What do you do with old human body parts?

[Uncle Pervey]

I work with a girl whose grandfather died last week. He was 95 and a Marine Corps veteran from WWII. He was at Guadalcanal from the first day. She said her and her mother were going through his WWII souvenirs and found a couple of jars, one has a part of a human jaw bone and a bunch of gold teeth and the other looks like collection of mummified ears.
She says they don't know what to do with them, I told her to put them on E-Bay, but she balked at that idea. :rofl:
In all seriousness I wonder how you could dispose of them, if you went out and buried them someplace what if a dog found it and the police were called in? I could see it being a huge hunt for a mass murderer that buried a bunch of ears and teeth. Same thing for throwing them in garbage. I told her maybe contact the Japanese embassy and see if they wanted the remain repatriated. She didn't really want to do that, she is afraid that the national news would get a hold of the story and it would make her grandfather look like some sort of sicko murderer.
I tried to explain to her that we can't judge people back then through the filter of today's society, back then Americans though Japanese were worse than rabid animals. But being a kid she doesn't really understand how anyone could feel that way about other humans. Even my bringing Osama and Al Quida and Americas feeling about them into it didn't clarify it for her, she still could not comprehend how her beloved "Papa" could have done anything as horrible as knock out teeth and cut the ears off dead people.

[DAB]

pretty sure there are laws against selling human body parts.

me, i'd find a nice spot and bury them. about 6 feet down will suffice.

[C5SilverBullet]

Take them to a hospital.

[Meeko87]

She could just dump them on some beach in Jersey.

[C5SilverBullet]

Was he a sniper? I've heard of snipers keeping ears.

[Uncle Pervey]

Was he a sniper? I've heard of snipers keeping ears.

Yep, he was in Marine Recon, and she said she still has his rifle. I think it is a 1903 Springfield with a scope on it. I have not seen it but I showed her a picture of a Marine Scout Sniper rifle from WWII and she said it looked just like his. I am hoping that I can talk them into selling it to me. I have offered them $1300.00 for it if it is sight unseen, which is a fair price if it is a shot out piece of junk. If it is in very good shape it is probably worth close to $2.5K. Especially with the provenance associated with it.
I know her Dad and brother and neither one of them is interested in it, so I am hoping. If they decide to sell it to me and I see that it is in much better shape than I average I will not cheat them I have known her and her family since she was a toddler and they are nice folks, I don't screw my friends. :yesnod:

[Rob]

Call these folks, they sell human parts and bones. (Antique store - with a twist)

Obscura (http://www.obscuraantiques.com/)

:yesnod:

[Yerf Dog]

Salad bar at the local Wendy's.

[VITE1]

The Marines on Guadalcanal did not have a "Recon" unit at that time. They had the Raiders and they have a Scot sniper unit headed up by Walter
McElhaney. My dad was one of his Sergent's.

Many Marines took Souvenirs. It was frowned upon but done anyway.

Good luck with the rifle. It's on my list of firearms I want.

[Nemesis]

I bet her grandfather knew my grandfather

[MEC5LADY]

Any teaching hospitals around or college that would take them?

[Uncle Pervey]

I bet her grandfather knew my grandfather

He probably did, my 92 year old former neighbor who was also in the Corps was at the funeral Friday. I hadn't seen him in 20 years and thought he was dead. My old neighbor said he'd known her Grandfather since 1940 when the Regiment was formed.
I had never really spoken to her Grandfather since he'd been nearly deaf for as long as I had known him but my former neighbor told me plenty about being on the Canal. I think he was in the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. My neighbor told me that when he got off there he had no toenails left on his feet, Malaria and the Corpsman was digging fly larva out his back and shoulders for 2 months. He said he still only weighed 125 lbs 3 weeks after he got off the island, he'd weighed 180 when he landed. It must have been Hell on Earth.
Well the Corps did the funeral up nice, full military honors with Taps and 21 gun salute.

[Nemesis]

It must have been Hell on Earth.

:patriot:


Well the Corps did the funeral up nice, full military honors with Taps and 21 gun salute.

:patriot:

[Entropy]

Craigslist in WI. They'll go quick.

[Uncle Pervey]

Craigslist in WI. They'll go quick.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[prospero63]

If you are Canadian I believe you stick them up your ass.

