This post was originally published as Memory Monday, Week 77, in July 2018. I’ve found plenty of photos of P-51 Mustangs in my dad’s collection; some of them, like The Trio, appear over and over. I’m sure there are great stories behind every one of these ships, and someone familiar with the marks and insignias might be able to read some of them. Note the World War 2 “kill” decals and the Cobra in the Clouds insignia on one of the planes below.
This post was original published as Memory Monday, Week 76, on July 23, 2018. Typing “39th Fighter Squadron” into Google gets me a lot of information about the squadron’s history in World War 2 and Korea, mostly focused on the pilots who flew missions over hostile territory. But I don’t find too much about the hard-working ground crews who maintained the planes so they would return safely to base after the day’s job was done. My dad’s photo collection focuses mainly on his fellow flight mechanics, and of course the planes they constantly took apart and put back together.
This post was original published as Memory Monday, Week 75, on July 16, 2018. This week, I’m starting in on the photos of my dad’s fellow servicemen — although unfortunately he didn’t record their names anywhere. And some of the prints are really tiny, like 2 x 2.75 inches. The majority though are 3.25 x 2.75 inches or 4.25 x 3 inches in size. Makes me remember how far print photography has come even during my lifetime! It’s great seeing images of the servicemen interacting with very happy local kids, especially considering that a mere 5 years earlier, our countries were at war with each other. Next week, I’ll have more posed photos like the ones below; again, I can’t identify these guys, but I’m sure they were excellent young servicemen!
This post was originally posted as Memory Monday, Week 74, on July 9, 2018. This week, a series of images from 1951 showing troops and planes on review for General Hutchison (or Hutchinson), the commanding officer of Johnson Air Base (now Iruma Air Base), Japan.
This is a slightly edited version of a post that was originally published in July 2018 as Memory Monday, Week 73. CORRECTION: Last Monday I shared photos of a road trip from Northern California to the Oregon coast and said it was a trip my parents took. I later heard from my mom, who let me know [for the second time!] that this was actually a trip she took with her parents (my grandparents) in the summer of 1946, after she graduated from high school. Thanks yet again, Mom! I wish I had talked more with my father about the time he spent in Japan during the early 1950s; and I really wish I’d known about the existence of these photos! Many of them have no information, but a few have notes scribbled on the back — which I’ll be including as captions whenever possible. Below is an example of some images coming up next week. My dad was a mechanic and his favorite planes were the P-51 Mustangs, so he took a lot of photos of them. I’m not sure what “dragging the field” means; maybe somebody out there can clue me in? NOTE: Using Google, I’ve since found a few references to the phrase “dragging the field” which lead me to believe it refers to making one or more low passes over the runway to check that the surface is suitable for landing the plane: Don’t just land […]
This post was originally published in June 2018 as Memory Monday, Week 72. My post is running a little late today; Memory Monday turned into Migraine Monday unfortunately! This week I have a few photos from a road trip my parents took to the Oregon coast. I’m not sure what year it was but I’m guessing late 1940s or early 1950s. Notes on the back indicate the two images side by side below are of a bridge “not far north of Redding,” and the photo on the right depicts the east end. “The guard rail doesn’t match very well but you can get the idea anyway (I hope).” Next week I’ll start in on some of the many photos my dad shot while he was stationed in Japan during the Korean war. Quite a few of these I’ve been unable to identify — but they’re pretty cool anyway!
This week, I’m taking another look not at slides but at some black and white prints that I first shared back in early September 2018, in Memory Monday Week 82. I’ve never had the chance to visit these particular locations, but if you click on that link and scroll down, you’ll see a color image of the above photo that […]
I’ve seen so many turkeys strolling around this part of town for such a long time that these days I normally don’t bother photographing them anymore. But when a flock comes wandering down my street and stops right in front of my house, I can’t resist. Even though these big birds are now an all-too-common sight, it’s still a great […]
This week, Huell shares a couple of short films — one from the 1930s and the other from the late 1950s — highlighting the beauty and diversity of Alaska. Huell learns about the legacy of Alaska’s “Glacier Priest” and his connection to California. (Click on the linked image below to see the video.)