This week's Sepia Saturday prompt has to do with family bibles, records, documents and related items. My mom was great for saving my dad's old war records, like discharge papers, induction papers...
I'm going to give you all a break today from my usual wordiness and throw a bunch of documents atcha, interspersed with photos of my dad from his army days, 1943-1945.
Enjoy!
I would love to know the story behind this uniform!
My dad spent quite a bit of time in the VA hospital after having served, due to shrapnel in his leg which won him the Purple Heart... and gave him osteomyelitis.
I'm guessing that the following shot was taken after Dad's stint in the VA hospital. Note the cane, and how the somewhat baggy pants' left leg was filled by what I suspect was a cast underneath. Just a hunch; I may be wrong.
Be sure to check out the other Sepia Saturday entries for this week. I myself won't be able to look at most of them until after this weekend, I fear!
Thanks for your time.
You look like your dad. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. People usually say he's a good-looking guy.
Deletewow. what a bit of family history there eh?
ReplyDeleteyour dad seems to have served in some hard times as well
appreciate his service...has to be pretty moving to look back over...
Yeah... My dad never really talked about his war years.
DeleteThank you Silver Fox.. Hmmm the big leg under the baggie trousers? A plaster cast? A brace? A big bandage? My guess would be a brace or caliper.
ReplyDeleteCould very well be a brace. Who knows?
DeleteVery cool. I'm glad your mom saved everything. My mom did, too. I think you resemble your dad.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
We have a ton of family photographs, too... but the earlier ones are all from my mom's side of the family.
DeleteI think linking photographs with documentary ephemera like you have done is an excellent idea, as it adds to both media. The photographs are given context, and the documents have some character added to them. You get a story which otherwise isn't so evident. Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThe only document I have that I left out was my father's Bronze Star award. My mother kept it rolled, in a tube, and I didn't want to chance damaging it by putting it on my scanner.
DeleteI agree with Brett; the two complement each other very well. You have some treasures here.
DeleteThat's a wise decision, I think, Silver Fox. You can "relax" a document for scanning by humidifaction. This article gives a good description of the process.
DeleteLittle Nell: I think so, too.
DeleteBrett: Thanks for the link!
It pays to save and be a pack rat sometimes, he sure served during a time when it was surely needed.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly did.
Deletewhat nice and good looking guy was your dad!:)
ReplyDeleteAnd you have his eyes:) and the smile, a lovely smile:)
Nice pictures and nice post!°
Ha. Thanks!
DeleteYour father is so handsome, and what a wonderful treasure you have from his days of service.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is a pretty good collection.
DeleteHoorah! I wondered when we might see something like this on Sepia Saturday. What a wonderful record of your father's service.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the "thank you" from President Truman.
DeleteGood to see such a complete set of records; this is not always as easy as it seems. The documents tell a story that is a pleasure to follow.
ReplyDeleteI wish everything else in my family was so well-documented.
DeleteYour Dad's a handsome man to whom we owe much for his service. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome!
DeleteMy father flew transport for the Navy during WWII -- I have lots of his papers and photos, too. It gives me a connection I cherish...and you do, too! Nice post!
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to have them! Thanks.
DeleteA great post! My father was an army officer in the next generation, and your dad's fancy uniform caught my attention because it is not like the US Army dress blues. I think it may be a prop uniform provided by the photographer. The collar star looks Russian, but the eagle cap badge is not Russian and it definitely is not American. Possibly Italian but not German either. The gloves he holds are knitted and a dark color which are not typical for a dress uniform. It may be a uniform mishmash of different nationalities and periods. The other photo of him in his usual US serviceman's uniform has Rome's Colosseum in the background which may be a clue.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the uniform being a prop. This does look like a studio photograph. My dad did serve in Italy, under Mark W. Clark, by the way.
DeleteSoldiers fascinate me. Your Dad is very good looking.
ReplyDeleteHazel
Thanks.
DeleteWow. Your mother did save everything! How nice to have such a record. Your dad looks a bit like Tom Hanks in that first photo. He was quite the handsome soldier - especially in that fancy dress uniform.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Yeah, she saved a ton of photos, too.
DeleteGood pairing of documents and photos -- and editorial comments. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
DeleteAll kept and sorted; good on your Mum to keep these not ordinary documents. It was part of their life at that time, and it must not have been easy for them.
ReplyDeleteThey were hard times in many ways. My mother lost a baby shortly before my dad went into the army.
DeleteVery impressive - both the documentation and the life.
ReplyDeleteI wish my dad had talked more about his war years.
DeleteA great collection and wonderful to have. I do think you should try and scan the bronze award document - for preservation's sake. Maybe a Flip Pal scanner would be more gentle with it?
ReplyDeleteI'll try sometime. I believe it's larger than my scanner bed.
DeleteMy father was in the Army then too, but I never saw any of his Army papers.
ReplyDeleteI didn't either until a few short years ago.
DeleteIt is good that your mum kept these records for you. He was a handsome soldier. I hate how war scars all soldiers weather it be mental or physical.
ReplyDeleteOr in my dad's case, probably both.
DeleteYour mother sure kept e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!! Thankfully!!
ReplyDeleteThat dark uniform, possibly for some official ceremony, like a parade or a funeral, no?!?
I suspect his condition was chronic,
or did he recover somewhat?
I think it was a composite uniform made for a photo studio.
DeleteHe had trouble walking for the remainder of his life. And there was a "dent" in his leg where the doctors had scraped out infected bone. It was about the size of a tennis ball.