Press for Audio – Cabinet 1 description from Mary O’Donnell

Top Shelf:

• Portrait of William C. Schneider, 77th Division, 305th Field Artillery
• M1917 Eddystone/Enfield Rifle, caliber 30-06
• Enfield rifle bayonet
• Lithograph commemorating William C. Schneider
  “Wounded in Action”
• Steel “Doughboy” helmet
• Dog tags of Valley veteran, Louis Silva
• Boots and leggings
• Artillery shell “Trench art”
• French 75 mm cannon cartridge

Middle Shelf:

• Map of Germany
• Mussette bag
• Compass
• Diary (“Agenda”)
• Book: “History of the 305th Field Artillery”
• Personal camp photos
• Photo of local WW I veteran, Noel Norris
• German matchbox holder and ashtray
• Field surgical scalpel

Bottom Shelf:

• Gas mask with filter and carrying case
• I.D. wallet
• Shaving kit
• New Testament
• Paris souvenir photos, booklets, currency and coins
• Battlefield artifacts
• Flare pistol, 10 guage

On Wall:

• Charter of American Legion Auxiliary, June 7, 1924

Press for Audio – Cabinet 2 description from Mary O’Donnell

Top Shelf:

• Lithograph from Republic of France commemorating death of Valley veteran, George Freitas (see photo)
• M-1903 Springfield rifle
• Garrison cap
• Navy cap
• “Trench art” (design hammered into 75mm cannon shell)
• Newspaper from July, 1917
• Blue Star banner
• Cartridge belt
• Pistol holster

Bottom Shelf:

• Uniform of Valley veteran, Lorenz Humburg, US Army 347th Field Artillery (see photo)
• Dog tags (Humburg’s on uniform and Petitjean’s below)
• Artilleryman’s protective leather gloves
• Troop ship, RMS Aquitania, that delivered Humburg to Europe
• Letter from King George V to US troops with personal notes
• 347th Field Artillery Roster
• Bolo knife
• Infantry Drill Regulations book
• Manual of Guard Duty (US Army 1914),
• Poem, “In Flanders Fields,” by Lt. Col. John McCrae (with poppies)
• M-1910 metal canteen
• Mess kit
• “Trench art” pieces: 75 mm cannon shell vase, and small photo frame made with bullets

On Wall:

• Charter of American Legion Post 246, January 24, 1921
• Original 1925 building cornerstone plaque

Top Shelf:

Press for Audio – Cabinet 3 description from John Reese

• Map (ETO/Germany)
• Signal flags, code flag flash cards, and semaphore alphabet diagram
• US Marine Corps campaign hat
• Ammunition (37 mm Anti-tank rounds, 60mm Mortar, “Pineapple” training hand grenade)
• M-1910 Canteen (cover, cup and case)
• Tankers goggles
• Trouser leggings
• Fighting knife with sheath
• Model of M-4 A-3 (76) Sherman tank with 90mm anti-tank gun

Middle Shelf:

• POW camp canteen shortwave radio replica
• Issued nail clippers
• Ration cards for domestic food purchase
• Individual mess kit engraved with duty tours
• Cigarettes, cigarette lighter and match books

Bottom Shelf:

• Aviator’s canvas helmet lining with goggles
• Rifle cleaning kit
• “Trench art” knife made from copper rotating band of artillery shell
• “Trench art” cigarette lighter from bullet
• Service prayer book
• AN/CRC-7 downed pilot rescue radio
• Cigarette case
• TL-29 general purpose pocket knife
• Military pay chits
• Semaphore signal guide and pocket signal guide disc

Press for Audio – Cabinet 11 description from Jon Robbins

Top Shelf:

• Poster (45th Infantry Division Campaign)
• 1949 Pinup calendar
• Army Air Corps leather flying jacket
• Model of B-25 Mitchell bomber (similar to Doolittle Tokyo raid aircraft)
• “Short snorter” currency notes signed by fellow crewmen
• Fragment of German anti-aircraft flak shrapnel

Bottom Shelf:

• Captured German war souvenirs belt and buckles, dagger, bayonet, coins, “Hibernia” pennant, and Nazi armband
• German “butterfly” cluster bomb
• German tourniquet with illustrated first aid guide
• German road maps
• German coins
• Aluminum Luftwaffe insignia
• Metal plate with enameled Nazi symbols

Press for Audio – Cabinet 1 description from Michael Slattengren

Top Shelf:

