Large grouping belonging to Clarence Leonard Holler (1919-2009), a U.S. Navy WWII and Korean War veteran. Holler, who was originally from York, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the Navy on July 24, 1943. After his initial training, Holler joined LST-609 on May 6, 1944, where he would remain for the duration of his active duty. The most notable engagement that Holler and LST-690 participated in during WWII was the southern invasion of France, code-named Operation Dragoon, which took place from August 15 to September 14, 1944. After his European tour, Holler redeployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations and participated in the closing days of the Battle of Okinawa. During his time spent on Okinawa, it is likely he picked up the “Good Luck” Japanese flag, but with no documentation, it is impossible to say.
What is historically significant about the grouping is the “combat-flown” naval command pennant stamped “Burgee Command” and dated 1944, with the remnants of a “32” for Captain Melson’s Destroyer Division 32. During Operation Dragoon, DesDiv32 participated in the battle and is where Holler likely picked up the souvenir. The flag is tattered and torn with a large amount missing. Included in the grouping are his identification tags, cut-out photos of him, an ID bracelet with four tags in total, a ditty bag, photos of his mother and wife, Polaroid goggles that are named to him, his Navy cap, an ashtray, a box with many small personal items, wallets, photos, several small munitions, a theater-made machete, naval books that belonged to him including his Bluejacket Manual, letters, navy issue blanket, uniforms, hammock, and many more small items.
Holler died on February 6, 2009, in Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania, at the age of 89, and was buried in Manchester, Pennsylvania.