[Petew1971]

Just keep them and forget about it

[VITE1]

He probably did, my 92 year old former neighbor who was also in the Corps was at the funeral Friday. I hadn't seen him in 20 years and thought he was dead. My old neighbor said he'd known her Grandfather since 1940 when the Regiment was formed.
I had never really spoken to her Grandfather since he'd been nearly deaf for as long as I had known him but my former neighbor told me plenty about being on the Canal. I think he was in the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. My neighbor told me that when he got off there he had no toenails left on his feet, Malaria and the Corpsman was digging fly larva out his back and shoulders for 2 months. He said he still only weighed 125 lbs 3 weeks after he got off the island, he'd weighed 180 when he landed. It must have been Hell on Earth.
Well the Corps did the funeral up nice, full military honors with Taps and 21 gun salute.



My Dad was in the same outfit. He was with the Weapons comany. Damn.
Those men were tough.
Dad passed away 2 years ago.

[ft laud mike]

I'll give her $20 for the lot
:cheers:

[mrvette]

Garbage disposal, case closed.....tell her they went to the earth,...you know not where....serious...if anyone cares all THAT much.....


Guess what...?? seriously..dead nutz serious.....I found ashes of a cremated person on the top of the a/c unit in a house some investors bought just around the block from me....so we were demo some of the house/cleaning it out...and so this was in a box from a funeral/crematorium.......

into the dumpster it went.....they didn't care, why should we??

:lol::lol::cheers:

HOWEVER, saving that with whatever exists to paperwork....

in a few years...it maybe priceless....

[Blademaker]

Want me to make you a knife using the piece of jawbone as a handle?

[Flatbush Harry]

Yep, he was in Marine Recon, and she said she still has his rifle. I think it is a 1903 Springfield with a scope on it. I have not seen it but I showed her a picture of a Marine Scout Sniper rifle from WWII and she said it looked just like his. I am hoping that I can talk them into selling it to me. I have offered them $1300.00 for it if it is sight unseen, which is a fair price if it is a shot out piece of junk. If it is in very good shape it is probably worth close to $2.5K. Especially with the provenance associated with it.
I know her Dad and brother and neither one of them is interested in it, so I am hoping. If they decide to sell it to me and I see that it is in much better shape than I average I will not cheat them I have known her and her family since she was a toddler and they are nice folks, I don't screw my friends. :yesnod:

Perve,

Early in the war, the USMC had not yet adopted the Garand M1 that was already in use in the Army. The standard issue to the Marines was the Mod. 1903 rifle. What is likely is that she has a fine collector with true WWII combat history from the 1st Marine Division...I think it will have higher value based on that alone.

Please reflect to her the thanks of a grateful nation for her Gran'ther's service...the !st Marine Division was looked upon as heroes for their Guadalcanal campaign.

Best regards,

Harry

[VITE1]

Perve,

Early in the war, the USMC had not yet adopted the Garand M1 that was already in use in the Army. The standard issue to the Marines was the Mod. 1903 rifle. What is likely is that she has a fine collector with true WWII combat history from the 1st Marine Division...I think it will have higher value based on that alone.

Please reflect to her the thanks of a grateful nation for her Gran'ther's service...the !st Marine Division was looked upon as heroes for their Guadalcanal campaign.

Best regards,

Harry

Correct.

But they did "FIND" many when the Army came to help.

[Grey Ghost]

I collected WW2 relics for many years. Pretty cool story ! Guess you could burn the ears and put the ashes in a Prius :D

[Nemesis]

Want me to make you a knife using the piece of jawbone as a handle?

That's badass

[Uncle Pervey]

Want me to make you a knife using the piece of jawbone as a handle?

I'll ask her about it tomorrow... I sorta doubt she'll go for it, but it would be cool to have K-Bar style knife with a Japanese Jawbone as the handle! :yesnod:


I lost out on the rifle, one of her cousins got the rifle. Dangit! I have been assured that he will not sportarize it, and he is a military firearms collector. I think it's better that something like that stay in family, maybe 60 years from now he'll leave it to one of his grandkids. :leaving:

[zz4vetteguy]

If they have one, I would tell them to consult with the lawyer handling the estate...I am sure there are laws about selling human remains