Extensive and historically significant identified military archive belonging to Lt. Colonel Carl Hugo Trik (1891–1954), a career United States Army officer whose service spanned both World War I and World War II. The collection is centered around a named Purple Heart engraved on the reverse “FOR MILITARY MERIT / CARL H. TRIK,” accompanied by its presentation case, ribbon bar, a World War I identification disc engraved to Trik, a second Purple Heart medal in a separate case, military photographs, correspondence, discharge documents, wartime diaries, newspaper articles, and other service-related materials retained by the family.

Research accompanying the archive establishes Trik as a veteran of the famed 332nd Infantry Regiment, 83rd Division, the only American infantry regiment deployed to the Italian Front during World War I. Serving as Regimental Intelligence Officer, Lieutenant Carl H. Trik participated in operations with Allied forces in northern Italy during the closing weeks of the war. He was later listed as a contributing author to the 1921 regimental history Ohio Doughboys in Italy, providing firsthand recollections of the regiment’s wartime service.

According to contemporary accounts preserved within the archive, Trik was wounded by sniper fire while serving in France during World War I, earning one of the two Purple Hearts represented by the grouping. Remaining in the Regular Army after the war, he transferred to the Corps of Engineers and built a distinguished career as a professional engineer officer.

By 1941, Major Trik was assigned to the Honolulu Engineer District in Hawaii. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he was wounded by machine-gun fire from a Japanese aircraft, resulting in a second Purple Heart reflected by the Oak Leaf Cluster noted in family records and obituary material. Included in the archive is a wartime V-Mail letter dated November 25, 1943, signed by Major Carl H. Trik while on active service.

Of particular importance is Trik’s wartime pocket diary covering much of 1942 while stationed in Hawaii. Written contemporaneously in the months following Pearl Harbor, the diary documents military procurement, transportation, labor management, camouflage projects, harbor operations, wartime construction, supply shortages, convoy concerns, command politics, and daily life within the Hawaiian defense establishment. Trik records meetings with senior military officers, engineers, civilian officials, and former Hawaii Governor Lawrence Judd, while also documenting his acceptance of promotion to Major and his growing responsibilities within the wartime command structure. The diary provides a rare firsthand account of the rapid militarization and logistical expansion of Hawaii during one of the most critical periods of the Pacific War.

Following World War II, Trik continued his military career and ultimately attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Family records indicate that he later served with the Corps of Engineers in Bremerhaven, Germany, during the postwar occupation period. Contemporary documentation attributes to him the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the French Croix de Guerre, and an Italian decoration.

Among the items present are the named Purple Heart, a second Purple Heart medal, a World War I identification disc engraved “CARL H. TRIK,” officer’s overseas cap containing Trik’s Corps of Engineers calling card, military and family photographs, personal wallet and identification documents, wartime correspondence, the 1942 manuscript diary, newspaper articles and biographical materials, discharge certificate, and related ephemera. The survival of the identified WWI service disc alongside the later Purple Heart materials and wartime diary provides a tangible link to Trik’s military service across both World Wars. Taken together, the archive provides an exceptional and deeply personal record of an American officer wounded in two wars, present during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and subsequently entrusted with major wartime engineering and logistical responsibilities in Hawaii.

Pickup & Shipping: Free pickup in Gardnerville, NV. FedEx shipping within the continental U.S.: $65 + 1.5% insurance (unless waived in writing). Combined shipping available.

Generally good overall with expected age, handling, and storage wear throughout. Documents exhibit folds, toning, and minor edge wear. Medals show light age wear and tarnish. Diary retains its original covers and handwritten contents. The archive is sold as found and has not been exhaustively researched.