Old Canteen

[rabidwolf]

I would like to keep it steve1989. Though it will make a fine gift for WW2 Vet turning 94.

[steve1989]

Doh! I dunno how I missed that - I mis-read it and thought you got it FROM your grandpa - whoops! Yes, certainly an amazing gift for him, well done!
My apologies, I think the sleep deprivation is finally getting the best of me.

[gschultz9]

Beautiful canteen, rabidwolf! Don't part with such a gem - they don't make 'em like they used to!

What a great present for your grandfather rabidwolf! This canteen and Steve's comment about not parting with it are actually a bit painful for me to see. I had a small collection of military gear since I was a kid collecting it at yard sales and anywhere else I could find it. I actually had a canteen just like this one. I can't remember if it was dated 1918, but it was definitely dated between 1917 and 1919. Didn't have a cover or canteen cup with it, but it was in GREAT condition. I'm sure I got it for a couple bucks at a flea market when I was a kid and held onto it ever since. Unfortunately, about 3 1/2 years ago we moved out of our house and into a small apartment. I ended up selling most of my old military collectibles really cheap at a big yard sale we had to try to consolidate our "stuff". I got a nice chunk of change for the canteen and some other neat stuff (mostly WWII vintage) like a couple steel pot helmets, web gear and a couple more old canteens. It was helpful making a little room and getting a little money for the stuff, but it wasn't anything near what they were worth, and I've regretted getting rid of it all ever since. I suppose I've gotten so many good deals at yard sales from people needing to liquidate stuff that I could look at as a little "giving back", but I really do miss that canteen. To make things worse, we ended up still having so much stuff we didn't have room for after yard sales and throwing stuff away/donating to Goodwill that I ended up needing to rent a storage unit. So, in the end I could have ended up keeping some of my "treasures". D'oh!
Sorry for highjacking the thread for some personal memories, but I just had to share that story.

[rabidwolf]

gschultz, I would not say you came even close to hijacking the thread. Stories such as yours, are part of what makes the MRE Info family unique and entertaining. I enjoyed reading it.

I've passed up on a few items over the years. That I later wished I hadn't.

Hope you manage to find some of the items you no longer have again.

[gschultz9]

Thanks rabidwolf! Yeah, in the end, it was just a "thing" and probably shouldn't have meant so much to me. I think part of the reason was how old it was and a bigger part was that I had owned it since I was a kid. Guess I just get attached to things!

[elandil]

Thanks rabidwolf! Yeah, in the end, it was just a "thing" and probably shouldn't have meant so much to me. I think part of the reason was how old it was and a bigger part was that I had owned it since I was a kid. Guess I just get attached to things!

Yeah, when me and my wife moved in together, we both had already established households, so things got shifted and stored, and when we moved into the new house we ended up filling a garage attic with those things. And, I keep telling myself one day i'm going to go thru that attic, and start cleaning out those things but I know it's probably not gonna happen until we move again, if even then...Sometimes those "things" can mean so much, and you don't realize it til it's gone. I feel you on this G, and maybe one day that canteen or some of the other gear will find it's way back to you.

[parafireboy]

What a cool find!