Original U.S. WWII 82nd Airborne Division 325th Glider Infantry Captain Sam A. Sachs Dog Tag & Ephemera Grouping

Original Items. One-of-a-Kind. This is the dog tag & ephemera grouping of Captain Sam A. Sachs, who commanded a company of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division during World War II. Highlights include his dog tag and his Sterling Glider wings with attached campaign stars.

The group includes:
- Dog tag set of Sachs, with serial number and NOK information. Only one tag has this information, and the other tag is stamped SAMMY / THELMA.
- 82nd Airborne patch with Airborne rocker. 
- Two-place ribbon bar with American Defense medal and European African Middle Eastern Campaign medal with three campaign stars and an invasion arrowhead.
- Paratrooper Glider garrison cap patch.
- 82nd Airborne Division Association membership card to Sam A. Sachs, No. 2081.
- Leather tab for military equipment with SACHS nametag inside.
- Combat Infantryman Badge marked Sterling, post-war.
- Presidential Unit Citation with frame.
- Captain’s bar, marking Sterling, pinback.
- One US and two infantry collar insignia.
- Two pennies, 1950 and 1951. Likely unrelated.
- Sterling Glider qualification wings with two attached campaign stars, a known practice of Airborne veterans.

In 1931, and while still in high school, Sam joined ROTC. In Oct 1940, at age 25, he registered for the Draft.  Later, he was called to fight in WWII. As a 1st Lt., Sam first went to Fort Benning, Georgia. Later, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne, 325th Glider Infantry to pilot gliders, affectionately known as Flying Coffins. On 6 June 1944, the 30-year old officer flew an unarmed glider carrying eight troops, machine guns and ammo, through anti-aircraft artillery fire, for their D-Day landing at Normandy, France. Upon landing the glider on a farm about two to three miles from Utah Beach (the farthest west of the five landings), Sam found only one bullet hole in the glider’s fuselage. Until the war’s end in 1945, Sam served as Company Commander in Casablanca, Morocco, Africa, Naples, Italy (see 1943 Naples picture) and other locations. He was also part of a group which helped liberate prisoners from a German concentration camp.

In 1946, Sam met Ida, bride of 58-years (she passed in 2005). Then, Sam attended the University of Southern California, where he obtained his teaching credential. He taught in several southern California schools, with his first teaching assignment at Wilmington High School. He then taught at Compton Junior High School, Roosevelt Adult School (east LA) and from 1955 to 1982, he taught at Huntington Park High School. 

After Sam served with the US Army Reserves for 32-years, he retired as a Lt. Col. In 2017, Sam was honored by the 63rd California Assembly District, as the Lakewood, CA Veteran of the Year. On 6 June 2019, 75-years after helping liberate France from Germany’s grip, Christophe Lemoine, Consul General of France – Los Angeles, presented Lt. Col. Sachs with the French Legion of Honor. He also said, that by decree of French President Emmanuel Macron, Sam was appointed a Chevalier (Knight).

Sam passed away on March 18th, 2022 at the age of 106.

This is a great ephemera group, ready to display!