Item #68391 : Original period manufacture. We purchased this group from a fellow collector a number of years ago, due to it's size and detail, we knew it would be a task in order to present it for sale. We had it displayed at a few local shows, but no takers, in the hustle and bustle of a show environment, often there is little time to absorb the detail in a large grouping such as this one. Basically what the grouping contains is a nice mix of uniforming, medals, insignia and documentation, detailing the wartime service of one, Thomas Edison Record, a combat Marine who served with the 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion on Guadalcanal, and later with the 5th Amphibian Tractor Battalion on Tinian, Saipan and Iwo Jima. For his valor under fire on Tinian, he was awarded a Bronze Star with V device. Nearly every piece included bears his name or initials, the two color photos show him wearing the exact uniform in the grouping. His "salty" campaign hat reportedly was worn by him on Guadalcanal, appearing to have a key-holed .30 caliber round through the brim. The absolute prize in this box of cracker-jacks, is his cloth covered USMC Service Diary, offering 71 pages of handwritten detail covering the days from January 1942, through November 7th 1943. His entry for August 7th 1942 reads in part..."Attack and Take the Solomon Islands, this was good news to all of us. That night everyone was happy, as usual the Chaplain held services all night for the men...then the big day came. It was four oclock when I went to my AA gun on the bridge, gun number 6, Port side. All Marines ate at 4 oclock and was ready to go over the side around 6. The P37, P38, P39, P40 hit the islands of Tulagi and area. At about 5 oclock planes and ships started bombing and shelling, the cruiser San Juan came just past our fantail blazing away with all turrets....At 12 that noon they (Japanese) started dive bombing us, they made no hits but we saw lots of them go down. The next day we were given orders to go over. We had all tractors ready and loaded, with the tractor motors running. At about 12 noon again there came two squadrons of Jap torpedo planes. We were all on deck when we saw them. At first we thought they were our own planes but as soon as a can (destroyer) started firing we knew they weren't, after that all hell broke loose"...Every page is like this, full of excellent detail of his service during those months and written in a legible hand. Navy style case for the wrap-brooch Bronze Star, (no V device). Frankly one of the best WWII groupings we've ever offered.