A Captain's Identity Discovered. A Remarkable 385th Regimental S-1 Uniform Grouping.

This uniform grouping is one that I have been after since I started collecting militaria. It all belonged to Capt Robert H B R I N E R who served as the S-1 in the Regimental HQ, 385^th Infantry Regiment, 76^th Division. This is the same Regiment that my grandfather was an officer in. At no doubt the two of them came in to contact with each other at some point stateside or overseas. I feel truly honored to have obtained this one and was able to ID it by his name written on the photograph that came along with it. 

B R I N E R was born in Ohio in 1916. He grew up in the Cleveland area and began attending college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio graduating in 1938. Although smaller in stature and size he boxed for the college and was a member of Sigma Chi. B R I N E R volunteered for the service enlisting on February 3, 1941. He was commissioned on May 15, 1942 and spent his entire career with the 76^th being one of the original cadre at Ft. Meade MD after the Division’s activation. He was assigned as the 385^th’s Personnel Officer and stayed in that position until the 76^th was deactivated in the late summer of 1945. He was transferred to the 102^nd Division for occupation duties until making it back to the states in December of that same year. Not only was he awarded the CIB but also a Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service. Being a personnel officer was seldom glorious but without him the Regiment wouldn’t have operated near as smoothly in its trail across the ETO.

Worthy of a Hollywood love story, he met his while the 76^th was training overseas and married Peggy  B O W E N of Great Britain after the war. He and Peggy had several children and he was in the real estate business for the rest of his days owning his own firms in several Ohio cities. B R I N E R passed away in July of 1997.

Not only did it come with his cut-down officers service coat, but also his overcoat, his service cap, and the photo with the inscription, “ B R I N E R!, Are you really a combat infantryman now?” signed by an unknown Major. The photo depicts men of the76th lining up for some type of processing in a small shed.  This uniform is 110% all original and was removed from a trunk that belonged to a medical officer in the ETO. Were it not for the photo, this grouping would have remained unidentified.