• King Neptune’s visitor dive certificate –Territory of Hawaii and photo
• Plaque of submariner’s dolphin insignia
• Commemorative Pearl Harbor Survivor flask
• Naval ship commissioning pennant
• Medal set of Valley veteran, Dudley Kennedy

Second Shelf:

• Gas mask
• Trench art (hammered design in “Pom Pom” cannon shell)
• Oahu newspaper headlined December 7, 194, Pearl Harbor bombing
• Photo of young women with gas masks beside bomb crater
• Fragment of Japanese Zero airplane
• Entrenching tool case
• Japanese currency and cigarettes

Third Shelf:

• Musette bag
• M-3 trench knife and sheath
• Reproduction “fox-hole” radio made with razor blade and pencil
• Photo of USMC Code Talkers on Guadalcanal.
• Black volcanic sand and shrapnel from beach of Iwo Jima

Bottom Shelf:

• Red Cross kit with personal items (shaving kit, condoms, razor blades)
• Admiral’s shoulder boards
• TBY-2 Radio as used by Navaho Code Talkers
• Shore Patrol Armband

Press for Audio – Cabinet 6 description from Elizabeth Freitas

Upper cabinet – Top shelf:

• Miscellaneous hats of different branches and eras

Upper cabinet – Lower shelf:

• Formal fore/aft hat, epaulets and sword belt in metal case from 1939 graduate of US Naval Academy

Lower cabinet – Top shelf:

• Miscellaneous field equipment
• Navy battle lantern
• MP baton

Lower cabinet – Shelves #2 and #3:

• World War II and Korean War medical kits

Lower cabinet – Bottom shelf:

• German helmets
• German bayonet
• German belt
• Nazi arm band
• U.S. GI combat boots

Press for Audio – Cabinet 7 description from Jim Murphy

Upper Shelf:

• Section of teak deck from the USS Missouri.
  This would be highly valued by the ship’s “Plank Owners”.

Lower Shelf:

• Eisenhower (“Ike”) jacket. Technician 3rd grade stripes, four Overseas Service
  stripes, an Advanced Section Communications Zone ETO shoulder patch, and an Army
  Amphibious Engineer Forces patch.
• Model of the USS Missouri, BB-63. The USS Missouri is permanently berthed in Pearl
  Harbor on Battleship Row, next to and facing the USS Arizona.
• Photo of General Douglas MacArthur signing Instrument of Surrender The documents that
  ended WWII in the pacific theater were signed by representatives of the government of Japan
  and Allied officers on the deck of the USS Missouri while moored in Tokyo Bay after the
  surrender on September 2, 1945. On left is General Wainwright who was captured in
  Corregidor.
• Photo of General Yoshijiro Umezu signing Instrument of Surrender for Japan in front to
  representatives from Allied Forces
• Model of PT-109 (ref: President John F. Kennedy’s WW II service)
• U.S. Navy battle lantern (Type K-10). This was the same type Kennedy used in the Blackett
  Strait in the Solomon Islands to signal for rescue after the PT-109 was rammed by a Japanese
  destroyer.
• U.S. Navy flashlight (Type TB-8)

Press for Audio – Cabinet 1 description from Lee Halverson

Base shelf:

• US Rifle, Caliber .30 M-1 Garand / Semi automatic 30-06 caliber (the main battle rifle of the US in WWII and Korea)
  “In my opinion, the M-1 rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised.” General George S. Patton
• 30-06 caliber training round and eight-round ammunition clip
• M-1 steel helmet
• “Bolo” knife issued to Army medics and Navy corpsmen to cut stretcher poles for evacuating casualties
• Sight for grenade launcher
• Cigarettes
• Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division “Rhineland” poster

Press for Audio – Cabinet 11 description from Dave Smith

• Pre-1960 Models: WWII and Korea
• Norden Bombsight-M 9
• B-29 Bomber model with survival equipment

Press for Audio – Cabinet 10 description from Chris Taddeo

Background lower case:

• Korean War timeline posters

Top Shelf:

• M-1 .30 caliber carbine rifle with carrying case
• Spare magazine case
• Woolen trigger-finger mittens
  *Mitten liners (pair)
• Cold weather helmet liner
• .50 caliber machine gun training belt
• Early jet pilot helmet-USN/USMC

Middle Shelf:

• Model: Underwater Demolition Team frogman LCPR recovery boat
• Trench art knife
• URC-4 pilot rescue radio
• Garrison cap
• USMC utility cover

