Nostalgia & History > A Veterans Day Photobob memory

I was drafted in 1965 and spent my military career with the Army Special Photographic Office in Panama. I was able to travel around South America doing documentary films for a couple of years. Here's a couple of photos of me making America safe in 1966 in Bolivia. Doe's anyone out there want to share a photo or two of their service days?

Robert Morris
Dunsmuir, CA
Robert Morris Photography

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Thank you for your service.
JB

Thanks for being a Veteran, sharing your memories and your many photos. I'm one of many enjoying them.
Blaine 
In AF Utah

Very nice, and thanks for your survive. I was drafted in early November 1964, while delivering new EMD narrow gauge diesels to an all steam N de M narrow gauge line deep in Mexico. Naturally, the Mexican Government was NOT happy when I never showed up at the steam/diesel shop the next morning, as I was rapidly driving back to LaGrange for my Military Leave paperwork, then on to my home state of New Jersey, in order to report to the local draft board/induction center the next morning.

I do not have any sort of slide scanner, but some of my 35mm slides from 1965 & 1966 in Fort Hood, Texas might b4 interesting, as I wound up being the Colonel's personal driver, at Headquarters, Division Artillery, 2nd Armored Division. Got see and photograph some interesting fire power.

Here I am on the bridge of my destroyer, the USS Buck DD-761 in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1965.  The commodore's chaplain took this shot of me flashing the peach sign.  I was the communications officer at the time.  Later I was  the CIC (Combat Information Center) officer.  I made three cruises to Vietnam.

JB - Omaha 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/20 15:51 by Copy19.

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MP duty in Okinawa, Japan 1983.

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Great thread and photos - Thanks for sharing, and thanks all for your service!!

In 1967 I was at Ft. Eustis, VA for Transportation Corps OCS.
Our main focus was on loading and unloading ships and planes, and calling in protective fire for convoys.
But we did spend over a week on railroads and I saw some steam in action.
I am not 100% sure this is my image, but I only had a cheap instamatic and color print film so the few pictures I took were not good techmically.
But it is my memories. 
This is USA 611, a poppet valve engine, possibly they wanted a way to train soldiers on these in case they found them in theater.
Thanks to all of you who gave some years out of your lives for our country.  

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Photo #1 - Me in the navy Seabees on Okinawa in 1964.

Photo #2 - My grandfather Andrew Jacob Johnson somewhere in France in 1918. He arrived as part of the 8th Battalion Railway Regiment, but he wanted to be at The Front where the action is, so since he knew trigonometry (useful in artillery firing tables) he got himself transfer to the front. He was there on Armistice Day., 11/11/1918.

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Germany, February 1966, shortly before heading to Vietnam.  

Gordon

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Did you or anyone on here serve or know the late George Cockle railfan photographer. I knew him since I was in grade school circa 1975. Many don't know he is military photographic service.

photobob Wrote:
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> I was drafted in 1965 and spent my military career
> with the Army Special Photographic Office in
> Panama. I was able to travel around South America
> doing documentary films for a couple of years.
> Here's a couple of photos of me making America
> safe in 1966 in Bolivia. Doe's anyone out there
> want to share a photo or two of their service
> days?

First and foremost, thank you all for your service!  Thanks for starting this thread Bob and sharing some nice photos.  Do you happen to remember what you were about to dive into?

Kent in CArmel Valley

My wife and oldest daughter in June of 63 when I was dressed to go to the airport and head for Germany.  62-65 US Army.  Aviation.

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Thanks Bob for your service!

My dad Billy retired from the Army and spent much of his career in 10th Special Forces. He did two tours in Vietnam. As an "Army Brat" I traveled overseas and stateside with our family. Dad could scuba dive, swim with a buddy in the ocean for miles, mountain climb, ski and snowshoe, parachute, run with a weapon and ruck sack on his back for quite a distance at an impressive speed, build things like A Camps and blow up things like bridges, and work intelligence which included photography and photo processing (often out in the field), among other things. Unfortunately, he never allowed me to develop film and make prints at home because of the chemicals. After I wrote an article in Trains magazine about an abandoned logging railroad in remote Maine some years ago and told him about the two steam locos still there, he remarked: "If I had known about them while doing training in Maine some years before that, I might have blown them up for some good training".

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

George Cockle was a highly decorated combat veteran.  He was a close friend.
JB - Omaha



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/20 20:10 by Copy19.

Hey Photobob, I just picked up your book, "Photobob's Espee" at Just Trains in Concord.  Absolutely outstanding!  A fine body of work.
- Eric Blasko

Happy Veterans Day to all of you veterans

Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Veteran's
Great stuff here guys!
And to Copy 19 my Dad served aboard the Buck also ( May thru Oct. 1970 ) he was a 1st class BT.
Scott
 

Late to the Veterans Day party. 

