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Cadet Issue Dress Coat

Cadet issue dress coat which the donor had made into an Eisenhower-style jacket. He began pilot training with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941, but returned to the U.S. and volunteered for glider pilot school. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and earned the service pilot wings. He was assigned to the 49th Squadron, 313th Troop Carrier Group, and piloted a glider during the aerial invasion of Holland (Operation MARKET GARDEN). The orange lanyard was an award presented after World War II by the Netherlands government to the 9th Troop Carrier Command glider pilots for their role in that operation. The card accompanied the award. 

The items were donated by Donald B. Collins from Ashville, Ohio.

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