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Uniformed family portraits. Post yours!


DutchInfid3l
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...and this photo of posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr. and his wife Cindy, who is one of the volunteers here at the Dayton VA / American Veterans Heritage Center. We have some of his artifacts on display, and Cindy is a real jewel!

 

 

Mark sends

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Here is a picture of my cousin and his parents. It's years after WWI but I'm not sure how long after, I'd guess late 1920's early 1930's. The Doughboy is William Vincent Bilicky.

 

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...early 1946 perhaps...

Early 1946 is a good call. TIOH evidently did not get around to officially approving 3rd Armored Division's "SPEARHEAD" tab until 1955, although ever resourceful G.I.s obviously would have handled this matter in their own inimitable way long before then. However, there are other dating clues on the uniform of the brother on the end of the line next to the "Spearheader." Look closely and you will see that he is wearing 1st Infantry Regiment DI and 6th Infantry Division SSI along with the Army Occupation Medal ribbon (for Korea), which was authorized in April 1946.

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Here is a picture of my cousin and his parents. It's years after WWI but I'm not sure how long after, I'd guess late 1920's early 1930's. The Doughboy is William Vincent Bilicky.

 

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Interesting, I wonder what the shoulder patch is, you are from Massachusetts are you not, were these people also from Mass?, if so the patch maybe will be the 97th Division, a Reserve unit from New England, though I,m not sure they had elements in Mass, the 94th Division covered Massachusetts.

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Interesting, I wonder what the shoulder patch is, you are from Massachusetts are you not, were these people also from Mass?, if so the patch maybe will be the 97th Division, a Reserve unit from New England, though I,m not sure they had elements in Mass, the 94th Division covered Massachusetts.

 

according to a copy of his discharge certificate he was in the 47th Battery, 6th Sector Anti Aircraft Artillery. Not a lot of other information other than that.

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according to a copy of his discharge certificate he was in the 47th Battery, 6th Sector Anti Aircraft Artillery. Not a lot of other information other than that.

 

Where exactly is are these people of yours from, where was the photo taken, this might help in trying to find more on the unit.

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Here's one, the Custers or at least three of them, George and Libby and George's brother Tom circa early 1865, must be, we see that George is now a Major General rank effective March 1865, also Tom is not wearing the Medal of Honor he was awarded during the war, he received two, both awarded by the spring of 1865.

 

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We appreciate your sharing this very personel photo renfield, I am now becoming aware of just how many Forum members have lost Fathers and Brothers in the service of their country.

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Colonel Kendall J. Fielder, Chief of Staff of U.S. Army, Pacific, presents the Distinguished Service Cross honoring Pfc. Anthony Kaho‘ohanohano to the honoree’s mother, Virginia Kaho‘ohanohano, in March 1952. Attending the ceremony were the honoree’s brothers, all Hawaii National Guard members, from left, David, Able and Joseph Kaho‘ohanohano.

 

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Private First Class Anthony Kaho‘ohanohano's Distinguished Service Cross subsequently was upgraded to the Medal of Honor:

 

For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company H, 2d Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Private First Class Kahoohanohano distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Chup'a-ri, Korea, on 1 September 1951. On that date, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano was in charge of machine-gun squads supporting the defense positioning of Company F when a numerically superior enemy force launched a fierce attack. Because of the enemy's overwhelming numbers, friendly troops were forced to execute a limited withdrawal. As the men fell back, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano ordered his squad to take up more defensible positions and provide covering fire for the withdrawing friendly force. Although having been wounded in the soldier during the initial enemy assault, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano gathered a supply of grenades and ammunition and returned to his original position to face the enemy alone. As the hostile troops concentrated their strength against his emplacement and in an effort to overrun it, Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano fought fiercely and courageously, delivering deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the onrushing enemy. When his ammunition was depleted, he engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat until he was killed. Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano's heroic stand so inspired his comrades that they launched a counter-attack that completely repulsed the enemy. Upon reaching Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano's emplacement, friendly troops discovered 11 enemy soldiers lying dead in front of the emplacement, and two inside it, killed in hand-to-hand combat. Private First Class Kaho'ohanohano's extraordinary heroism and selfish devotion to duty are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, the 7th Infantry Division and the United States Army.
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A very solemn and noteworthy photo wailuna, thank's. As an aside, what can you tell us about the insignia's the EMs are wearing on their liners, crests highlight on a painted light colored circle? and that combat patch, it looks odd, almost like a Cavalry Regiment/Group pocket patch

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...what can you tell us about the insignia's the EMs are wearing on their liners...? and that combat patch...