My dad served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1973 and sadly passed away last April 26 at the age of 90.  His service was always a big part of his life and my mother was and still is proud of his service, defining them in many ways.  Ken Nagel, a member here at TrainOrders, served with my dad in Korat Thailand in 1967 (hope I have the year right).  He kindly sent me some photo's of him from that time.

Photo 1)  A group shot with their EC121 plane.  My dad is the man on the left side holding the banner.

Photo 2) My dad leaning back in his plane (right side) 

Photo 3) In town getting into a car.

For veterans day I would like to remember my father, James Ramon Fitch Sr, Lt. Colonal US Air Force Ret.My father was born in a small town in Iowa, about a 45 minunites south of Des Moines.  At age 18 the Korean War was on and the army was drafting young men to go fight in the war.  My father decided he didn't want to go that route, so he went and enlisted in the newly formed US Air Force - the year was 1951.  Back then, without a college degree or going the Air Force acadamy route, you could enroll in a program to become a commissioned officer.  He had a choice to go into Navigator training right away or wait 9 months and go for pilot training.  He chose Navigater rather than wait, a decision he regretted after he retired from the Air Force.  Those who went into that program were called 90 day wonders.His career began with propeller driven tanker aircraft, the KC-97, followed by the KC-135, a tanker variant of the Boing 707.  In those days, the KC-135 refueled B-52's which were flying in orbits outside of Soviet airspace in case they were called to do the unthinkable. Flying in the Airforce was not without riskes.  As it happens, my dad was removed from a mission due to having the flu.  The KC-135 he was supposed to be aboard collided with another KC-135 in the Bermuda Triangle and went down, both planes lost and their crews.  My dad said all that was found at the time were some helmets.  This incident is listed in the Bermuda Triangle wiki along with others.  I think it does list wreckage was found so I don't know if my dad was playing into the mythos of things totally disappearing or that's all he knew at the time.

By around 1967 the Viet Nam war was heating up and the US had an arrangement with Thailand to garrison an air base in Korat for closer reach to Viet Nam.  My dad was assigned to an EC-121 which flew electronic survielance missions above Viet Nam to listen for troop movements.  Here is a train connection.  While at Korat, we (mother and kids) stayed behind in southern California.  As it happens, my dad roomed with a guy who had a suite case with train kits and tools and worked on his trains while off-duty.  I remember my dad relating that because It was interesting to me as a kid and a train nut.Here are a few photo's provided to me earlier this year when I found out a member of TrainOrders was that room mate!  He sent me some photo's from the year at Korat Thailand. 'Below - photo 1, my dad is holding the banner (left) with his crew of the EC-121.  Photo 2, my dad in the back reclining onboard the EC-121 plane.  Photo 3, my dad in Korat getting into a car.https://i.imgur.com/WvLDRqYh.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/YI5NMhKh.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/tYmUUjFh.jpgAfter Korat, my dad was reassigned to Millitary Airlift Command - MAC (from Strategic Airlift Command - SAC) and worked aboard C-133 Cargomasters.  Those planes were literally shaking themselves apport.  He related 2 stories about them.  On one mission, one of the four turboprop engines fell off the wing.  On another ocasion, he had landed on the US west coast and another crew took over to fly the plane east across the US.  Due to stress fractures in front of the main wing, the fuselage broke off over Nebraska and the plane went down - the crew aboard were killed.  He dodged the bullet a second time.After the C-133's were retired, C-141 Starlifters took over transport and my dad flew aboard those until he took a desk job for the last 2 years and retired in 1973. 

My dad had a fairly relaxing retirement and worked as a real estate agent until he was old.  He moved around after retiring at Travis Air Force Base and living in Davis CA until about 1985.  It is my years living there that I watched Southern Pacific trains and am still a big fan.  Eventually my mom and dad settled in the Washington DC area in northern Virginia where he lived until last spring.My dad passed away at age 90 April 26, 2020 having declining health after a couple of falls and finally dementia and a stroke were his final months. 

Sadly, I didn't get in touch with his old roomate here on TrainOrders until after he passed away.  I'm sure they would have had wonderful time chatting.  Dad was shipped back to the small town where he was born and buried with military honors in the small Union Cemetary south of Lorimor and not far from Winterset (birth place of John Wayne).  The funeral was one of few done during the early months of the pandemic, so my daugher broadcast it using Zoom so relatives could watch without being there.  What was the most emotional to me, and any Vulcan would find it hard to supress, was when the honor guard did the 3 volley rifle salute and then played taps on a trumpet as smooth as silk.I am proud of my father and his service to this country; 

I am proud of his service and miss him very much.

Cheers and thank you Ken Nagel for the memerable photo's!
Jim Fitch Jr.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/20 11:22 by SPDRGWfan.

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