Posted 6 years ago
trvlntxn3
(1 item)
Wife’s grandfathers ww2 pin unknown unit he was army then AAF please help ID he was also at Pearl Harbor Andy later a glider pilot.
Wife’s grandfathers ww2 pin does can anyone OD? | ||
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Posted 6 years ago
trvlntxn3
(1 item)
Wife’s grandfathers ww2 pin unknown unit he was army then AAF please help ID he was also at Pearl Harbor Andy later a glider pilot.
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I'm no expert on military pins but just looking at the pictures before I read the info, I saw the pin with HANA on the bottom and my mind turned to Hawaii. Then I read that the grandfather was at Pearl Harbor.......
Hana is a town high in the mountains of Maui.
Purple is the color of royalty.
The red and gold design is probably fashioned like a cape worn by King Kamahamaha, first king of the united islands of Hawaii. The actual cape was covered on the outside by many thousands of tiny yellow bird feathers. I do not know the color of the inside lining of the cape, maybe it was red....I don't know.
The wing would signify flying, of course.
The fluted column may be reminiscent of the porch columns of Iolani Palace, the residence of the last of the Hawaiian Royalty before the US takeover. (Now open to the public as a historic house museum site).
I have never seen this pin before but my advise to you is to contact/send a photo to Iolani Palace, check on line for any historical society on Maui or in Hana. Maui and Hana are so small, there probably isn't one so Honolulu would be the best bet. Someone at Iolani Palace can probably best advise you on where to inquire further.
I believe US military was stationed all over Hawaii after the attack and the town of Hana may have had these made especially for service members stationed at Hana. If that is the case, there are probably not many of these pins.
It's very special!!
Also, it may not be military at all. Maybe it was just placed in the container with other pins which happened to be military.
It could VERY possibly be just a souvenir pin from a tourist on Maui who drove the road to Hana with it's dizzying cliffs and sharp turns and switch-backs---It makes you wish you had wings, just in case! Maybe there is a hang-gliding operation at Hana that gave them out to survivors ;-)
I Troop Carrier Command
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Troop_Carrier_Command
The HANA pin is not US military it is most likely a college or university