Husker1911
Member
I'm awaiting more info on this story, but the Omaha World Herald today published a story of a family finding a Reising SMG amongst other memorabilia their late father had left behind. I hope the family isn't unwittingly in serious trouble with the Feds, the BATFE specifically.
"For decades, two sturdy trunks sat undisturbed in an Omaha basement, hidden behind cardboard boxes, covered with dusty blankets.
After Gene Helget died in December, his family found two forgotten trunks in the basement full of World War II mementos. His daughter, Patsy Kravchuk, is pictured with a photograph of the young Navy lieutenant and items found inside the trunk, including a flag that may have flown on Helget's ship during such key moments as the fight for Iwo Jima.
Children played pingpong nearby, Christmas decorations were removed and replaced, and the trunks were mostly ignored until Gene Helget died.
Last December, with Gene gone, his family decided to open them.
"I think it was curiosity that drove us to finally open them up," said Patsy Kravchuk, his daughter.
Helget's wife, Kerrie, and the children found an unexpected connection to a husband and father, a reminder of the Navy veteran's role in history.
They found a flag, torn, battered and faded, likely from months of flying on a ship in the Pacific. The trunk included an early model submachine gun, a hand-written Japanese tactical poster covered with diagrams of naval vessels, plus dozens of smaller items from Helget's daily life in World War II."
"The Helgets plan to work with museum officials to find a public home for much of the trunk's contents.
The machine gun, a Reising Model 55, is a particularly rare find, historians said. It was widely distributed to Marines early in the war but often performed poorly in the jungle conditions of the Pacific Theater. Many were discarded or destroyed as a result.
"It's certainly an exciting weapon to find," Castro said.
The Marine Corps museum, scheduled to open to the public this fall, has more than 4,000 historical weapons but only a handful of Reising Model 55s, Castro said."
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=2179422
(Requires registration.)
"For decades, two sturdy trunks sat undisturbed in an Omaha basement, hidden behind cardboard boxes, covered with dusty blankets.
After Gene Helget died in December, his family found two forgotten trunks in the basement full of World War II mementos. His daughter, Patsy Kravchuk, is pictured with a photograph of the young Navy lieutenant and items found inside the trunk, including a flag that may have flown on Helget's ship during such key moments as the fight for Iwo Jima.
Children played pingpong nearby, Christmas decorations were removed and replaced, and the trunks were mostly ignored until Gene Helget died.
Last December, with Gene gone, his family decided to open them.
"I think it was curiosity that drove us to finally open them up," said Patsy Kravchuk, his daughter.
Helget's wife, Kerrie, and the children found an unexpected connection to a husband and father, a reminder of the Navy veteran's role in history.
They found a flag, torn, battered and faded, likely from months of flying on a ship in the Pacific. The trunk included an early model submachine gun, a hand-written Japanese tactical poster covered with diagrams of naval vessels, plus dozens of smaller items from Helget's daily life in World War II."
"The Helgets plan to work with museum officials to find a public home for much of the trunk's contents.
The machine gun, a Reising Model 55, is a particularly rare find, historians said. It was widely distributed to Marines early in the war but often performed poorly in the jungle conditions of the Pacific Theater. Many were discarded or destroyed as a result.
"It's certainly an exciting weapon to find," Castro said.
The Marine Corps museum, scheduled to open to the public this fall, has more than 4,000 historical weapons but only a handful of Reising Model 55s, Castro said."
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=2179422
(Requires registration.)
