Dave Severance Signed FDC Cachet – COA Beckett Slab

Dave Severance was assigned to the 28th Marines [Annotator’s Note: 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division] and was given command of Company E. They trained at Camp Pendleton until September 1944 then transferred to Hawaii. In November 1944, he was told about what they were going to do at Iwo Jima. He had no idea how they were going to take the south end of the island because it was a volcano. The men joked that the first men to make it to the top of the volcano should get a prize. Someone suggested champagne, but Severance did not think they would need much because he could not imagine many men making it up to the top. Lieutenant Wells, the company’s adjutant, stated that they had to carry a flag and if they were the first ones to the top they would plant it in the volcano. They landed on Iwo Jima on 20 February 1945 in the tenth wave and were under heavy mortar fire when they hit the beach. 

Presented is a first day cover FDC signed by Dave Severance. The cachet depicts the famous Marines flag raising at Iwo Jima. He signed both the front and the back in black pen. On the back he detailed his ranking. It was encapsulated and authenticated by Beckett.

Authentication: Beckett Slab