Original U.S. WWII & Korean War Dog Tag & Insignia Grouping to 508th PIR 82nd Airborne Paratrooper, 187th PIR in Korea Edward J. Wodowski 'Woody'

Item DescriptionOriginal Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. This is an outstanding group of items and insignia belonging to Edward J. Wodowski, who saw heavy combat as a Paratrooper during World War II and the Korean War, and serving with the 4th ID during the Vietnam War. Records indicate that he made approximately 1,800 jumps! We found a photo in newspapers of Wodowski receiving his Silver Star medal from Brigadier General Chester McCarty!The grouping includes:- Wodowski's dog tags showing religion as Catholic, likely from Korean War, on original chain.- Wodowski's Garrison cap Paratrooper Glider patch, shows heavy wear from years of being worn!- 82nd Airborne patch with attached rocker.- Seven-place ribbon bar with Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart with OLC, Good Conduct Medal, WWII European African Middle Eastern Campaign medal with three campaign stars and an invasion arrowhead, Occupation medal, and Korean War service medal with two campaign stars. Butterfly pinback and custom made! This would've been worn following his Korean War service but prior to his Vietnam War service.- Silver Star medal, not engraved. We found a photo of the medal being awarded to Wodowski in Korea, and from the heavy color fading on the ribbon, we are confident this is that exact medal!- Orange Dutch WWII Order of the Orange Lanyard as Awarded to U.S. Paratroopers for Operation Market Garden.- Sterling Senior Parachutist Paratrooper wings, and mini set of Master Parachutist wings.- Cloth Master Parachutist wings.- Presidential Unit Citation ribbon with frame.- European Theater of Operations patch, Post WWII.- Command Sergeant Major chevrons, rare.- 187th Regimental Combat Team Airborne patch, very rare!- SHAEF patch- 18th Corps Sky Dragons patch.- Several printed pages of newspaper articles describing his service and awards.Edward John Wodowski was born on October 2nd, 1925 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Blairsville, Pennsylvania. He first enlisted in the Army on November 22nd, 1943 and opted to join the Airborne for the small boost in pay. He was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He jumped at Market Garden, his plane was shot down and he landed over the German border. According to an article, he may have been the first 'dog face' on German soil. He was wounded twice during WWII. During the Battle of the Bulge, he was one of 17 men in the 2nd Platoon of A Company left behind on Christmas Eve to delay the German advance. After the war he served as NCOIC of the 82nd Jump School, and was promoted several times to Master Sergeant. During the Korean War he served with the 187th Regimental Combat Team and was awarded the Silver Star Medal for bravery. He then served with the CIA in Munich while still on jump status. During the 50s and early 60s he was Command Sergeant Major of St. Andrews and the 557th QM Co, Air Delivery, France from 1963-66. Afterwards he was an NCO advisor in the 30th Infantry Division. In 1968 he was deployed yet again with the 4th Infantry Division to Vietnam, and was awarded the Air Medal twice along with the Commendation Medal. He became a very rare sight in the army, a combat veteran of three major wars. He continued serving until 1996 when he retired following 53 years of continuous federal service. He passed away on March 2nd, 2008 at the age of 82.An outstanding group to an outstanding individual, ready for further research and display!Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Payment OptionsEligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle