Welcome to the third cache of twelve caches that seek to commemorate not only the dozen fictitious characters of the 1967 war film called The Dirty Dozen but also all the real WW2 veterans. Of course, that includes the members of the group of soldiers called the Filthy Thirteen that was the basis for The Dirty Dozen.

Before getting to the first of The Dirty Dozen movie characters, I would recommend visiting two websites to learn a bit about the history and real soldiers of WW2.

• The National WW2 Museum is a great place to get a historical perspective on WW2 without even visiting New Orleans.
• Ohio's very own D-DAY CONNEAUT is the largest WW2 living history event in the U.S.

Our third Dirty Dozen character, Robert T. Jefferson, was played by Jim Brown and was described on the fandom.com website as:

Robert T. Jefferson was the only African American member of the dozen. He is portrayed by footballer Jim Brown. Jim Brown describing his character: "Jefferson is any man fighting for recognition against the odds."

If you are not familiar with The Dirty Dozen movie, the following is a description pulled from wikipedia.org. The last I checked the original trailer is still available on YouTube and IMDb.

The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 war film starring Lee Marvin and featuring an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, George Kennedy, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Robert Webber and Donald Sutherland. The film, which was directed by Robert Aldrich,[3] was filmed in the UK at MGM-British Studios and released by MGM. It was a box office success and won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing at the 40th Academy Awards in 1968. In 2001, the American Film Institute placed the film at number 65 on their 100 Years... 100 Thrills list.

The screenplay is based on the 1965 bestseller by E. M. Nathanson which was inspired by a real-life WWII unit of behind-the-lines demolition specialists from the 101st Airborne Division named the "Filthy Thirteen".

I have two more recommendations for anyone collecting all twelve of these caches.

The first would be to get to know some of The REAL "Filthy Thirteen" and reflect on the sacrifices they and their fellow veterans made for our nation and the world in WW2.

The "Filthy Thirteen" was the name given to the 1st Demolition Section of the Regimental Headquarters Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, of the United States Army, which fought in the European campaign in World War II. This unit was the inspiration for the 1965 book and 1967 film The Dirty Dozen.

The following list includes original members from 1943 and the newer members during Operation Overlord and Operation Market Garden.

• Jack Agnew (W.I.A, Normandy) *Bastogne Pathfinder
• George Baran (W.I.A, Normandy)
• Roland "Frenchy" R. Baribeau (K.I.A, Normandy)
• Robert S. "Ragsman" Cone (P.O.W, Normandy)
• Charles "Maw" Darnell (P.O.W, Normandy)
• John Dewey *Bastogne Pathfinder*
• Charles "Trigger" Gann (P.O.W. Bastogne)
• James F. "Piccadilly Willy" Green (P.O.W, Normandy)
• John "Peepnuts" Hale (K.I.A, Normandy)
• James E. "LaLa" Leech (P.O.W, Normandy)
• Louis "LouLip" Lipp (W.I.A, Normandy)
• Thomas "Old Man" Lonergan
• Max Majewski *Bastogne Pathfinder*
• Miguel "Mike" Marquez
• Lieutenant Charles Mellen (K.I.A, Normandy)
• Jake McNiece *Bastogne Pathfinder*
• Frank "Shorty" Mihlan *Transferred to HQ*
• John H. "Dinty" Mohr
• Joseph "Joe" Oleskiewicz (K.I.A, Holland)
• Frank Palys
• Herb "Herby" Pierce
• Charles "Chuck" Plauda
• George "GoogGoo" Radeka (K.I.A, Normandy)
• Andrew "Andy" Rasmussen (W.I.A, Normandy)
• Brincely Stroup (Injured in Practice Jump, Pre-Invasion)
• Clarence Ware (W.I.A, Normandy)
• Jack "Hawkeye" Womer
• Tom Young

The final recommendation I would make is to research your own family history to look for other veterans of WW2. If you find that one of your direct ancestors is a veteran of WW2, consider joining one of the Hereditary Societies of the Veterans of WW2.

• Order of the Second World War
• Sons and Daughters of WWII Veterans
• World War II Research and Preservation Society