Texas man tracks down grandfather's WWII military jacket riddled with shrapnel holes
A paramedic with the Houston Fire Department eager to learn more about his late grandfather's military service had a stroke of luck after he began his research.
Mark Holmes of Pearland, Texas, told Fox News Digital that a simple Google search not only taught him about his paternal grandfather, William Watson Holmes, and his service to America, but it led him to a physical piece of history.
William Watson Holmes served as a Marine during World War II and was a Purple Heart recipient.
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"I had always kind of wondered what my grandpa did in the war. I talked to my dad about it a few times, and my dad, all he knew was one of the islands he went to, was called Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands. Beyond that, I didn't know anything other than he got a Purple Heart," Mark Holmes said, adding that when he was 3 months old, his grandfather died.
As luck would have it, Mark Holmes came across a collector's website, U.S. Militaria Forum. He signed up and shared his grandfather’s story on the page to connect with other users, and it appeared one collector had an interesting discovery to offer.
The collector, Austin Wideman, spent years collecting World War II memorabilia, having close to 40 named pieces in his Marine collection.
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Wideman posted photos of William Watson Holmes' uniform jacket after purchasing the coat from a seller in Gloucester, Virginia.
The tattered green jacket dons a "UNIS" mark on the back reading "322."
"UNIS marked items are my main focus with Marines. Marines would put these numbers on equipment so other Marines could tell which unit they were a part of. The number 322 tells me that William Holmes was [part] of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Division. By knowing that I was able to positively identify the uniform to William [Watson Holmes]," Wideman told Fox News Digital via email.
Mark Holmes and Wideman began conversing online, and the two men eventually met up in person.
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"William was wounded when a Japanese land mine blew up riddling him with shrapnel in the back. This is why the jacket has burn holes all throughout the back. William Holmes was taken back to [the] states where he underwent emergency surgery on his spine to remove the shrapnel," Wideman said.
By chance, the hospital where William Watson Holmes was sent in Lee Hall, Virginia, was 30 minutes from where Wideman purchased the uniform.
Mark Holmes and his father, Randall Holmes, son of William Watson Holmes, flew to Missouri to meet up with Wideman to see the historic family piece himself.
Mark Holmes tried on his grandfather’s jacket, which fit him well.
Wideman said meeting Mark Holmes and his father, Randall Holmes, was a true honor.
"Watching Randall [Holmes] touch the jacket his dad was wounded in was extremely rewarding for me as a collector. We spoke about the jacket for hours and really enjoyed each other’s company. I’m already looking forward to seeing them again," Wideman said.
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Wideman shared the history of the jacket with the Holmes family while they revealed personal stories of what it was like growing up with the veteran and hearing his stories about the war.
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The Holmes family donated additional wartime pieces to Wideman so he could add them to his collection.
In return, Wideman had a replica of William Watson Holmes' jacket made for the family.
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"My goal has always been to share history and to keep these stories alive. If anything were to happen, everything including the jacket will go back to family," Wideman side.