Item Description
Original Item: One-of-kind. Sergeant Vernon T. Finely served in the United States Marine Corps from World War One in 1918 through the end of World War Two and then with the reserves until retiring in 1956 as a Chief Warrant Officer. He served through both World Wars and nearly 40 years of total service.
An article in his local newspaper 65 years after the end of WWI Reads:
"We were fighting without any the mechanization of World War II. We had horse-drawn artillery and our field kitchen was a horse-drawn wagon." Some of Germany's innovations such as hand grenades and rockets were still in a very crude form, said World War I Marine veteran Vernon Finley. Allied troops also did a lot of walking. "We were really foot soldiers," the 83-year-old Sun Citian re-marked of the war that was to end all wars.
WHEN THE troops did get a lift, it was by railroad boxcar with traveling done at night and in a standing position. "This is where the term 40 and 8 came from," said Finley, a retired postal station superintendent. "All that would fit in a boxcar were 40 men and eight horses or mules." Finley, who served as a company runner with the 5th Marine Regiment, said communication systems were poor during World War I. Field radios were still unknown and there seldom was time to string up telephone lines because soldiers kept on the move.
COMPANY RUNNERS, as a result, provided the communication link. Men were handed the job by U.S. forces, Finley said. The Germans, however, used dogs. The company runner assignment nearly cost the former Marine private his life.
HE WAS JUST about to jump into a trench to deliver a message when a German shell made a direct hit. Three officers in the trench were killed, but a hanging blanket kept Finley from getting the full impact of the blast. There were two other close calls during the two months he served in France. On one occasion, a back pack he was wearing stopped a bullet intended for him.
SAVING HIM another time was the Armistice. "We were standing in water up to our necks when the war ended," Finley remarked. The U.S. soldiers, trapped in the Meuse
River, learned of the war's end from a German officer waving a white flag. A contingent of GIs had crossed the river 2 1/2 days earlier, then were driven back by a barrage of German fire. Attempting to retreat to the west bank, the troops suddenly found themselves trapped on both sides.
TWENTY-SIX of the soldiers were killed during the night before the Armistice while trying to reach the river bank. The Missouri native later served as part of the occupation troops in Germany, returning home in July of 1919. Finley enlisted in the Marines exactly 65 years ago, right after reaching his 18th birthday. Three months later, he landed in France with two Marine regiments assigned to the Army's Second Infantry Division.
UNITED STATES' soldiers, he said, trained with the French Army for a short time before moving out on their own. However, they later had to turn to the French for guns after running out of ammunition. Supplies were slow in arriving, Finley said, and French ammunition did not fit the American made Springfield rifles. The only alternative left, he added, was using French guns. "The French equipment wasn't better than ours," he stressed, "but it was the only thing available to us."
JUST ABOUT a month before the war ended, he added, a new division of U.S. troops arrived in Europe equipped with automatic rifles. Unique to the Americans, Finley said, were hand grenades and rockets sent their way by the German Army. Fortunately, they were still in crude form. Some soldiers got in the habit of catching the grenades, nicknamed "potato mashers" because of their resemblance to the kitchen utensil, and tossed them back at the Germans.
FINLEY described the rockets as a cannon shell designed to explode in the air and filled with pieces of scrap metal. The idea was to hit allied troops with the flying pieces of metal."
Sergeant Finely spent 40 years in the Marine Corps and served through both World Wars. This grouping named to him includes the following items:
- Marine issue wool tunic in approximately size 36. It features a heavy wool construction with cotton lining,1st Battalion 5th Marines felt patch with embroidered Indianhead on left shoulder, all dark brass EGA (Eagle Globe Anchor) Marine buttons (one button unattached but in pocket). Overseas service chevrons on left sleeve cuff. Overall excellent condition. Note that multiple original wartime photos of Sergeant Vernon T. Finely wearing this very tunic are included in this grouping.
- Marine issue Wool overseas garrison cap with brass EGA (Eagle Globe Anchor) to front and 13 E pins.
- WWI Dog Tags that read: Vernon T. Finely 5.15.18 U.S.M.C. and on the reverse his serial number 4605407.
- WWII Dog Tags that read Vernon Tracy Finely 629-27-44 T-1/43 -A- USNR.
- Post war dog tags named to Finely.
- WWI Sterling Silver engraved ID bracelet that reads: Vernon T. Finely / Kansas City, MO.
- Multiple WWI, WWII and post war medal ribbon bars.
- 1947 Dated Marine Corps blues dress tunic.
- Framed commissions, retirement certificate and photo.
- Hundreds of original WWI, WWII and Post War documents, news clipping, ID Cards (5 of them for all eras!), dozens of original photos all contained in a series of binders. Please see images to get an idea of what is included, such as orders, Honorable Discharges, photos of Finely in uniform from WWI, WWII and Post War and so much more. From a documentation perspective this is one of the most comprehensive groupings we've ever offered.
