When U.S. Navy Beachmaster Joe Vaghi landed on Omaha beach on June 6th, 1944 he wore this helmet with a painted blue 6 to indicate he was with the 6th Naval Beach Battalion. As Vaghi helped move injured soldier Private Frank Brindisi (Company D, 18th Infantry Regiment), onto a stretcher for evacuation off the beach, a blast from a German artillery shell knocked him unconscious and sent his helmet flying. After regaining consciousness, Vaghi retrieved the helmet nearest to him, which belonged to the wounded Private Brindisi. Vaghi wore this helmet for several weeks until his original helmet was returned to him.
Private Brindisi’s helmet that Vaghi wore until his was returned.
M1 Helmet
Features
Unit18th Infantry Regiment
Date1944
ConflictWorld War II
NationalityAmerican
RightsFirst Division Museum
Identifier2009.342
On-DisplayNo
Citation"M1 Helmet." First Division Museum. Accessed April 20, 2024, https://www.fdmuseum.org/collections/m1-helmet-2/.
Location
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