Swagger Sticks, Classroom Pointers and Short-timer Sticks

[Dennis Redler]

No. 13 is 26.5" long and made from 2 bullets. The top is a .50 cal. shell casing with a head-stamp reading "SL 43" meaning that it was made at the arsenal in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1943. The bottom tip is a .30 cal. bullet. The shaft is hard bakelite plastic made to resemble wood.

[Dennis Redler]

No. 14 is 25" long and made from two bullets and an un-tapered wood shaft. There is an 11" braided leather wrist strap attached to the top .50 cal. shell casing which is again stamped with the Saint Louis Arsenal initials and 43. The bottom bullet is another standard .30 cal.

[Dennis Redler]

No. 15 is 19.75" long made from carved wood and inlaid with mother of pearl dots with a metal tip.

[Dennis Redler]

No. 16 is 29.5" long made from a .50 and .30 cal. bullets. The long tapered shaft has a brass decoration made from a bullet about half way down. The top .50 cal. has insignia soldered on it. one is the insignia of the U.S. Army's Coast Artillery Corps. The other is an Officer's US collar insignia. The head-stamp reads F.A.41 for the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1941.

[Dennis Redler]

No. 17 is 27" long again made from a .50 and .30 cal. bullet attached to a turned and tapered stick. Lightly scratched on the side of the .50 cal. is "Camp MacKall N.C. Dec. 11, 1943. The head-stamp reads WRA 43 for the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. in 1943.
The camp and date is historically significant for the paratrooper and glider training that took place there.

[Dennis Redler]

No.18 is 25" long and made from a .50 cal. bullet. The tapered wood shaft has an inlaid miniature silver Lt. Colonel's rank and 2nd. infantry Division insignia. Soldered to the casing's side is a miniature Infantry crossed rifles and Infantry School crest. The top of the casing has a plastic cap that when removed reveals a cigarette lighter. Engraved on the other side is "Lt. Col. Roger H. Craddock, AC of S G3 (Assistant Chief of Staff Training) 8 Aug. 56 to 3 Feb.60. The tip of the shaft is the business end of the .50 cal. that years ago used to unscrew to reveal a hollow section with room for 3 cigarettes. But now it's stuck on. I guess Col. Craddock was a heavy smoker and whomever presented this swagger stick to him never wanted him to be without a smoke.

[Dennis Redler]

Thanks for looking.
Stay tuned, many more to come.
I haven't even gotten to the pointers and short-timer sticks yet.
Dennis

[Dennis Redler]

No.19 was a style popular with Marine Corps Drill Instructors during the Korean war. It is 17.5" long and made from a .50 cal. bullet and a steel igniter tube from an artillery shell. The head-stamp reads TW 52 meaning it was manufactured at the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant - Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1952.

[just]

Hello Dennis

what can I say ?
one word: Fantastic !!!!

cordially
Didier

[Dennis Redler]

Time to take a break from swagger sticks in order to show a few classroom pointers and short-timer sticks.

No.20 is a pointer used during instruction in an Ordnance Dept. Class. The instructors had pride in their abilities and constructed their own pointers. This pointer is 18" long and made using a variety of brass items. Everything from an ordnance dept. collar insignia to bullets and sheet and rod stock. The pointer is heavy and sturdy yet delicate in it's rendering. Indeed the turned brass bullet projectiles are nicely lathed and fitted as is the finely tapered shaft. The 5.56 cal. bullets are stamped "LC 66" for the Lake City Ammunition Plant, Lake City, MO. The thick triangular "crossguard" is stamped with the owners name "Anthony Luna".

[Dennis Redler]

No. 21 is another Ordnance Dept. handmade pointer. It is 22" long and made of brass and stainless steel. The handle has a superbly rendered motor crankshaft topped off with the Ordnance Department's insignia of the flaming bomb. The tapered steel shaft is finished with a brass point.
I have heard stories of instructors having competitions to see who could come up with the most unique designs. The last two are truly works of art by master craftsman. Every element is superbly fitted and finished with transitions that are so smooth one cannot feel the joints.

[Dennis Redler]

No.22 is 23.5" long and is a presentation piece made of plated steel. It was given to Capt. Joseph Riccardi in 1959 with the inscription "Master Instructors Baton". The turned handle has colored plastic spacers and the top is inlaid with the distinctive insignia of the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division.

[Dennis Redler]

Thank You Didier. I'm glad you like them.

No.'s 23, 24 and 25 are what the soldiers in Viet Nam called "Short Timer Sticks. The story goes that when it got close to your rotation back to "The World", you carried the stick around to let everyone know at a glance that your time was "short". The sticks were hand-made by local craftsman and came in many styles but all seem to have the traditional bearded Vietnamese good luck dragon. The shafts were of different colored stained wood made to resemble bamboo. Now supposedly as the time got nearer the stick was shortened which may be the reason that no two sticks seem the same length. The ends are fitted with various caliber bullets.

[Dennis Redler]

Continuing on...

No. 26 is a native made swagger stick that's 21" inches long made of painted and lacquered wood. There is a .50 cal. bullet at bottom. Under the black painted top handle is a handmade catch mechanism which when turned unlocks the handle so you can draw the short sword. Legend has it that these blades were made from discarded military vehicle flat springs. Probably made in the Philippines during WW2.

[Dennis Redler]

No. 27 is a swagger stick that measures 22" inches long and made of carved wood that's been decorated in "poker art" style. This is accomplished by using a heated rod and burning the decoration to the wood. The top handle is carved to resemble a horse's lower leg with hoof details. It too might have been used as a riding crop that's now missing it's leather wrist strap. Origin unknown but have seen similar poker art from middle eastern region.