Original Items: One-of-a-kind Set. Being a Scout was a risky job it is best surmised in the training book “Scouting and Patrolling” published in 1943 by The Infantry Journal (an original First Edition is included in the set!).

     We must see in the dark and hear for danger before it strikes. we must find our way in strange places. We must move with stealth and stay fixed in position for hours, while we watch the enemy and report his actions.
     Whatever you arm of service, you must be a scout. Otherwise you may throw your life away. This book cannot make you a scout. It can show you how to crawl. But it cannot give you the toughness it needs to cover a hundred yards of stony ground on your belly.
     It can show who you how to see in the dark. But only traveling across country on moonless nights can your eyes shed their night blindness.
     It can teach you how to observe terrain. But not as well as the zing of a sniper’s bullet.
     Never forget that a scout is not a man with a book in his pocket. He is a soldier with steel in his muscles, rods in his eyes, brains in his head, and iron in his heart.

Raphel Thebeault army serial number 39 143 629 was born July 10, 1914 and served as a scout in the 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division during WW2. He was sent to Europe on August 17th, 1945 and fought in the following campaigns; Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe and received the Bronze Star.

Thebeault’s official military occupation was SCOUT 761. His primary function was reconnaissance with duties that included the flowing:

Obtains information concerning strength, disposition, and probable intentions of enemy forces, route conditions, locations for bivouac, and terrain features in order to facilitate tactical employment and maneuver of friendly troops, and prevent surprise attack.

Applies scouting and patrolling principles in searching terrain for sign of enemy activity, operating from an observation post, on foot, or mounted. Records observations and transmits by the best available means of communication.

Based on observations of activity and disposition must be able to estimate strength of enemy detachments and arrive at a logical conclusion as to their probable intentions. Must be able to read maps and aerial photographs, make sketches, and use compass and field glasses. Must be able to determine, by observation and inspection, what load may be moved over bridges and roads on route of advance of friendly troops. Must be proficient in use of weapons with which armed. Must possess excellent visual memory. Must be able to remain oriented in unfamiliar territory.

Included in this incredible set are the following items:
- Incredible custom trench knife adapted from what appears to be a Model 1918 Mark I Trench Knife. The blade is engraved Le Deruter Ressert. The remains of the brass pommel and hand guard from a 1918 MkI trench knife are evident and the grip is the classic translucent, leather and aluminum stacked ring variety. The center of the grip has a small brass plaque that reads SCOUT. The top of the grip retains the original skull crusher spike. Leather scabbard is the typical WW2 U.S. issue variety but this has been further customized with a brass child that reads FRANCE 1945 with three stars of David and CHERBOURG.
- Original photo of Thebeault in uniform in cardboard frame.
- Original Honorable Discharge which lists his battles, awards and service record.
- Original first edition of the book Scouting and Patrolling published in 1943 by The Infantry Journal

Scout was one of the most important and treacherous jobs during WW2. The 79th Infantry division saw some of the most server action of all the combat divisions during World War Two.

The division arrived in Liverpool on April 17 and began training in amphibious operations. After training in the United Kingdom from 17 April 1944, the 79th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, 12–14 June and entered combat 19 June 1944, with an attack on the high ground west and northwest of Valognes and high ground south of Cherbourg. The division took Fort du Roule after a heavy engagement and entered Cherbourg, 25 June. It held a defensive line at the Ollonde River until 2 July 1944 and then returned to the offensive, taking La Haye du Puits in house-to-house fighting, 8 July. On 26 July, the 79th attacked across the Ay River, took Lessay, crossed the Sarthe River and entered Le Mans, 8 August, meeting only light resistance. The advance continued across the Seine, 19 August. Heavy German counterattacks were repelled, 22–27 August, and the division reached the Therain River, 31 August. Moving swiftly to the Franco-Belgian frontier near St. Amand (east of Lille), the division was then moved to XV Corps in eastern France, where it encountered heavy resistance in taking Charmes in street fighting, 12 September. The 79th cut across the Moselle and Meurthe Rivers, 13–23 September, cleared the Forêt de Parroy in a severe engagement, 28 September–9 October, and attacked to gain high ground east of Emberménil, 14–23 October, when it was relieved, 24 October.

After rest and training at Lunéville, the division returned to combat with an attack from the MignevineMontiguy area, 13 November 1944, which carried it across the Vezouse and Moder Rivers, 18 November–10 December, through Haguenau in spite of determined enemy resistance, and into the Siegfried Line, 17–20 December. The division held a defensive line along the Lauter River, at Wissembourg from 20 December 1944 until 2 January 1945, when it withdrew to Maginot Line defenses. The German attempt to establish a bridgehead west of the Rhine at Gambsheim resulted in furious fighting. The 79th beat off German attacks at Hatten and Rittershoffen in an 11-day battle before withdrawing to new defensive positions south of Haguenau on the Moder River, 19 January 1945. The division remained on the defensive along the Moder until 6 February 1945. During February and March 1945, the division mopped up German resistance, returned to offensive combat, 24 March 1945, crossed the Rhine, drove across the Rhine-Herne Canal, 7 April, secured the north bank of the Ruhr and took part in clearing the Ruhr Pocket until 13 April. The division then went on occupation duty, in the Dortmund, Sudetenland, and Bavarian areas successively, until its return to the United States and inactivation.