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Medal USA NAMED WWII D-DAY NAVY PURPLE HEART NORMANDY INVASION

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Militaria Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:750.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Medal USA NAMED WWII D-DAY NAVY PURPLE HEART NORMANDY INVASION
This is an unofficially named split brooch sterling silver Navy Purple Heart awarded to James N. Barker USNR, who was part of Construction Demolition Unit 141. The Purple Heart is engraved "J.N.B. / Normandy / 6-6-44 / 0630" and is accompanied by substantial research giving Barker's service number, the list of his decorations, indicating that he saw action as part of 14th Demolition Unit in the Invasion of Normandy, etc. He must have been among the first men to land on Normandy as part of Gap team 14 on Easy Red. J. Gawne in Spearheading D-Day (2001) writes: "The first men to land on Omaha may have been Gap team # 14 commanded by Lt Phil C. Wood. Wood was under the impression that H-hour was 0620 (instead of 0630) and coerced his LCM to come in at 0625. The LCM was hit by an artillery shell which set off the explosives on board. Many members of team # 14 were killed before they got off the boat." The Purple Heart is accompanied by a corresponding patch and various copied documentation and research. Barker was one of the few survivors from his unit and among the very first Americans to set foot on Normandy. Purple Hear is somewhat worn, with gilding rubbed off in part, accompanied by the original purple navy case and cardboard box.

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