Per an included certificate of authenticity from Lux Military Antiques, this helmet "belonged to a U.S. Navy medic that decorated the helmet in white paint with all the places, battles, important dates and ships he was involved with"; the medic is not named in the certificate. The helmet is the early M1 pattern, with the brim seam at the front and a set of fixed chinstrap bales. The helmet is decorated with "U.S.N." over a staff of Hermes on the front, "Margaret" on the rear, and a set of 43 hash marks next to a small bomb on the front left. Several prominent locations and dates are noted on the helmet, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, Battle of Coral Sea, the prelude to the Battle of Kwajalein (16 Jan 1943, with the main thrust occurring on the 31st), and others. Ships listed include the USS Askari (a mobile repair ship), USS SC-744 (a submarine chaser, sunk in November 1944 due to damage from a kamikaze attack), and USS Sumner (two ships by that name active in WWII, a survey ship and a destroyer). Also noted are "Milne Bay, N.G./Easter, 43" (there was a Battle of Milne Bay, but it was resolved in 1942), "Bora Bora/Feb. 27, 1942" (taken by the U.S. but not contested during the war), lending further credence to it being a record of a medic/corpsman's travels and not just a "greatest hits" of the Pacific Campaign. The inner liner is absent.

Very good as field used, with mild wear and stains. One side of the chinstrap has been cut off. The markings show some light fading but are generally clear and legible. A truly unique World War II artifact!