Bottom Shelf:

• M-1910 canteen, case and cup
• 50th Anniversary Korean Government commemorative medal
• Dog tag
• “Zippo” cigarette lighters
• Camp Yokohama Mess tickets
• URC-4 pilot rescue radio
• New Testament Bible
• M 1950 gasoline stove
• Snake bite kit

Press for Audio – Cabinet 11 description from Bill Green

Top Shelf:

• South Vietnamese flag
• Letter home written on C-ration box
• Viet Cong sandals
• Chi Com Anti Aircraft gun sight
• “Pop” flare

Middle Shelf:

• Meal, Combat, Individual (C-ration box with food tins and spoon)
• P-38 can opener
• Overseas hat, US Army airborne

Bottom Shelf:

• M-1956 ammo magazine pouch with M-26 “Lemon” hand grenade
• Underwater Demolition Team/SEAL Team sticker
• TURDSID seismic intrusion detector
• M-7 bayonet for M-16 rifle
• Canvas top, panama sole jungle boots
• “Mekong First Light,” book by Valley veteran author
• Vietnamese newspaper featuring Valley veteran Army officer
• Cartridge casings: Soviet/Chicom 7.62×54 (PKM machine gun / Mosin Nagant and Dragonov
  sniper rifles)
• Cartridge casings: Soviet/Chicom 7.62×39 (AK-47 and SKS rifles)
• Cartridge casings: US 5.56 mm (M-16 rifle)
• Cartridge casings: US .45 caliber pistol
• Field radio with hand set, PRC-77 (PRC-25)

Press for Audio – Cabinet 11 description from Dennis Giacovelli

Main Case Rear Panel:

• Map of Southeast Asia

Top Shelf:

• “LRRP” Long Range Ration Patrol, early freeze-dried meal
• Pilot’s revolver (.38 caliber) holster and belt
• M-1 helmet, Mitchell camouflage cover
• LSA rifle lubricant
• LRRP: Long Range Ration Patrol (first attempt at freeze-dried combat rations)
• Entrenching tool
• K-bar knife with M-8 sheath

Bottom Shelf:

• US Army Coat, Combat, Tropical, 3rd Pattern
• Boonie hat
• K-Bar knife with M-8 sheath
• Soviet “ChiCom” SKS rifle bayonet
• URC-64 pilot rescue radio
• Vietnamese translation dictionary
• Ration bar: compressed cornflakes
• Zippo cigarette lighter
• USMC-issued sewing kit
• TL-29 Electricians knife
• Model: UH-1 “Huey” helicopter
• Draft card

Press for Audio – Cabinet 13 description from Tim Sammons

Back Panel:

• Desert Storm Border Area Map

Top Shelf:

• Kevlar helmet
• Mine field warning sign
• M-17 gas mask and cover
• Apache helicopter model

Middle Shelf:

• Arabic Pepsi can
• Unit coffee cup
• Meal-Ready-To-Eat, MRE accessories and heater pack
• Canteen with gas mask drinking tube port
• Arabic cultural training booklet

Bottom Shelf:

• Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU) – “chocolate chip” camouflage with cover
• Personal chemical contamination detection/identification and decontamination kits
• Saudi coins
• Atropine and 2-PAM Chloride auto injector syringes (nerve gas mitigation)
• Scud Missile debris and warhead photo
• Stars and Stripes newspaper – (Saddam vows to use nuclear weapons)
• Page from People Magazine with intricate censoring of woman’s skin by Saudi religious police in the Saudi post office system

Press for Audio – Cabinet 1 description from Eric Ardell

Upper Cabinet:

• Dress uniform, Lance Cpl. Kyle D. Crowley USMC (San Ramon) KIA in Iraq April 6, 2004

Lower Cabinet – Top Shelf and Back Panel:

• Field uniform, Lance Cpl. Joshua “Chachi” Corral USMC (Danville) KIA in Afghanistan
  November 18, 2011
• “Some Gave All” (listing of Valley men who have perished serving our country)
• Blue Star banner (family member in the service) with lapel pin (WWII)
• Gold star banner (family member killed in action)
• POW/MIA logo
• Folded American flag
• John Boswell’s engraved canteen cup from Japanese POW Camp, Cabanatuan Philippines

Lower Cabinet – Bottom Shelf:

• Miniature Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Remembrance Table
• Formal POW/MIA Remembrance Ceremony

