ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

CARLETON ELLIOTT SIMENSEN MILITARY HERITAGE COLLECTION, 164th INFANTRY ASSOCIATION RECORDS

COLLECTION: OGL #1278 (addition)

DATES: 1942-1945, 1962

SIZE: 10.25 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: This addition to the Carleton Elliott Simensen Military Heritage Collection, 164th Infantry Association Records was deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Jim Fenelon, Marshalltown, Iowa, on October 14, 1998 (Acc.#99-2342).

ACCESS: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This addition to the 164th Infantry Association Records consists of several World War II-related artifacts:

One Japanese sword, taken from a Japanese soldier by a member of the 164th Infantry. The sword and its scabbard have a bullet hole in it.

One Japanese flag, taken from Japanese soldiers by a member of the 164th Infantry. The flag was tentatively translated by a Japanese graduate student at UND, who reported that the flag dates from March 1944. The flag belonged to a Japanese naval group. The majority of the symbols on the flag are names.

One Higgins boat tiller wheel. These wheels were used to drive the Higgins boats, which landed American soldiers on dry land during amphibious assaults throughout World War II.

One Fijian Kava Bowl. The Kava Bowl was used in a native ceremony, in which the Kava plant was squeezed and crushed in the bowl. The resulting mixture was then drank. The Kava plant is used by natives to relax. The bowl has the following inscription:
"Presented to the 164th Infantry Association from the Fiji Military Forces, 13 Oct 1962"
The 164th Infantry saw extensive combat duty in Fiji from March-December 1943.

One framed list of all 164th members Killed in Action during World War II.

One framed poem, "The Fighting 164th," by Howard Van Tassel. This poem was written by Van Tassel as he sat in a foxhole during the Battle of Guadalcanal (1942-1943).

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 9
Japanese Sword
Japanese Flag

Box 11
Kava Bowl

The framed poem and the killed in action listing, as well as the tiller wheel, are housed on the shelves adjacent to the 164th Infantry Association Records.

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