My Prized 2018 Find has a New Home!

[Texas Jay]

Early today, I brought my prized Sergeant Major of the Army hat pin, that I found last spring with my Garrett Ace 250 detector, to my longtime friend and gold-mining partner Jerry and gave it to him so he could include it in a big project he has undertaken. He's attaching military artifacts that have been found in Brownwood or found on land that was previously occupied by Camp Bowie during World War II to a large 48-star U.S. flag. Once it's complete, he plans to display it for the public to view at several events around the state.

After much consideration, I realized that the rare hat pin deserved to be in the hands of someone I could trust and who I knew would value it as much or even more than I do. I could only think of one person who met those qualifications and that was my old friend who is a 20-year Army and Vietnam vet and who shared many fun times with me over the past nearly 40 years. My friend is waging a courageous battle against cancer that was caused by exposure to Agent Orange while he was in Vietnam.
I was very pleased when I saw his Facebook post tonight after he'd photographed the SMA emblem on the flag it will be attached to. These are his comments below and I'm attaching his photo of the pin to this message.


"The crown jewel of a collection of WWII items I'm putting together. Found in Brownwood by Jay Longley."



Happy Hunting!
~Texas Jay

 

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[1more4me]

Pretty niffty find and even better outcome for it. Most finds on here end up dust collectors with no meaning or history...

 

[Texas Jay]

Pretty niffty find and even better outcome for it. Most finds on here end up dust collectors with no meaning or history...

Thanks, 1more4me. I've always loved history and especially our colorful local history and that appreciation grew by leaps and bounds after I bought my first detector at age 14 in 1969. Whenever I find something historically significant, like this hat pin is, it bothers me to let it gather dust when it should be available for the public to view, appreciate, and learn from. I don't trust museums any more than I trust archaeologists and that's not at all.
~Texas Jay

 

[A2coins]

Great post cool to do something special with them... I found a hat pin just like the picture with out the top banner with letters in the woods in Ann Arbor MI how it got there who knows.. Well done Tommy

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, great post and nicely done.

 

[RustyGold]

Very cool to give it up for an even better outcome. Way to go!

 

[cudamark]

My best to your buddy! I lost a couple of good friends to agent orange related cancers, so, I'm familiar with what he's going through.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I voted Honorable Mention for this post, and I believe it deserves the accolade.

As for Agent Orange, every LZ and FSB was sprayed with Agent Orange, and especially at LZ Spearhead in Cambodia. It was disgusting covered with it and no shower in sight. In Cambodia, we sent groups at a time to bathe in a stream at the bottom of the mountain we were on.

I have had 4 surgeries removing skin cancers, and now have another on my upper right lip - it's coming time to deal with that. I've yet to deal with the continuing issues with the VA. In the past they said it was due to Sun exposure (all on my left arm and shoulder). But this one get's my attention - I'm going to have a mangled upper right lip after this one.

It won't be my last one. It's time to talk to the VA about it.

 

[Texas Jay]

I voted Honorable Mention for this post, and I believe it deserves the accolade.

As for Agent Orange, every LZ and FSB was sprayed with Agent Orange, and especially at LZ Spearhead in Cambodia. It was disgusting covered with it and no shower in sight. In Cambodia, we sent groups at a time to bathe in a stream at the bottom of the mountain we were on.

I have had 4 surgeries removing skin cancers, and now have another on my upper right lip - it's coming time to deal with that. I've yet to deal with the continuing issues with the VA. In the past they said it was due to Sun exposure (all on my left arm and shoulder). But this one get's my attention - I'm going to have a mangled upper right lip after this one.

It won't be my last one. It's time to talk to the VA about it.

Thank you DeepseekerADS. I believe yours is the first vote for Honorable Mention that I've received since becoming a member of this site many years ago. I thank you for that and for your service. My friend is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the VA. He told me his last chemo will be in March and that if that doesn't resolve the serious problem, that's the last straw. Jerry's problems started many years ago and, like yours, they began with skin cancer on his hands and arms. I first met Jerry in the very early 1980s when he showed up at my door wanting to join our newly created Central Texas Treasure Club. He had just finished his Army service and was ready to begin fully enjoying his retirement and his hobbies. We became good friends immediately and began metal detecting together and soon opened a detector shop in Brownwood together. In the early 80s, I made my first gold-mining trip to California and by 1988, Jerry was inspired to take up mining too. In the years that followed, we made many trips to northern California together in our vans and spent from 6 weeks to 3 months in the Feather River Canyon each time we went. Those have been some of the best and most memorable times of my life. Below is a picture I took of him running dirt through his sluice in the Canyon.
~Texas Jay

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratualtions on the special find and new home!