Never before photo of Sherman Tank and her crew Korea Winter 1950-51

[patches]

Came across this photo from a friends FB page, a winter 1950-51 taken photo of a Easy8 Sherman and some of her crew (Who knows maybe the other two were causalities, or maybe one was, and the fourth guy is snapping the photo!) the guys will be of one of the TK Bn's that had Shermans, or perhaps a Inf Tk Co's the Sergeant right foreground is his Father, last name Brightbill.

 

Having fairly recently got on FB. Been trying to get to be friends with him to find out more, like unit (no shoulder patches to be seen)and full name. My friend Mike, but he apparently doesn't come on FB in awhile, he talked about him a few times back in the day, one about tne Chinese blowing Bugles and stuff. Mike, who I first met in early 1979, himself joined the Army right after I did, like the summer of 1980, an Engineer with the 7th Div at Ord, he actually got out on a hardship specifically because his Father died in the fall or so of 1982, an there was something wrong with his Mother, that's where we came back into hanging out again, Mike by the time I got out in Mid Dec 1982, was already re-uped as it where in a local Engineer Reserve unit, the HHC 411th Eng Bde at Floyd Bennett Field, this had no Eng Bn's, just the Brigade's HHC, so he worked as a Jeep driver for I believe the Brigade CSM.

[patches]

Just found this great site on the Easy 8 in the post war and Korea.

 

http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/manufacturer/m4a376w/m4a3_76w2.html

[MECHINF-A15]

Patches,

Great Easy 8 photo and many thanks for sharing the link to the Sherman web site.

FANTASTIC information!!!

Mike

[patches]

Patches,

Great Easy 8 photo and many thanks for sharing the link to the Sherman web site.

FANTASTIC information!!!

Mike

Thank's, gotta love those one of a kind personal fotos like this, I only wish my old buddy came on FB more, would love to know more on his Dad's service in Korea.

 

I have another friend on FB from the old days, also named Mike, a non vet, who's father was in Korea, he is now passed, but I actually meet him two or three times at our local tavern back in the 80s. Unlike the first Mike, the son of the tanker, we are in communication, so I know he was an Artilleryman, and a FO, won some awards to include the PH, but go figure the Korean War Causality site is off line LOL, he wanted unit info you see.

[patches]

Patches,

Great Easy 8 photo and many thanks for sharing the link to the Sherman web site.

FANTASTIC information!!!

Mike

Just going to the link again just now, wow what a site, if you go to the home page you see a load of stuff.

[hardstripe]

Great Photo! I especially like the KW era chevrons the NCOs have on their caps.

[patches]

Finally reconnected with my friend

 

Unfortunately he has no further info, seems to feel he was in the 2nd Armored Division, as he once a long time ago seen one of his uniforms, an Eisenhower Jacket I presume that had the patch on it, plus he made reference to the move Fury as the division he was in, the 2nd Armd Div. As the 2nd Armd Div was not in Korea but at Hood then Germany, I can only gather at this point that he was initially in the 2nd Armored Div first, or after Korea combat service, if first than a individual volunteer for Japan and Korea, don't think he was in the 6th Tank Battalion that was reassigned from the 2nd Armd Div rushed to Japan, as they apparently had the new M46 Patton rather than the EASY 8.

[patches]

Got full name, Charles R. Brightbill, passed away in the summer of 1981 rather than what I thought, Mike probably got his Hardship in the fall of 81 then, seems he rose to the grade of Sergeant First Class by the time he left either the Korean Peninsula or the Army.

 

Brightbill, Charles R, b. 06/08/1928, d. 07/26/1981, Section 6, Site 73, US ARMY, SFC, KOREA
Brightbill, Dorothy, b. 03/28/1928, d. 06/03/2006, Section 6, Site 73, Wife of Charles R Brightbill, US ARMY, SFC, KOREA

[patches]

Is this a shoulder patch there on the Sarge crouching there??? What say you?

 

 

 

[MECHINF-A15]

Patches,

I zoomed-in on this photo and if it is indeed a shoulder patch it appears to be long and narrow.

My "best guess" is 25th Infantry Division, 89th Tank Bn.

Mike

[patches]

Patches,

I zoomed-in on this photo and if it is indeed a shoulder patch it appears to be long and narrow.

My "best guess" is 25th Infantry Division, 89th Tank Bn.

Mike

Yes I can see that, just zoomed in myself, and the 89th Tk Bn had EASY 8s.

 

[patches]

How bout the 25th Inf Div's Regimental Tank Companies, the 27th and 35th Inf's (not the 24th Inf), did the have EASY 8s at this point in late 50-early 5?, Those Japan Occupation Company strength Divisional TK Hv Bn's we know had Chaffee's, despite them being titled "HEAVY" when they went over in July-August 50, so would think he was in one of those since they were so grossly undersherth, and were just disbanded, like the 24th Inf Div's A Co 78TH Heavy Tank Battalion was destroyed at Osan-Taejon in example anyway.