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Military Christmas Cards - All branches, all eras


Steve B.
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USCapturephotos

I know this isn't a card, but don't think I've shared it before and thought it would be appropriate for this thread. I found this portrait in a pile at the flea market maybe 10 years ago. My wife and kids and I set it up with our decorations every year in honor of this family. Sadly, no id so we have no idea who they were or if the dad survived or anything. I believe the SSI is 1st Division.

Paul

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a little closer....

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Quartermaster

Well rats!  I'll try posting these pix again!!

 

These first two are from my dad in the PTO to my mom in Virginia

 

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Three more from other GIs in the PTO.

 

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Finally interesting Christmas images

 

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Last but not least - remember the classic line from Band of Brothers -- "Merry (bleep)ing Christmas"

 

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2 hours ago, USCapturephotos said:

I know this isn't a card, but don't think I've shared it before and thought it would be appropriate for this thread. I found this portrait in a pile at the flea market maybe 10 years ago. My wife and kids and I set it up with our decorations every year in honor of this family. Sadly, no id so we have no idea who they were or if the dad survived or anything. I believe the SSI is 1st Division.

Paul

 

It's a very poignant photo and does make you wonder what happened. Thanks for sharing!

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101st Airborne McAuliffe Christmas/Nuts letter. 

 

 

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1942 Christmas Dinner Menu for Co. G, 8th IR, 4th ID

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Hand written post Christmas Post card given to an AEF nurse serving in France from an unnamed person who served in Base Hospital 10 (Le Treport, Normandy, France). 

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A general Christmas menu from the Red Cross for the men in hospitals in the Paris district - Christmas 1918.

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Another WWI menu, Base Hospital in Coblenz, Germany Christmas 1919

 

"Smoke if you like"

 

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  • 11 months later...
Salvage Sailor

2006 to 2021, Fifteen years of members contributions, Topic all cleaned up and ready to go...

 

Tis the Season, post 'em if you've got 'em

 

Christmas 1921, 100 years ago, the Birth of the Hawaiian Division -Schofield Barracks, T.H.

 

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Transitioning from the pre-WWI Hawaiian Department (1907-1921) to the Hawaiian Division (1921-1940) primarily utilizing the assets of the 11th Infantry Division.  In this instance, Battery E of the 11th Field Artillery Regiment.

 

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Major General Charles Pelot Summerall Commanding Hawaiian Department, future Army Chief of Staff

Still wearing his 1st Infantry Division patch

 

Charles Pelot Summerall was born in Blounts Ferry, Florida, on 4 March 1867. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 1st Infantry before being sent to the 5th Artillery a year later.

 

In 1899, he was made a first lieutenant and fought against the Philippine insurgents. From 1900 to 1901, he was a officer with the China Relief Expedition. In 1901, he was promoted to captain and assigned to the 106th Coast Artillery Company; later that year, he married Laura Mordecai. Summerall commanded Fort Lawton from 1901 to 1902, and Fort Flaglerfrom 1902 to 1903. From 1905 to 1911, Summerall taught at West Point. He was promoted to major and commanded the field artillery of the Maneuver Division at San Antonio, Texas. From 1915 to 1917, he was assistant chief of the Militias Bureau and led the National Guard artillery.

 

He was promoted to lieutenant colonel, colonel and brigadier general in the National Army in 1916, 1917, and August 1917, respectively. He commanded the 67th Field Artillery Brigade and the 1st Field Artillery Brigade in the First World War. Promoted to major general in the National Army, he fought at Cantigny, Soissons, St. Mihiel, and in the Meuse-Argonne operations in 1918.

 

Summerall was a member of the American Peace Commission in 1919. Afterwards, he led the 1st Division until 1921, the Hawaiian Department until 1924, and the Eighth and Second Corps Areas from 1924 to 1926. He was promoted to brigadier general in the Regular Army in 1919 and major general a year later. Summerall served as Army Chief of Staff from 21 November 1926 to 20 November 1930. In 1929, he received a promotion to general. He retired from active service in 1931, and served as president of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, until 1953. Summerall died in Washington, D.C. on 14 May 1955.

 

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Lieutenant Colonel Beverly Fielding Browne (later BGen, USA) Commanding 11th Field Artillery in his WWI field uniform.

Artillery A.D.C to Chief of Staff, AEF in the Great War - note the campaign stars on his Victory ribbon.

 

Army Distinguished Service Medal
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING World War I
Service: Army
Rank: Brigadier General
Division: 1st Army Corps, American Expeditionary Forces
GENERAL ORDERS:
War Department, General Orders No. 9 (1923)

 

CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General Beverly Fielding Browne, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. General Browne organized and conducted the schools for artillery information service and the counter battery service in France in October and November 1917. He participated in preparation and execution of artillery plans for First Army for the St. Mihiel offensive in September 1918, and commanded the 166th Field Artillery Brigade in October 1918, and the Corps Artillery, First Army corps, 1 to 11 November 1918, during the final assault of the First Army. His high professional attainments, sound tactical judgment, and devotion to duty contributed materially to the successful operation of the American Expeditionary Forces.

 

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Captain William J. Jones, CO Battery E, 11th Field Artillery in his blues.  (Farrier in the 11th F.A. 1917-1918)

 

The Last Ones to Fire: The 11th Field Artillery in World War I
 

The doughboys of Battery E, 11th Field Artillery carefully loaded the 95-pound shell into Calamity Jane, the name of their favorite 155mm artillery piece. With the round in place, the men locked it into the breech and prepared to pull the lanyard. An officer, looking at his watch, stepped forward. Raising his hand, he kept his eye on his watch, waiting for the second hand to reach twelve. When it did he dropped his hand. A soldier yanked the lanyard. Calamity Jane fired. It was 1100 hrs, 11 November 1918. World War I was over.

