PLEASE NOTE: We will be BACK IN THE OFFICE on TUESDAY 01/28 catching up from Travel and Shipping out the Mountain of Orders we received!!
We will be Listing, Packing, & SHIPPING again as of TUESDAY 01/28!!
Update 01/26/25: WE ARE still EXPERIENCING SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES WITH non-PayPal CREDIT CARD PURCHASES!!
If you would like to PAY for an Artifact with a CREDIT CARD, please email and I will get an invoice emailed to you ASAP!
We are HAPPY TO ACCEPT YOUR ORDERS during this time, and we will promptly SHIP MOST orders within ONE Business Day of Receipt of Payment!
And, as always, if you would like to fund your $100.00+ order through a Bank that offers ZELLE, ASK ABOUT our ZELLE DISCOUNT!!
That DISCOUNT also applies to PayPal GIFT (Fee-Free), Check, and Money Order payments!!
Thank you for visiting. We hope you will find some vintage artifacts here on our site to add to your collection.
We look forward to serving your collecting needs, Ron & Kanae
ARTIFACT:
What we have here is an extremely rare Vietnam War USMC 5th Reconnaissance Battalion Presentation Raft Paddle. The Paddle was presented to USMC Lieutenant John O'Neal Walling at the end of his time with 5th Recon. The paddle has been painted black. From top, down the handle, it reads 5TH RECON BN. Next hard to see as it is black on black, is the word SCUBA with waves above and below. This is followed by the name of the presentee: LT. JOHNNY O. WALLING in an arc above the 5th Recon emblem: a Skull with a bleeding bullet hole, superimposed on a pair of crossed USMC Kabar Utility Knives, on top of the V and Spearhead logo of the 5th Marines. Below this emblem is USMC. At the bottom of the paddle are Lt. Walling's dates of service with 5th Recon: 12 MAY 69 TO 5 SEP 69.
This is a poignant and cherished reminder of one's service in USMC Recon, and most likely would not be available for purchase if the original recipient had not passed. It is also believed that Lt. Walling had no descendants, and this paddle came from a large USMC collection that was curated by a career Marine who has also passed.
Genuine Reconnaissance Marine Paddles rarely show up on the market, so this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of USMC culture.
JOHN O'NEAL WALLING Feb 29, 1948 - Mar 23, 2015
Buried at FORT SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
1520 HARRY WURZBACH RD, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78209
SECTION C2, ROW W2, SITE B69 - 29.47544068, -98.41765035
DATE OF INTERMENT: April 10th, 2015
VINTAGE:
Vietnam War era.
SIZE:
Approximately 30" in height x 6" in width X 1" in thickness.
MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION:
Wood, Pain.
ATTACHMENT:
N/A.
MARKINGS:
N/A.
ITEM NOTES:
This is from a United States Marine Corps collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. VAJJM24 LAAGEX11/13/24 PsLABBEX11/24 SABBEX11/17/24
CONDITION:
8+ (Excellent): The paddle is in wonderful condition as shown in images.
GUARANTEE: As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.
