PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE IN THE OFFICE Through TUESDAY 09/16,
AFTER That Date, We Will Be OUT OF THE OFFICE from WEDNESDAY 09/17 until TUESDAY OCTOBER 7th!!
Ron Will Be OUT OF THE OFFICE from WEDNESDAY 09/10 until FRIDAY OCTOBER 10th!!
So there MAY be SHIPPING DELAYS on MILITARIA Orders Placed AFTER 09/10 through 10/10!!
BUT We Will DEFINITELY Be ABLE TO SHIP Orders Placed Through TUESDAY 09/09,
And MIGHT Be ABLE TO SHIP ORDERS Placed through MONDAY 09/15, But After That we CANNOT SHIP Until TUESDAY 10/07!!
Update 09/09/25: WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH non-PayPal CREDIT CARD PURCHASES!!
BIG WEBSITE CHANGES are in the works and this Issue WILL BE CORRECTED sometime in OCTOBER!!
If you would like to PAY for an Artifact valued at OVER $100.00 with a CREDIT CARD, please email and I will get an invoice emailed to you ASAP!
We are HAPPY TO ACCEPT YOUR ORDERS during this time, and we will promptly SHIP MOST orders within ONE Business Day of Receipt of Payment!
And, as always, if you would like to fund your $100.00+ order through a Bank that offers ZELLE, ASK ABOUT our ZELLE DISCOUNT!!
That DISCOUNT also applies to PayPal GIFT (Fee-Free), Check, and Money Order payments!!
Thank you for visiting. We hope you will find some vintage artifacts here on our site to add to your collection.
We look forward to serving your collecting needs, Ron & Kanae
ARTIFACT:
This is a circa Korean War full-size Japanese-made lighter for the United States Air Force Security Service 15th Radio Squadron Mobile. The front of the lighter has a medallion featuring a lightning bug riding a winged thunderbolt.
Courtesy of Wikipedia:
The 15th Radio Squadron, Mobile was organized at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas for service in the Korean War. In July, the squadron departed Texas for Ashiya Air Base, Japan, where it was to operate until inactivated in May 1955. Upon the squadron's arrival in Japan, the former Detachment 3 of the 1st Radio Squadron, Mobile, located at Ewha Women's University in Seoul, Korea was transferred to the 15th as Detachment 1, 15th Radio Squadron, Mobile. The squadron mission was to provide tactical intelligence data to the air operations center of Fifth Air Force in Korea, located a short distance from Detachment 3.
By 1952, the need for intelligence collection closer to the battle lines than Seoul became evident. The People's Liberation Army Air Force was upgrading their tactical communications from High Frequency to Very High Frequency systems, which could not be effectively detected at long ranges. Fifth Air Force began to operate Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft from Yokota Air Base, Japan. Members of the 15th flew in the back of these airplanes, which patrolled just behind the front lines and off the coast of North Korea, recording data on wire recorders. Recordings were dropped to the unit's Detachment 2, which had been established on Cho Do Island, off the coast of North Korea. This was then transferred to ground controlled intercept controllers of the 608th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron on the island to provide near real time threat information to American fighter aircraft.
In May 1955, the squadron was inactivated and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 6922d Radio Group, Mobile at Ashiya. It was kept on the Air Force's books as an inactive unit until June 1983, when it was disbanded.
VINTAGE:
Circa Korean War.
SIZE:
Approximately 2-1/4" height and 1-1/2" width and 1/2" in depth.
MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION:
Chrome-plated brass, enamel.
ATTACHMENT:
To be carried in pocket to light your smokes.
MARKINGS:
JAPAN.
ITEM NOTES:
This is from a lighter collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. ZAJL94 LADEX1/11 SLAHEX07/01/20 SADEX07/02/20
CONDITION:
7+ (Very Fine+): The lighter shows light overall wear and one small area of moderate wear on reverse.
GUARANTEE: As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.
