Billings Army Navy Surplus Store

06/06/2026

D-day 82 years later. Here is a story you don’t often hear. Never forget all of these real heroes.

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06/05/2026

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When Howard Vander Beek died in 2014 at the age of 97, he left behind a distinct reminder of his World War II service.

Vander Beek, a lieutenant (junior grade) in the United States Navy Reserve, played a pivotal role during the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. Vander Beek captained a crew of 13 other men on Landing Craft, Control (LCC) 60 as they guided U.S. troops onto Utah Beach on D-Day.

An American flag flew proudly atop LCC 60 and survived the largest military amphibious invasion ever. The treasured piece of cloth—with 48 stars on a blue background in the upper left corner, representing the number of states then—made it through the rest of the war, too.

It was tattered along the edges and had other imperfections, including a hole that a German machine gun probably caused, but Vander Beek rightly treasured it for the rest of his life. The veteran’s estate put the flag up for auction after his death, when Dutch art collector Bert Kreuk bought it in 2016 for $514,000.

“This is one of the most important historical American Flags ever to come to auction,” Kreuk wrote in an email at that time. “… Once I heard that this special flag was coming to auction, I knew I had to buy it.”

In 2019—the year marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day—Kreuk saw his opportunity. At a White House ceremony involving Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, President Donald Trump accepted the flag on America’s behalf. It is now displayed in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

“[It] belongs to the United States,” Kreuk said. “It’s about honoring the people who died for our freedom.”

06/04/2026

Love that sense of humor.

06/03/2026

MILITARY | OUTDOORSMEN
Merrell Men's Fullbench Tactical 8″ Zip Waterproof Boots
Price: $99.95 (new)
https://go-armynavy.com/merrell-men-s-fullbench-tactical-8-zip-waterproof-boots/
Built for those who demand speed and agility while on the job, the Fullbench Tactical delivers all day comfort and the toughness you need for the task ahead...

06/03/2026

"Ya know, Derek, we've never pushed...
the red button...
We won't get another chance..."

06/02/2026

“Five Grand” was the 5,000th Boeing B-17 off the company’s Seattle wartime production line and was covered in signatures from numerous war workers.

It is seen here before deploying to England where it survived 78 combat missions with the 338th Bomb Squadron, 96 Bomb Group.

06/01/2026

As part of the military’s modernization, the M1911 automatic (now known as semi-automatic) pistol was adopted. At a time when revolvers were the standard and self-loading pistols were brand new, this was a revolutionary change for the U.S. military. Additionally, the new .45 ACP bullet that the pistol chambered meant a huge logistical shift away from revolver ammo. This became a problem when war were declared.

On April 6, 1917, following the sinking of a civilian passenger ship (don’t touch our boats) and publication of Germany’s Zimmerman Telegram that offered Mexico an alliance to attack the U.S., America entered World War I to kick German butt. But, despite having been adopted in 1911, the military didn’t have enough M1911s to arm the millions of draftees and volunteers that quickly entered the ranks to fight the Hun.

The reason they didn’t have enough was that Gen. John J. “Blackjack” Pershing wanted to equip every soldier in the American Expeditionary Forces with a sidearm in addition to their primary weapon. Luckily, the American war industry was already spooled up.

C**t’s New Service and Smith & Wesson’s 2nd Model Hand Ejector revolvers were already in production and could augment M1911 pistols in U.S. service. There was just one problem.

Remember that new .45 ACP handgun cartridge? It’s rimless so that it can easily feed a self-loading pistol from a magazine. While the large-frame C**t and Smith revolvers could handle the pressure of the .45 ACP, there needed to be a way to hold the cartridge at the back of the cylinder like traditional rimmed revolver cartridges.

Joseph Wesson is credited with the solution: the patented half-moon clip which allows the use of non-rimmed cartridges in a revolver’s cylinder.

05/31/2026

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS | MILITARY COLLECTORS | SURVIVALISTS
Large Water Storage Container (17-1/2 gal)
Price: $99.95 (new)
https://go-armynavy.com/large-water-storage-container-17-1-2-gal/
Empty steel drinking water storage container originally manufactured for fallout shelters in the early 1960s. In case of emergency, this 17.5-gallon container could supply one quart of water per day for five people for two weeks (14 days)...

05/31/2026

Haha

05/29/2026

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