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1953 US Marine Installation Photos - but where in US?


bunkerhillburning
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bunkerhillburning

I am in the process of taking apart a dilapidated album and getting the photos ready for resale. It's an old USMC album dating from the early 1950s and the Marine was involved in the maintenance and repair of trucks. There are a number of great views from the motor pool and the base but I do not know exactly where they were taken.

 

I have a few scans of photos with such titles as ' this is the barracks ' and ' this is the mess hall ' but otherwise no location is recorded. There are a few of the Marines clowning around near a swamp but again, I have no idea where this might be in the US.

 

Thought some of the USMC collectors might recognize the location.

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Could be Parris Island, SC, but it could easily be Camp Lejeune or Montford Point (Camp Johnson), NC, too. At least that's what the trees remind me of.

 

And I think I stayed in the barracks in photo #3 when I went through boot camp at Parris Island in 1980.

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bunkerhillburning

many thanks. Will go with a tentative caption of Paris Island and see what happens. Am a little surprised to see the motor pool area not so ' squared away ' in some of these photos. Some of the shots look like Moe's Garage in Skunk's Demise, USA.

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Hmm...I'd guess either:

 

- Camp Lejeune, NC

- New River, NC

- Stone Bay, NC

 

Good luck in your research!

 

Semper Fi,

 

Ski

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bunkerhillburning

Thanks!

 

Here is one of a garage (?). Please excuse the watermarks. I'm starting to use them these days for listing on eBay.

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Can you provide the name of the Marine who put together the photo album? Maybe a search of the muster roles would reveal where he was stationed.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce Linz

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I was certainly thinking of an east coast installation. The first picture of the chapel screamed out to me - Camp Geiger but none of the other building seem to say that. The reason I believe it is Geiger is that the road to the right of the chapel runs straight to the main gate. I was there in the late 80s and the chapel, road, ditches all look familiar to what I remember. None of the other buildings do however. Perhaps they were demolished for the "new" chow hall and barracks when 8th Marines was there.

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bunkerhillburning

No mention of the Marines name anywhere. Will take a second look at some of the photos which are of family and see if I can fins something. I do have an official 8x10 photo of his 1952 Honor Platoon from boot camp but again, no specific names. Will see what else I can find.

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bunkerhillburning

There are a few photos of ruined USMC aircraft being hauled away. I think think ' airfield ' after seeing these. Have posted other shots of buildings. He did end up being posted in Yokohama a bit later in his career.

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bunkerhillburning

Did find one captioned photo of a Marine named ' Al Dost ' or is it ' Al Dast ?

 

By the way, anyone recognize the vehicle on the lift?

 

Second photo has a sign on the left front of the truck which reads ' Transportation Maintenance Section ' view of grounds and buildings in background.

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Hello,

 

I think most of the photos you have are from MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina (a few could be from Camp Lejeune where Motor T School was located). The USMC muster rolls show a Marine, Albert C. Dost being Stationed there in 1952 and 1953 as an Automotive Mechanic assigned to various units. I think the aircraft wreckage with the squadron marking VMC-2 pretty much clinches the identification. That outfit was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point on 15 September 1952. Hope this helps.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce Linz

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bunkerhillburning

Bruce,

 

this is terrific info. Will help me with my listings.

 

VMC-2 was a photo recon group, correct?

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Yes. VMC-2 was the first composite squadron in Marine Corps. It was made up of elements of the Airborne Early Warning section and the Electronic Counter Measures section of the Wing Headquarters Squadron. The squadron was combined with Marine Photographic Squadron 2 (VMJ-2) on 1 December 1955 and redesignated VMCJ-2.

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bunkerhillburning

The tail had me thinking it might be a skyraider. Should have noticed that first.

 

Here's another shot of 1953 Marine aviation from the album...

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bunkerhillburning

- the Marine was quite a model airplane enthusiast. I think this is called a Cox airplane. They actually flew!

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The photo with two airplanes (or parts of planes, anyway) and the Marine in the cockpit has two different type/model/series. The plane whose cockpit he's sitting in looks like it could be an AD-5N Skyraider, and the plane in the foreground looks to be an F4U Corsair variant.

 

Great pics!

 

Semper Fi,

 

Ski

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