Museum donation helmets from vet

[NickG]

Not sure how old this story is...stumbled upon it while surfing the web...

http://www.abbevillenow.com/printer_friendly/9597460

Look at this thing???

[Totenhead]

Yeah, is it a joke ?

[NickG]

Extract from the article:
Dr.SanfordLaBorde presented his very own helmet from World War II to the Louisiana Military Hall of Fame and Museum on Monday, along with a German helmet, his sewing kit and a German armband showing the swastika symbol well known during Hitler’s reign.

Probably just his own personalized (post war done) artwork...and doesn't really make it a war time representative piece any more for a museum to display...

Also from the article (incase the link disappears) :
Asked how he got the German helmet and the German armband into his possession, he said he retrieved it during the Battle of the Bulge.
A political armband obtained during the battle of the Bulge? I guess maybe obtained from a house of a pro German citizen I guess...

[Totenhead]

Not sure what to think of this really ....

[fader107]

Looks like vet art

[Kengir]

Looks like vet art

Sure hope so.. that thing looks terrible!

And yea.. finding such an armband during the bulge seems pretty unlikely.. but anything is possible.. I guess.

-Jeremy

[Immer Recht]

I doubt any self respecting museum would put that helmet in their collection. But curators aren't the sharpest any more.

[Jean-Loup]

This must be the first time in history that a vet inacuratly remembers where he picked up his war souvenirs.

[Michael L]

"Asked how he got the German helmet and the German armband into his possession, he said he retrieved it during the Battle of the Bulge.

“It’s either his butt or my butt,” LaBorde said, “and it ain’t going to be mine.” "

This old timer is full of it. Medics didn't carry weapons during WW2. Probably picked the items up at a flea market.

[jerryrehr]

Medics did carry weapons for Defensive reasons not offensive purposes. This helmet was painted up to sell to the GI's post war.
Jerry

[ENGLISH BOB]

I got them from the Bulge,more like the set of Hogans Hero's,some of these Old Guys will spin you a yarn and folks get taken in by it, clearly this museum has ...love the large chicken on that helmet,reminds me of the breast eagles used in those old war films...

[Spagg199th]

Not for me, looks to have been painted post war IMO. Buy the item not the story!!

Sal

[bigschuss]

I got them from the Bulge,more like the set of Hogans Hero's,some .

That's an insult to the set designers from Hogan's Heroes!

[Rommel1942]

I find it very intriguing how elegant stories (or, in this case, not so elegant) that have been spun up by veterans are becoming more and more common. It's kind of sad in a way!

[Totenhead]

Have some compassion guys

These are still ww2 veterans after all.

All these old vets have now is memories, they may not have family even

This guy may even have health issues, its not a laughing matter

All the best