Item Description
Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. This is the lovely uniform & dog tag group of Technician 5th Grade William Russell Stelzner, who served with the Artillery of the 101st Airborne Division, as is evident from the red border around his 101st patch. This could denote service in the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, or even possibly the 321st or 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, although these are unlikely given that he wears Paratrooper wings.
The group consists of:
- Stelzner’s Ike uniform jacket with a 101st Airborne patch and rocker with a red border on the left shoulder, a 1st Allied Airborne patch on the right shoulder, Technician 5th Grade chevrons on each sleeve, five overseas stripes on the left cuff, US & Field Artillery collar discs, and a Belgian fourragère cord on the right shoulder. Above the right breast pocket is a Presidential Unit Citation with a frame and OLC and above that is a Ruptured Duck honorable discharge patch. Above the left breast pocket is a great set of British-made Sterling marked Glider wings /, which are smooth on the face, and below that are 6 ribbons including the American Campaign Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with four campaign stars and an invasion arrowhead, and the Good Conduct Medal. There’s a Carbine proficiency badge on the pocket. The interior of the jacket shows the name Wm. STELZNER written on the liner. It is also marked with Size 36S. There is heavy wear across the uniform overall, with some loss of material around the collar.
- Stelzner’s dog tags on their original chain, reading STELZNER WILLIAM E / 36807220 T43 44 AB.
- Glass memorial stand for Bill Stelzner.
- 5 x 7” photo of Stelzner with 3 other 101st soldiers, colorized.
- Purple Heart & Bronze Star Medals in their original presentation cases. Not engraved or numbered. Cases show heavy wear with the BS box top insert broken off.
- Good Conduct Medal in original tattered box.
- Good Conduct Medal & Bronze Star ribbon bar.
- 8 x 10” framed colorized portrait of Stelzner in uniform.
- U.S. 48-star National flag, likely Burial flag, unfolded.
William Russell Stelzner was born on January 19th, 1924. He first enlisted in the Army on February 27th, 1943. He was assigned to the Paratroopers and served overseas for 2 and a half years, before returning stateside and being discharged on November 14th, 1945. He was wounded while overseas, being awarded the Purple Heart. He passed away on August 21st, 1999, at the age of 75.
This is a tremendous group that is worthy of further research. There is still much to be found out about Stelzner’s service, along with his Bronze Star citation. Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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