Well, not always.... I spoke recently with my cousin regarding his Dad's stuff. He was with Patton from North Africa right through the end of the war. My cousin said "ain't never happening".... My Uncle and 4 of his brothers all fought WW2. I have another Uncle's bible that he was given in 1941 and carried in his pocket until the day he passed. Beat to hell, missing one cover, front cover beaten out of a shell casing. pretty powerful stuff..... They were a great bunch of guys who didn't bring home a single souvenir. just lots of memories, most bad. They were in the thick of it.