Fraternizing with the locals

Here's one more for tonight.  The toy soldier is dressed circa WWI.  That and the bullet and Delegate pin are the military half. Then there's a lot of bone items, including the big loop at the center of the focal- it's a fishbone.  That's the beachy half.  So I imagine a soldier mingling w/the aboriginal folks of some pacific island, 2 worlds colliding.

This piece calls to mind my Father-in-Law's ex-boss and sort of second father/mentor.  He's the 90-yr-old man who gave me all the WWII era Japanese currency (which he took off soldiers that'd been killed). He  tells the most amazing stories of his time in the Pacific. He describes it like a magical time. The people in the Philippines who'd have the soldiers go out to fish w/them, telling them to throw grenades into the water and then collecting all the fish that would float up after the little boom.  The 'blackies' in New Zealand, who'd have them go hunting with them, co-ordinating their movements despite the language barrier.  The baby monkey he found in the middle of the chaos of battle.  "As big as your hand and just the ugliest thing you've ever seen." He tucked it in his pocket and forgot about it til hours later.  That monkey was to become the mascot of the troupe, and would sleep with him in his bed every night.  He showed me a partially damaged photo of himself unrecognizably young in cut-off jeans and nothing else, with her on his shoulder.  Next to him, his buddies similarly dressed, similarly skinny, sporting big, relaxed grins.
By the way, I've only send out 2 packs of ephemera, I still have tons to get rid of.  Help!