 

The 11th Field Artillery may have been just another artillery regiment among the vast numbers of American troops and weapons that comprised the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), but the unit distinguished itself by being given the honor of firing the closing shot on 11 November 1918, effectively ending the First World War.

 

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1st Lt. Philip W. Allison, Battery E, 11th Field Artillery.  Sgt. in NYNG 1917, Captain Ordnance 1918, Commissioned 1st Lt, F.A. 1920

 

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Roster, Battery E 11th Field Artillery & Christmas Day Dinner Menu, December 25th, 1921

 

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The pre World War One History of Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii

 

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 Printed by the Star Advertiser (newspaper), Honolulu, Hawaii 1921

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Salvage Sailor

For the Devil Dogs.....

 

FOURTH MARINE AIR BASE DEFENSE WING, FLEET MARINE FORCE

EWA FIELD, OAHU, T.H. 1942

 

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BG James T. Moore, soon to be 'Pappy' Boyington's CO, awarded Army DSM, Career USMC Aviator, worth looking up.

 

After his arrival, he was appointed Commanding General of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing deployed at Hawaii and later in Pacific Theater. Moore was relieved by Brigadier General Harold D. Campbell in April 1943 and transferred to the staff of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing under the command of Major General Ralph J. Mitchell, where he was appointed chief of staff. He served simultaneously as chief of staff for Marine Air South Pacific also under General Mitchell's command.

 

General Moore was later appointed Deputy Commander of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, where he was the immediate superior of Pappy Boyington, who commanded the "Black Sheep" of VMF-214; in February 1944 he was elevated to Commanding General, when he succeeded Major General Mitchell. For his efforts during the Bismarck Archipelago Campaign, when he successfully neutralized enemy air power in the region, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit. Moore was relieved from command by Brigadier General Lewie G. Merritt in July 1944 and subsequently became commanding general of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. His last service assignment came in February 1945, when he was appointed Commanding General of aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, the position, which he held for the rest of the war. For his service as commanding general of 2nd MAW and CG Aircraft FMF, Pacific, he was decorated with Army Distinguished Service Medal.

 

Gunner Cleaves B. Branson, 6'4" (yes, that's right, six foot four) Career Marine, enlisted 1923, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Haiti, Tientsin, etc.

 

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Salvage Sailor
On 12/24/2011 at 10:22 AM, RustyCanteen said:

I really like the Hawaiian Div one in the post above, could we have a larger image?

 

RC

 

Here you are RC, a bit tardy, just shy of ten years since you requested this...

 

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This is a special one, Headquarters, 19th 'Rock of Chickamauga' Infantry Regiment, Christmas 1939, 

1st Lieutenant Edson Raff, Schofield Barracks, T.H., just before he volunteered for Jump Training at Fort Benning, GA.

 

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I'll be scanning his yardlong and writing this up in the Interwar/Hawaiian Division section (in ten years or so)

 

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22 hours ago, Salvage Sailor said:

1st Lieutenant Edson Raff, Schofield Barracks, T.H., just before he volunteered for Jump Training at Fort Benning, GA.

 

 

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Here’s one of Col. Raff’s (while C0 of 77th SFG) contributions to Special Forces.

 

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101st Airborne Vietnam Christmas cards. Came from Master Sergeant Royce D. Pinkston who served in the 101st Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment.

 

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  • 11 months later...
Salvage Sailor

Hope you've all had a good year and are looking forward to the future

 

A Merry Christmas

1st U.S. Infantry, Company L, Hawaiian Department

Schofield Barracks, T.H. December 25th, 19141826624396_1stInfantryCoL1914Christmas010a.jpg.9a3a2e61bd90e1b244cc2cb7ef9366d6.jpg

 

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Company L 1st Infantry United States Army December 1914

 

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Salvage Sailor

Three years later, the US 1st Infantry still cooling their heels in Hawaii as the war rages on the Western Front

 

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COMPANY "L"

FIRST U.S. INFANTRY

Schofield Barracks, T.H.

 

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Earlier version of Semper Primus heraldry

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When I was deployed in 2016, we held an art contest for a Christmas card to send home to our families. Here's the one we selected:

 

 

Talon_Christmas_2016.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Christmas Cards from 1937. USS Augusta, Asiatic Fleet Flagship.

Christmas Card from 1940. USS Mindanao, South China Patrol Flagship.

Christmas Card from 1934. USS Luzon, Yangtze Patrol Flagship.

USS Augusta Christmas 1937 1.jpg

USS Mindanao Christmas 1940 1.jpg

USS Luzon Christmas 1934.jpg

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14 hours ago, stbryson said:

Christmas Cards from 1937. USS Augusta, Asiatic Fleet Flagship.

Christmas Card from 1940. USS Mindanao, South China Patrol Flagship.

Christmas Card from 1934. USS Luzon, Yangtze Patrol Flagship.

USS Augusta Christmas 1937 1.jpg

USS Mindanao Christmas 1940 1.jpg

USS Luzon Christmas 1934.jpg

 

 

I love these. I have a photo of the USS Mindanao's baseball team in the early 1920s.

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Salvage Sailor

HQ Company 35th 'Cacti' Infantry Regiment

Christmas 1927

Schofield Barracks, T.H.

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