Enemy Militaria has been online since early 2017.
We sell mostly WW2 items, Korean War, Vietnam and the Gulf Wars.
We started collecting militaria in the mid 1970s. WWII Vets were in their late 40s and early 50s; Korean War Vets were in their early 40s and Vietnam Vets were still in their 20s! The Cold War was on. Grenada, Panama, Somalia and the Gulf Wars were a long way away.
My focus was on Asian Militaria from WWII, Korea and Vietnam. My brother liked German WWI and WWII. This was good because we never clashed over collecting. We both collected US militaria as well.
Things were very different then in the collecting field. For example, my first Japanese helmet, a Christmas present, had a liner, chinstrap and a nice original net and cost only $65.00. My first Japanese Arisaka, a Type 99 was $38.50. When I was 16, I bought a new condition papered Chi-Com SKS and chestbag from a First Cav vet after he answered an ad I put in the local paper. I rode my bicycle to his house and bought it. He drove me home and handed it to my mother. Now, we would all go to jail for conspiracy to violate something or another.
Over the decades, we both continued to collect militaria and have amassed pretty respectable collections buying and trading one item, groupings or collections. We were always trying to find the best and upgraded lesser items as we could.
In the 1980s, after 11B AIT and Jump School, I served as Cadre at Army Ranger School. I went to Ranger School, Class 11-83 (The last hard class), I then transferred into B Co. 3rd Ranger Bn. which was forming. After that enlistment ended, I served as a Team Leader with Det4thForReconCo USMCR.
During that time, I bought some Cuban gear captured on Grenada from a guy I went to Ranger School with. After serving I expanded into collecting the Cold War. In the early 1990s, I bought a huge pile of Iraqi items from a Major returning from Desert Storm. He sent home MRE boxes full of uniforms and gear. The postage on boxes was marked “free.” When America’s longest war started, OIF – Enduring Freedom, I began to buy what I could from guys still in-theater.
My brother and I are older, grayer, and hopefully wiser. We have concluded it is time to start thinning out the collections and offer some great items here.
We’d love to have you join our email list so we can share new items added to our collection, special sales, militaria events we attend and more!
— The Enemy Militaria Team
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