Provenance:
Mr. Lloyd L. Loonan (Born 1923-). Mr. Loonan has provided an affidavit attesting to the authenticity of these items as all having been issued to him or acquired by him during his time in service which will be given to the successful buyer. So too will a copy of his illustrated memoir which depicts Loonan wearing his helmet with combat engineer insignia painted on the front as well as him smoking a pipe which eventually lead to his extensive collection of over 1,000 pipes (see lots 1291, 1292, 1293).

Hudson Iowa native, Lloyd Loonan was born in 1923. In January of 1943 he volunteered for the army and after basic training was sent to Fort Pierce Florida to train at the new Naval Amphibious Scouts and Raiders School (see previous lot). After training in Fort Pierce his group was sent to Camp Picket, Virgina for more amphibious training. Eventually Loonan ended up in Paignton England where they continued training for the invasion. On the morning of June 6, 1944, Loonan landed in the first wave on Omaha beach, Easy Green Sector. The assigned mission of the Battalion was to clear, organize, develop and operate the assault landing beach sectors in order to insure the rapid movement of personnel, supplies and vehicles across the beach, and to clear and develop a beach exit to permit the egress of wheeled traffic off the beach. Loonan recounts in a short memoir written after the war, that as soon as he and his fellow soldiers walked off the landing craft ramp, they sunk, forcing Loonan to jettison his equipment so as to make it ashore. “I came on shore with nothing but a knife,” Loonan said. His first job was to mark the beach with bamboo flag poles and while doing so the solider assisting him was blow up by artillery. The rest of the day, according to Loonan, has become a “blur.” Loonan stayed in the European Theater throughout the war earning four bronze battle stars and a bronze arrowhead. He was honorably discharged on December 16, 1945.

SHIPPING:
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