Included with this grouping is a binder of information and documentation that lists this grouping as the personal property of Corporal DuWayne R. Mittelsteadt, a trooper with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Parachute Regiment. A relatively short lived experiment, the "Paramarines" were originally conceived as the USMC's answer to the Army's airborne units, an elite light infantry formation capable of being parachuted wherever they were needed. While the Paramarines were good at their job, a lack of appropriate transport craft hamstrung their operations, along with the general Marine ambivalence towards "specialist" formations, and led them to mainly be used as conventional infantry until they were disbanded in 1944. Many of the Paramarines distinguished themselves in their post-paratrooper careers, with three Paramarines among the two groups of flag raisers on Iwo Jima. Mittelsteadt was one of a number of G Company Paras transferred to the 27th Marine Regiment following the shutdown, and was with the unit for the invasion of Iwo Jima. The records on his service list a date of death of March 8, 1945, time unknown, due to a head wound inflicted by the enemy. The record includes the additional note that had he made it to discharge, his character would have been rated as excellent. The included uniform jacket features a set of green-on-red corporal's chevrons, with the left shoulder bearing the patch for the 1st Regiment. The left breast features a golden set of jump wings and three ribbons; the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (1 star), Asiatic Campaign (2 stars) and the American Campaign. A glass-topped case contains two pictures of Mittelsteadt, an I.D. bracelet engraved to him, the Purple Heart (engraved to Mittelsteadt on the back) and 3 campaign medals, additional ribbons and an Expert Rifleman badge. A box contains a leather belt, overseas cap, a Paramarine-themed bracelet (marked to a different Marine), golden ring with USMC themed decoration, USMC lapel badge, and a USMC marked Ka-Bar knife with "Mittelsteadt" marked sheath. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

The uniform is very good overall, with mild wear and staining. The Ka-Bar is good and shows wear appropriate to hard use, with a small nick at the tip (the included notes attribute this to Mittelsteadt showing off and stabbing the knife through a silver dollar during leave. The other accoutrements are in good order.