A truly jaw dropping Marine grouping from man who served his country for the vast majority of his life beginning during the Great War assigned to the 1st Battalion 5th Marines as a Company Runner! Amazing.
An article in his local newspaper 65 years after the end of WWI Reads:
"We were fighting without any the mechanization of World War II. We had horse-drawn artillery and our field kitchen was a horse-drawn wagon." Some of Germany's innovations such as hand grenades and rockets were still in a very crude form, said World War I Marine veteran Vernon Finley. Allied troops also did a lot of walking. "We were really foot soldiers," the 83-year-old Sun Citian re-marked of the war that was to end all wars.
WHEN THE troops did get a lift, it was by railroad boxcar with traveling done at night and in a standing position. "This is where the term 40 and 8 came from," said Finley, a retired postal station superintendent. "All that would fit in a boxcar were 40 men and eight horses or mules." Finley, who served as a company runner with the 5th Marine Regiment, said communication systems were poor during World War I. Field radios were still unknown and there seldom was time to string up telephone lines because soldiers kept on the move.
COMPANY RUNNERS, as a result, provided the communication link. Men were handed the job by U.S. forces, Finley said. The Germans, however, used dogs. The company runner assignment nearly cost the former Marine private his life.
HE WAS JUST about to jump into a trench to deliver a message when a German shell made a direct hit. Three officers in the trench were killed, but a hanging blanket kept Finley from getting the full impact of the blast. There were two other close calls during the two months he served in France. On one occasion, a back pack he was wearing stopped a bullet intended for him.
SAVING HIM another time was the Armistice. "We were standing in water up to our necks when the war ended," Finley remarked. The U.S. soldiers, trapped in the Meuse
River, learned of the war's end from a German officer waving a white flag. A contingent of GIs had crossed the river 2 1/2 days earlier, then were driven back by a barrage of German fire. Attempting to retreat to the west bank, the troops suddenly found themselves trapped on both sides.
TWENTY-SIX of the soldiers were killed during the night before the Armistice while trying to reach the river bank. The Missouri native later served as part of the occupation troops in Germany, returning home in July of 1919. Finley enlisted in the Marines exactly 65 years ago, right after reaching his 18th birthday. Three months later, he landed in France with two Marine regiments assigned to the Army's Second Infantry Division.
UNITED STATES' soldiers, he said, trained with the French Army for a short time before moving out on their own. However, they later had to turn to the French for guns after running out of ammunition. Supplies were slow in arriving, Finley said, and French ammunition did not fit the American made Springfield rifles. The only alternative left, he added, was using French guns. "The French equipment wasn't better than ours," he stressed, "but it was the only thing available to us."
JUST ABOUT a month before the war ended, he added, a new division of U.S. troops arrived in Europe equipped with automatic rifles. Unique to the Americans, Finley said, were hand grenades and rockets sent their way by the German Army. Fortunately, they were still in crude form. Some soldiers got in the habit of catching the grenades, nicknamed "potato mashers" because of their resemblance to the kitchen utensil, and tossed them back at the Germans.
FINLEY described the rockets as a cannon shell designed to explode in the air and filled with pieces of scrap metal. The idea was to hit allied troops with the flying pieces of metal."
Sergeant Finely spent 40 years in the Marine Corps and served through both World Wars. This grouping named to him includes the following items:
- Marine issue wool tunic in approximately size 36. It features a heavy wool construction with cotton lining,1st Battalion 5th Marines felt patch with embroidered Indianhead on left shoulder, all dark brass EGA (Eagle Globe Anchor) Marine buttons (one button unattached but in pocket). Overseas service chevrons on left sleeve cuff. Overall excellent condition. Note that multiple original wartime photos of Sergeant Vernon T. Finely wearing this very tunic are included in this grouping.
- Marine issue Wool overseas garrison cap with brass EGA (Eagle Globe Anchor) to front and 13 E pins.
- WWI Dog Tags that read: Vernon T. Finely 5.15.18 U.S.M.C. and on the reverse his serial number 4605407.
- WWII Dog Tags that read Vernon Tracy Finely 629-27-44 T-1/43 -A- USNR.
- Post war dog tags named to Finely.
- WWI Sterling Silver engraved ID bracelet that reads: Vernon T. Finely / Kansas City, MO.
- Multiple WWI, WWII and post war medal ribbon bars.
- 1947 Dated Marine Corps blues dress tunic.
- Framed commissions, retirement certificate and photo.
- Hundreds of original WWI, WWII and Post War documents, news clipping, ID Cards (5 of them for all eras!), dozens of original photos all contained in a series of binders. Please see images to get an idea of what is included, such as orders, Honorable Discharges, photos of Finely in uniform from WWI, WWII and Post War and so much more. From a documentation perspective this is one of the most comprehensive groupings we've ever offered.
A truly jaw dropping Marine grouping from man who served his country for the vast majority of his life beginning during the Great War assigned to the 1st Battalion 5th Marines as a Company Runner! Amazing.
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