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Post by xray on Nov 13, 2012 11:17:42 GMT 8
I have had this since I was a kid, my grandfather gave it to me. He served in the merchant marines during WW2. I've always thought about returning it to its owner, the odds are getting rather slim by now ,,, And over the years have done some half hearted searches. I know guys here have access to various military data bases, so maybe a next of kin could possible be found, assuming Mr. Fruik is no longer with us. The name inked on the scabbard is "Gary Fruik". On the reverse of the scabbard, scribed in the same in, are some of his deployments, including: On the reverse is marked his pivotal stops. * San Diego * Camp Pendleton * Pearl Harbor * Guadalcanal * Mog mog And one or two that are illegible. Certainly USMC ,,, Is there any way to ascertain if a Gary Fruik served in the USMC during the war years ? Attachments:
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Post by xray on Nov 21, 2012 15:05:31 GMT 8
I'm taking it that there is no practical way to find out if a Gary Fruik served in the USMC during WW2 ?
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Post by Mr mxyz on Nov 21, 2012 21:50:48 GMT 8
I find it hard to believe there isn't. Have you tried a serial number search based on that name?
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Post by okla on Nov 22, 2012 4:49:22 GMT 8
Hey x....This is a unique piece of memorabilia. No question in my mind that it is legit. Of course, you are not questioning whether it is "for real" nor should you or anybody else. What sticks out to me is the fact that Pvt Fruik listed Mog Mog in his travels. Methinks, if anyone was trying to "phony up" something like this they would have mentioned Tarawa, Iwo, etc. instead of an obscure dot in the Pacific such as Mog Mog. By acknowledging a stop at Mog Mog, I think any doubters, and they may not be any nor should there be, would agree that this is the real thing. Mog Mog, if memory serves, is part of the Ulithi atoll complex. There is a famous photo, "Muderers Row", showing 4 USN Fleet Carriers moored at Ulithi. Quite an impressive sight. An old school mate of mine had a father who served on the Big E and Intrepid and as I recall him mentioning being put ashore in groups on Mog Mog and being issued two cans of beer per sailor. He said everybody was trying to buddy up with the Chaplains Assistants for their ration of two cold ones, since said Assistants probably didn't drink. This would probably hold true unless the Assistant was Catholic. Before anybody takes offense at my remark, let me state that I am also Catholic and am fully aware that some of the folks of the cloth in my belief might take a "sip". Anyhow, Mog Mog is so unknown to most military history buffs, this piece of WW 2 "speaks the truth" in my humble. Hope you persevere in getting the "skinny" on Pvt Frurik Cheers.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Nov 25, 2012 18:30:19 GMT 8
My 5 cents to the Ka-Bar Knife thread. I wish you success in finding the family of that Marine. But the knife is not that unique. It was standard equipment with us Navy Deep Sea Divers. It could easily be ordered as a standard stock item in the Naval Supply System. Here is a picture of me with the Ka-Bar Knife going thru 2nd Class Diver training in San Diego 1963.
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Post by okla on Nov 25, 2012 20:17:56 GMT 8
Hey Karl....You were a mighty fine looking "sea dog" back in your youth, I gotta say. The USN probably should have used this photo in Recruiting efforts, doncha think??? lol.
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Post by xray on Dec 4, 2012 16:13:28 GMT 8
I agree with your assesment Okla of the Mog Mog thing. It would have been loaded up with Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Tarawa if it was a fake. No question in my mind it is completely honest ,,, GuadalCanal alone is more than enough to conjure up some terrible memories for ant Marine who served there ,,, The time line seems completely correct for a guy who enlisted in early 1942, went through boot camp and onto some adventures in the PTO.
Karl, also no question that this is rare or anything. No doubt there were 10,000's of them produced, and many survive to this day, in much better condition. I like the wear and rot. This is obviously a weapon that was carried and used in a tropical environment for many months.
As far as me searching, I have a mental block about record searches, which is why I posted here as I know some are very proficient on that. I have about given up hope of ever finding family members, but I would be thrilled if a Gary Fruik could be confirmed to have served in the USMC during WW2.
There is a museum here in Michigan in Kalamazoo, has a quite fantastic static display of aircraft, I think I posted a short thread and a few pics here some time back of a visit there. They also have quite a nice relic collection, and in particular they have a room dedicated to GuadalCanal. Very nice diorama of the island, and quite a few relics. I think I'll just donate this to the museum next time I go there, would be much better than letting it collect dust here, and have my kids sell it for $40 on ebay when I croak.
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Post by chad patterson on Mar 29, 2016 22:18:15 GMT 8
gary fruik grew up not far from their he was a boy during that time it was a gift to him from a family member was a veitnam era airfore fighter pilot and my stepfather.
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Post by cbuehler on Mar 31, 2016 23:51:06 GMT 8
Whatever the search for Gary Fruik turns out to be, the knife itself, while an interesting relic, is unfortunately not worth much of anything unless it happened to have served in some famous Pacific battles or the like. As Karl mentioned, the Kabar, or more correctly,1219C2 or MKII knife, was extremely common issue during the war and long after. They were also made by several other companies, not just Kabar. The knife that Karl had might have been one of the UDT types made for corrosion resistance, but standard carbon steel ones were issued to them as well. I dont know how he prevented it from rusting...I carried a modern Navy MKIII Mod 0 knife during our trip to Ft. Drum and Carabao Island. Although drenched for much of the trip, I expected this knife, which was designed for UDT, Seals and others, to have been essentially rust proof. Not! Imagine my surprise that it was covered with a thin layer of rust over most of it, even the metal parts of the scabbard.
CB
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