Medal of Honor Autograph Collection; 130 Autographs by Posthumous, Deceased and Currently Surviving Medal of Honor Recipients

Superlative, collector developed, assemblage of a diverse recollection of American Heroes. These autographs represent four wars: WWII (107), Korea (7), Vietnam (17), The War on Terror (2). The signed media includes: First Day Issues (46), Signature / Post Cards (44), Medal of Honor designed cards (30), Letters or 1-page bios (7) and Books (3). Four branches of the U. S. Military are represented: Army (83), U. S. Marine Corps (28), Navy (7) and the U. S. Air Force (3). These awards were earned in at least 16 countries or geographies: France (19), Vietnam (17), Italy (16), Germany (16), Iwo Jima (12), elsewhere in the Pacific (11), Philippines (11), Solomon Islands (8), Korea (7), Belgium (5).

Posthumously: Three of these autographs are from soldiers who earned their medal posthumously, giving all of themselves above and beyond:
Francis B. Wai, the only Chinese American to earn the MOH. This collection includes a copy of his 1935 high school year book from Punaho Academy in Oahu, Hawaii, where he was a star football / baseball / track athlete, including quarterback of the school’s football team. Captain Wai earned his MOH on the landing of Leyte, where his courageous aggressive leadership inspired the men, even after his death, to advance and destroy the enemy. He has signed this yearbook four times.

Jack Lummus’ autograph is on an excised photo as a baseball player from his college, Baylor University, yearbook where he was a standout multi-sport athlete. He received a professional contract from both the Wichita Spudders (baseball) and the New York Giants (football). He played a total of 9 professional football games. 1LT Lummus earned the MOH for his action leading troops in the battle for Iwo Jima, personally neutralizing two enemy pillboxes and other fortified positions.

Also included is a signed, 1930 Danville, IL High School yearbook of MAJ Kenneth D. Bailey. As a Marine Corp Company Commander, he provided tactical organization to both flanks of his Battalion, and after stabilizing the position led his troops in ten hours of hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, eventually making the ultimate sacrifice.

While all of these men are notable in their own right, several with higher public visibility are included in this collection. (Individual photographs are from the Congressional Medal of Honor website, overlayed with their autograph media.):
John W. Finn – For action conducted on the first day of WWII, December 7, 1941 at Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, HI. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machine gun in a completely exposed section. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun with complete disregard for his own personal safety. Following first-aid treatment, he returned to duty and organized re-armament.
Pappy Boyington.  Consistently outnumbered throughout successive hazardous flights over heavily defended hostile territory, Maj. Boyington struck at the enemy with daring and courageous persistence, leading his squadron into combat with devastating results to Japanese shipping, shore installations, and aerial forces. He personally destroyed 26 of the planes his squadron downed.
Daniel Inouye – As a 2nd LT in the famed 442nd Regiment, Inouye distinguished himself through personal courage and leadership. He crawled within 5 meters of an enemy bunker, destroyed it and then went on to attack machine positions. Although he was wounded, he organized his unit until the enemy resistance was eliminate and his troops were in a secure defensive position.
Desmond Doss – A devout Pacifist, Doss served as the Company Aidman in the 77th Division on Okinawa. Doss exposed himself to enemy fire on multiple occasions to recover his wounded comrades. In most cases he had to lower them by rope from an edge of a cliff, while shells exploded around him. He saved as many as 75 of his comrades through his efforts. Doss’ heroics were memorialized in the 2016 movie “Hacksaw Ridge”. All items in Fine condition, housed in pocketed sleeves contained in a 3-ring binder. Itemized list of recipients available upon request. Item #2953

Price: $5,250.00