Press for Audio – Cabinet 1 description from Dave Smith

Upper shelves:

• Miscellaneous Aircraft and Equipment models, Post 1960
• Aircraft Navigation Instruments

Bottom shelf:

• Navy tail hook (for aircraft carrier landings)
• Survival rucksack assembly bag
• Pilot survival signal device

Top Shelf:

Press for Audio – Cabinet 11 description from Grant Ledoux

• MARPAT field uniform with “boonie” hat
• Hot weather combat boots
• Goggles
• Army Ranger beret
• Afghan Pashtun hat
• Iraqi Republican Guard beret
• Booklet: “Improvised Explosive Devices Threat Guide”
• B-52 model
• Chandelier “jewel” from one of Saddam’s palaces (“liberated” as a souvenir during Operation Iraqi Freedom)

Bottom Shelf:

• Model: M-1 Abrams tank
• Model: A-10 “Warthog”
• Iraq Campaign medal

Main Case Rear Panel:

• US Navy Union Jack flag (flown aboard PTF-17)

Top Shelf:

• Soviet Air Force pilots hat
• “Russia Sucks” novelty cap (Philippines)
• Honorable Discharge and training certificate
• Dog tags

Second Shelf:

• Model: P-3 Orion anti submarine warfare patrol aircraft
• 7.62 mm training blanks for M-60 machine gun
• Sidewinder missile nose cone
• FEMA civil defense booklet
• Air Raid Warning Instructions
• Air raid siren
• Seebee playing card deck (not yet in photo)

Third Shelf:

• Sonobuoy launch parachute
• Cold war unit insignia patches

Bottom Shelf:

• SSQ-53 air-dropped Sonobuoy and hydrophone
• Mock Soviet submarine
• Coffee mug (Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean)

Top Shelf:

• Model of Vietnam Era Fast Patrol Torpedo Boat
• Model Patrol River Boat (PBR Mark II)
• Model of Light Seal Support Craft (LSSC)
  Similar to a STAB
• 40 mm and 20 mm cannon cartridges

#2 and #3:

• Post 1960 Field Medical Equipment

Bottom Shelf:

• Army Medic bag
• Hand grenade case (wood)
• ”Lemon” hand grenade (inert
• Ammo case-7.62 m

Press for Audio – Cabinet description from Michelle Lee

This photo collection illustrates some of the many non-combat operations of all the US Military Services.  This of course includes the US Navy, US Army, the US Marine Corps, the US Coast Guard and the US Air Force.

These photos include operations supporting US efforts in earthquake, famine, drought, civil war, refugee and environmental relief work.  They include Search and Rescue operations, tsunami relief, aviation disaster recovery, flooding relief, medical missions and other humanitarian response operations conducted by the United States using our military assets and personnel. These missions have been conducted in countless countries around the world, including here at home.

Included are sample Humanitarian Ration food packages used to feed civilians in numerous locales as an example of the materials and supplies provided.

Press for Audio – Cabinet description from Ginny Fereira

Photo collections include portraits of local valley veterans of both World War I (The Great War) and World War II. They have been made available by the Museum of the San Ramon Valley.

It includes a 1925 editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle commemorating the opening of the Veterans Memorial Building and recognizing the original American Legion Post 246 as the foundation for the creation of the building.

Included are post caps of several American Legion and Auxiliary members of the local community.

Veterans Memorial Building Boardroom and Library

The VMB Board Room and library is available for veterans organizations and veterans support
organizations to conduct meeting, presentations, training and other gatherings.

There is an extensive book collection focused on Korea, Vietnam and more recent periods.
The books in the library are not available for check-out, but visitors are welcome to browse,
read and do research.

The Veterans Memorial Building Lounge contains books and other printed material from the original Veterans Memorial Building library as well as many recent additions.  This library and historical collection commemorates the military history of the United States and those who served, especially our local valley veterans.

Above the fireplace is a portrait of Gunnery Sergeant John Ray Boswell, USMC, a long time citizen of Danville and a WWII veteran.  This portrait hung in the Library of the original building.  Gunnery Sergeant Boswell was held as a Prisoner of War in the Japanese POW camp in Cabanatuan, Philippines during the war.

The canteen cup that John Boswell used in the POW camp – and engraved by a fellow prisoner – can be seen in the POW-MIA-KIA memorial case in the hallway.

Various military videos are available for viewing on the library television system.  Visitors are welcomed to browse the collection, to relax and reflect.