Soldiers from all armies are noted for souvenir collecting.  Keep in mind,
few soldiers go to far away and sometimes exotic places with their pocket
cameras.  Most simply collect remembrances of places they have seen, things
they have done, and people they have met.  During war, being a soldier is
likely to be the most exciting thing to happen in that person's life.  It is
natural to want to hold onto some part of that experience.

We hold in our collection a fez originating with the Egyptian Army of World
War One.  The Australian soldier who brought it home may well have been
shoulder to shoulder with an Egyptian at the defense of the Suez Canal or,
most probably, won it in a card game while training in the shadows of the
pyramids.

Wayne Hart, Executive Director
Museum of Valor
"What is Past is Prologue"

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Siegel <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: I love this list--Czech Fez

>This list is incredible...
>" Does anyone know why
>a GI might have acquired a fez shaped hat in Czechoslovakia?"
>Eric Siegel
>Director, Planning &
>Program Development
>The New York Hall of Science
>http://www.nyhallsci.org
>