have in there and why is it significant? Most importantly, does everybody else know the significance? You see it all the time. Someone inherits something in grandma and grandpa's attic and it looks cool, but you don't know the whole story behind it. What is in YOUR box?
Posted in these groups: 
Genealogy
Genealogy
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 112
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I would tell you .. but then I'd have to... oh, never mind.. I probably have the same stuff as everyone else, including a WOOBIE!
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MSG Wade Huffman
GySgt Brian Robinson , a woobie is a poncho liner... not sure if they have those in the Corps or not, but if you don't, you have no idea what you're missing! LOL!
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Funny thing about this question is that although I too have a "military treasure box" its not exactly my foot-locker"... the items inside are mine of course, but the foot-locker is a WWII Army Air Corps Service members foot-locker. I was at an estate sale and I saw this mint condition gem... I paid 20.00 for it! I tried to explain the significance of this to the "seller" ESPECIALLY SINCE THE PERSONS NAME, RANK, AND SSN are carved into the lid! I was told that none of the remaining family members wanted it. Welcome to my family...but like you stated, I will need to explain, less I want my kids to think I was "Agent Secret Squirrel!" Or a thief.. . lol
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GySgt Brian Robinson
Sounds like you got a new member of the family. lol! We have some antique pictures of a lady and when our kids asked who it was we told them it was their crazy Great, Great Aunt June. lol!
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I have my jr and senior drill instructor's belts on my wall and a few pics for military treasures. My papers are in a fireproof safe. However if I had to go in a fire I'd be rescuing my daughter and go back for the cats.
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PV2 Eric Szabo
My Military ring from BCT, AIT Grad Certificate, pictures, duplicate pins (just incase my Class A's got destroyed) Pictures, all letters received from friends and family while I was serving, copies of my personnel file plaques and my gear. All kept in a Closet much like that of when in basic.. I have duplicates of all for in case something gets lost or stolen or destroyed by no fault of own.
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Sgt Packy Flickinger
Oh, I had though you said you lived here. No worries. We almost bought a house down there. Couldn't get the deal through. Good thing as a few houses down were dog breeders. Constant barking. I don't know how the neibors handled it.
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GySgt Brian Robinson
As are mine. I just wish I would have retired when anybody was in the White House other then BO.
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I have a small glass topped box with stuff that nobody would care about but me... There is a belt buckle, dog tags, a few challenge coins, my original Boot Camp ID card, a leather name tag from my flight suit, a couple unexpended 5.56 mm rounds, a K-bar and a couple or three assorted Marine Corps emblems and enlisted and WO rank ensignia. I also have about a dozen name/org pins with my name and the organization emblem, that kind of outlines my career. A favorite one reads "SJ DuBOIS...Marine Adviser" for a Navy Command....and my advice was that Marines don't wear name pins, the answer "You will here".., so that tells you how much pull that name pin had. I also have a foot locker with various pieces of uniforms, books and folders... pay/health/FitReps, etc. I keep envisioning people going through it after I'm gone someday, like the scavengers on "Storage Wars" dumping it all on the ground saying.."junk... just some Jarhead junk"...or my grandson haggling with Chumley at a Pawn shop over some 'vintage name tags".
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SFC Mark Merino
What I have needs to go to someone who will appreciate it. The boys were too young during my tenure. I'd me lucky if they end up in front of Chumley.
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Cpl Randy W. Kestner Jr
I'm the same. I have a box of items that mean alot to me but my family doesn't understand. My youngest son is the only one that ever asks me about it.
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CWO2 Shelby DuBois
Keep it.. someday you'll have someone ask you about your time in the military and when you drag them out the stories will start. If its another old military guy, he'll totally get it...
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my Box of Military treasures include, all my Military documents, and I have every single Military piece from my father who served in Korea from 1950-51 may he rest in peace. I also have his flag and all his medals. Waiting to see if any of my kids will serve when they are old enough. I have one Son and one Daughter that tell me they want to serve. I would be the Proudest Father ever.
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PFC Stephens Clark
I read some of his letter's HE was near Heart Break Ridge Old Baldy, and Pork Chop Hill. To me thats amazing he was in the thick of it all. what i would call Hell's front Door knocking telling those North Korean's and Chinese back then to eat lead.
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My most valued treasure is a letter written by an 80 something-year-old World War II veteran's widow thanking me when I was a PFC for volunteering to be the lone honor guard at her late husband's funeral
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COL (Join to see)
Also this pic of my late uncle Abdul showing General Westmorland his prototype for the MRE As he was one of the original designers
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SFC Mark Merino, I have my own stuff, course, and I even have things that my father collected in WWII, such as handmade wooden Japanese chess pieces from Okinawa and his original commission as an Ensign in the Navy. However, the two items that I value most are the original discharges of my grandfathers from WWI. My maternal grandfather, Pvt Preuit I. Holland, was discharged from the Army on 12DEC18 and my paternal grandfather, Cpl George D. Curlee was discharged from the Army on 10FEB19. Cpl Curlee was the company clerk and the discharge is written in his own hand, which borders on pure calligraphy. If the house was on fire, I'd go after these two pieces.
1LT Sandy Annala and 1LT L S
1LT Sandy Annala and 1LT L S
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I've got a Hitler youth knife and a can of sand labeled Omaha beach, both from my grandfather. I have added an Iraqi bayonet, helmet and ammo pouch. Two flags flown over FOB RAMADI (formerly know as FOB Junction city (2003), one for each of my Sons. I also have every major news magazine all dated Sept 12, 2001
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After I retired, I bought a large plastic footlocker with a rubber seal around the top. I sealed my uniforms in vacuum pack bags and put them in the box. I got a box big enough so that I could put my combo cover box and the chief's cutlass my crew gave me when I retired inside the box. What I have learned over the years is that things are easily separated, lost, sold, and given away. If not properly stored, stuff is ruined and tossed out. If you want to pass things down to your kids and grandkids, you should take the time to store it and identify it correctly.
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SFC Mark Merino
Absolutely correct! I have a summary written about every item in my box so in case the unexpected happens, my kids will KNOW the significance of everything. It is one thing to "have" a treasure box. It is a priceless thing to "understand" what is in the box. Cpl Dennis F. I love the DVD idea. Of course, dvd's might go the way of the 8-track after they start "beaming" memories into people in the future :)
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CPO Jon Campbell
The best way to preserve a record is to write it down on paper with a pencil. Ink will fade, run, corrode, or suffer any number of problems. Pencil has almost no issues. Electronic media also degrades, but even more problematic is that equipment to play it becomes obsolete very quickly.
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