World War II patches tell tales

Gift of a patch from a student started 18-year hobby

BY SUZANNA TUDOR

Eighteen years ago, a student gave Mark Waywood his first World War II patch. The Hebron High School history teacher now has several cases containing the intriguing pieces of the past.

Waywood's hobby also has personal meaning.

"My father was in his mid-20s during WWII and served with the 2nd Battalion at Bougainville," he said during a recent program at the Hebron Public Library. "He met Adm. William 'Bull' Halsey while in the Pacific."

Halsey commanded the South Pacific area in 1942.

The majority of Waywood's collection consists of U.S. Army groups, corps and divisional patches, including Merrill's Marauders, the U.S. Rangers and Marine Raider battalions of Guadalcanal.

Waywood thinks it's difficult for WWII veterans to talk about their experiences. Most who saw combat have a sense of shame about what they were called upon to do, he said. Many of that generation returned from the war, established their lives and got busy raising their families. They never shared their stories. That's where the patches come in.

"They are fascinating, but what really hooked me are the stories behind them," Waywood said.

For example, rare OSS patches were issued to the Kachins, men who served in Burma in Detachment 101. These Burmese tribesmen hated the Japanese so much that they were willing to fight against them, Waywood said.

Rare patches can run as high as $100 apiece. These collectible patches can be expensive, and with interest peaking, it also drives the market for frauds.

"Repos or fakes are hard to identify," Waywood said.

"I'll admit I've been taken a time or two," he said.

But Waywood said he isn't giving up his collection.

He said he lives by the words of his favorite historian, David McCullough, "If you want to be a good history teacher, you have to tell stories."

From: http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2004/04/01/news/
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