Emry V Stewart - Director of Specialized Training Fort Benning

[Zepeleptic]

Greetings everyone,

I have not been as active with this forum as I would like and I hope this topic can serve as a re-introduction. I have been collecting Allied & Axis Airborne and Special Forces photographs/groupings for 10+ years thanks to the help of some kind folks that are active here. I thought I would share a recent group that I was able to restore.

Several years ago I obtain a set of photos of this unnamed individual from a fellow board member whose portrait told an intriguing history about their war service. The impressive ribbon bar, caterpillar club pin and Canadian Wings all suggested they played an important role:



I tried in vain to identify him using several resources with no success. Fast forward to November of this year when an auction went online for a large grouping of items from this individual and a name emerged: Emry V Stewart. I was relieved to have a name and equally relieved to win the auction so all of these items could be united together.

Emry V Stewart played an important role in the development of airborne forces both as a private individual and a member of the armed forces. An early parachutist who was all too excited to take the plunge, Stewart logged hundreds of jumps on the air show circuit. As early as 1930 Stewart was delighting audiences around the U.S. at air shows with his daring, as this Indiana Newspaper clipping from that year shows:

After working as a parachute salesman as well as a daredevil, the pre-dawn era of the war pulled Stewart into the fold of the development of the airborne forces where he began to serve as a training specialist at Fort Benning in September 1941.



With the outbreak of war and the increased pace in the development of U.S. airborne forces, Stewart continued in his role at Benning and grew to serve as the Director of Specialized Training at The Parachute School, where he served as an important voice in the development of the techniques and technology of the jump. Of note, Stewart is mentioned in Mr. Angolia's wonderful Heroes in Our Midst series (Volume 1). This 1944 clipping is a nice example of his public persona as a voice of authority in parachute technology.

The grouping of items I was able to obtain are fantastic. I personally see the engraved bracelet, Parachute School Leather patch, and caterpillar club pin as the highlights. Along with these items were a selection of photographs of Stewart and his family that provide a view into the life of this important figure. Stewart's contributions to the development of the parachute were recognized globally, and he was eventually awarded the A. Leo Stevens Parachute Medal in 1949.

I hope you enjoyed this long-winded post learning more about this important individual. Happy New Year to All.

Eric

 

 

[decwriter]

Very nice and it's great when a little patience and luck pay off when it comes to identifying a service member who played an important role in parachute technology!