Original U.S. WWII Navy Commander Wilson R. Cronenwett White Peaked Visor Cap Snider Rifle Accessories Serial number 16974 denotes the

Serial number 16974 denotes the year manufacture of 1861

Paratrooper Sterling Silver Wings with etching on back "FH love DT"

In very nice display condition showing only slight use and storage wear

Cylinder engraving

and also it was not fitted with a saddle ring as most were (See Flayderman's Guide to Antique Firearms)

Original U.S. WWII Navy Commander Wilson R. Cronenwett White Peaked Visor Cap Snider Rifle Accessories Serial number 16974 denotes theOriginal Item: One of a kind. Commander Wilson R. Cronenwett was born in 1913 and passed away in 1994 and served in the U. S. Navy during WWII and after. For a portion of his service he was stationed in Antarctica as part of the Naval Support Service. In 1961 he was part of OPERATION DEEP FREEZE and a photo of him can be found at this link. Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is the code name for a series of United States missions to Antarctica,