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This lighter was found in Budd Lake and was traced to a Navy veteran who died in 1999.
The initials R.M.P. led to the owner of the lighter, a Navy veteran who died in 1999.
editor's pick featured
Mystery grows after discovery of Korean War era Zippo in Budd Lake
By PHIL GARBER Managing Editor
MOUNT OLIVE TWP. – A cleanup of a trail in Budd Lake and the discovery of a Zippo lighter likely used by a veteran of the Korean War has triggered a flood of amateur sleuthing to find the owner of the vintage, wartime relic.
The tarnished, silver-colored lighter was discovered on Saturday, Nov. 23, while members of the Mount Olive High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program were cleaning a trail in Budd Lake. It is engraved on one side with the words "USS Robert K. Huntington" and an engraving of the Navy destroyer. On other side, were the initials R.A.P.
Mount Olive resident Keri Lynn said her son was with the group that found the lighter. She posted the discovery on the Mount Olive NJ Community Forum Facebook page and the responses quickly began.
Possible ID
The identity of the veteran remains a mystery although a search of Navy records showed one possibility.
A review of names on a crew member website of the Robert K. Huntington showed one had the initials, R.A.P., a Raymond A. Parkinson. of Avon Lake, Ohio. According to the website, Parkinson was born on May 9, 1932 and enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 27, 1951 before he was discharged don Dec. 22, 1955. Parkinson died on April 18, 1999.
There were no apparent connections to Budd Lake and an obituary for Huntington could not be found.
Joseph Carmina posted that his son was part of the group that found the Zippo.
"Our family has tremendous respect for those who serve. We are trying many avenues to locate the owner's family," Carmina posted. "Being a veteran, I can say that whoever lost this is heart broken. It may be from a dad or grandfather. Need to find a way to locate the owner."
Carmina said he contacted the Zippo company and that the style and engravings indicated it was probably used in the Korean War era, from 1949-52.
Claudia Clifford posted that a friend is an antique dealer and a Zippo expert who said the lighter is is chrome plated steel, which was only done during the Korean War, so it would be from 1950-52.
"Wow. Hope owner or family is found," was posted by Mary Fahy.
Nick Greco noted "it could have meant a lot to someone, or still could in memory of."
William Sandoval posted that the the lighter is "the kind of history I'd like to see in the old stone house at Turkey Brook park."
The USS Robert K. Huntington is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer and is the only Navy ship to be named for Robert Kingsbury Huntington, a naval aviator and member of Torpedo Squadron 8. The entire squadron was lost during the Battle of Midway,according to a Wikipedia story.
The ship joined the Pacific Fleet on May 31, 1945 and escorted ships between Eniwetok and Ulithi. On Aug. 28, the ship joined the Fast Carrier Task Force off the Japanese coast and was one of the ships which escorted battleship Missouri into Tokyo Bay to receive the official Japanese surrender.
The ship continued to sail around the world including in Vietnam before it was decommissioned on Oct. 31, 1969. The same day it was sold to the Venezuelan Navy and renamed "Falcon," according to the Wikipedia report.
Zippos are one of the most iconic pieces of unofficial military gear. The first Zippo was made in 1936 by the American Zippo Manufaturing Co. of Bradford, Pa. The company has produced more than 500 million of the lighters in thousands of styles and designs.
Zippo lighters were an essential piece of equipment for military. In World War II the company stopped making lighters for sale to consumers and instead made them all for the military, according to a Wikipedia report.
The Zippo Manufacturing Company never had an official contract with the military but soldiers and armed forces personnel insisted that base exchange (BX) and post exchange (PX) stores carry it.
Zippo lighters were advertised as "windproof" lighters that stayed lit in harsh weather, due to the design of the windscreen and adequate rate of fuel delivery. All Zippo lighters carry an unlimited lifetime guarantee, promoted using the trademarked phrase "It works or we fix it for free."
Opening the lid of The Zippo produced the characteristic "click" sound and the recognizable "clunk" when it was closed. Today, lighters have a suggested retail price between $14.95 and $11,893.95 for the 18k solid gold model.
There also is a "Zippo/Case" museum in Bradford, Pa., at 1932 Zippo Drive.
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