The insignia shown on those helmet liners have been used (officially) by Hawaii National Guard since at least 1949 (link here). As for that obscure right sleeve SSI you spotted in this picture, Sergeant Abel L. Kaho‘ohanohano, Sr., who is the brother in the middle, was inducted in October 1944. He is reported to have served in the Philippines during WWII. Note that he also wears the CIB in this picture ca. March 1952 (he evidently was not called up for service in Korea but he did serve in Vietnam.) The SSI he was wearing in this picture remains a mystery (but WAG 1st Cavalry Division?)

 

Captain Abel L. Kaho‘ohanohano, Sr., died on December 7, 1998, and he was buried in Maui Veterans Cemetery. According to NARA, Pfc. Anthony D. Kaho‘ohanohano's grave is at an unknown location in North Korea.

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A poignant scene of a soldier home on furlough to be with his small family just before he ships out to the Southwest Pacific (Berkeley, Calif., ca. August 1943).

 

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J.J. McFadden, 82nd AB

 

On 6 June 1944, John McFadden was a staff sergeant (1SG) in the 80th AA HQ and the only NCO or officer from A, B and HQ battery (about 180 men) to make his way to General Ridgway's command post outside of Ste. Mere Eglise. John was one of a handful of glider troopers who also earned Paratroop wings in Africa and was looking forward to jumping into Normandy. But he was told he would not be jumping as a valuable aide to LT.Col Singleton who helped map out sand tables and planning the 80th AA operation.

It is said he was frantic at first, thinking he would be left out of the Invasion and behind with base personnel, but ultimately, it was decided that John would go to Normandy by glider in the first 82nd Serial (Detroit). The paratroops that had landed a few hours earlier were both elated and shocked to view the landings of the gliders, hoping the gliders would bring in men, supplies, ammo and those AT guns to help them, but seeing the gliders come down hard, in many cases hearing the screams of the wounded and injured. It must have seemed that the gliders might bring only scant help. It was John who organized the AT Command Post at 0405 hours that morning and his actions and initiatives for the first 48 hours upon landing in one of a few gliders that landed safely and where it belonged, earned him a Bronze Star Medal and a commission to 2nd Lt.

Anyone who has read about the 82nd on D-Day and the 505 defense of Ste Mere Eglise from the North, South and West in Normandy, knows that the 5-6 little .57MM guns assigned to defend Neuville Au Plain, the Lafiere Bridge, SME and Chef du Pont KO'd 7 armored vehicles and a howitzer that saved many lives and bought important hours until the heavier armed beach forces hooked up.

With his battlefield promotion, 2nd Lt. McFadden was assigned to B Battery as a platoon leader of 4 AT guns. He landed in Holland on Sept 18 in the afternoon as Gen. Gavin watched with great anxiety, wishing that he could warn the men that the landing zones were still under fire and that the 505 and 508 infantrymen were fighting furiously to drive the Germans from the area. In his book, On to Berlin, Gen Gavin noted that B battery (misprint in book actually says "D") had a remarkable assembly, getting all 8 of its AT guns and seven of its Jeeps into action--very critical at the time with the Germans counterattacking near the Reichwald, Groesbeek, Den Heuval, Wyler, Beek and Mook.

On Sept 22, with B battery attached to the 508PIR, 2nd Lt. McFadden and two enlisted men were wounded seriously by Shrapnel at around 1600 hours. That was the end of combat for JJ McFadden, but not his Army career.

 

 

 

 

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  • 10 years later...

A Mother with her Sons, they look Italian LOL. Army in the rear with a "Crusher" probably in the Air Corps. on the left a Marine, on the right, what is he Merchant Marines right.

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