Staff Sergeant James A. Baptiste: F Company, 365th. Engineer Battalion

      A studio portrait of Staff Sergeant James A. Baptiste, taken on March 3, 1947. Baptiste served with F Company, 365th. Engineer Battalion, which was a Negro unit. The 365th. Engineer Battalion was deployed to the European Theater and according to Department of the Army Pamphlet (DA PAM) 672-1 Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register dated July 6, 1961, it participated in the Normandy, Northern France, Central Europe, and Rhineland campaigns. The unit also received, according to the pamphlet, occupation credit for serving in occupational duty in Germany from May 2, 1945 to September 4, 1945.

     Given the date of the photograph, Baptiste survived the war. He was from Algiers, a section of New Orleans, Louisiana. Designated as the 15th. Ward (out of 17 wards that make up New Orleans), Algiers is the only Orleans Parish community that sits west of the Mississippi River. It is also the second oldest portion of New Orleans. His residence was listed as 1114 Whitney Avenue though today, assuming Google Maps is accurate, that location is shown as the intersection of Whitney Avenue and Newton Street. Still, if his residence was in that general location, it is no longer standing, having made way for small businesses on each corner of the intersection.

     For a uniform, Baptiste is wearing the summer cotton khaki uniform shirt and would have had matching khaki trousers. The color of the uniform was designated as “Khaki Shade No.1”. Had he been wearing the necktie, the end of it was often tucked between the second and third button. Interestingly, Baptiste has retained his enlisted soldier's visor cap which ceased being issued to enlisted soldiers by the close of 1941 and so this suggests Baptiste enlisted prior to that date or he privately purchased the cap as it remained a very popular item for enlisted men. Of note is that Baptiste apparently removed the stiffening within the cap, giving it a “crushed” look. This made the cap look more field used rather than something picture perfect for garrison wear and thus conveyed that the wearer was an experienced veteran of which Baptiste, given his service, was.

     Another bit of history is that it is very likely Baptiste and the men of the 365th. Engineer Battalion trained at Camp Forrest which was located in Tullahoma, Tennessee. This was the largest U.S. Army training base during World War Two and served as training grounds for infantry, artillery, engineers, signals/communications, and cooks. The base ceased to be in 1946, having been declared surplus. What could not be sold off and carried away was removed and left only concrete foundations, chimneys, and roads. In 1951, the property became the home of what is today the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC).

Cushman Model 32: Homefront Mobility for the Military

(Author's Collection)

     The Cushman Motor Works began making scooters in 1936 and the U.S. military contracted Cushman to produce several models of scooters for both the Army and the Navy as a means to supplement cars and trucks as scooters were quieter, easier to maintain, less expensive to purchase, and did not consume as much petrol and oils. The most famous Cushman scooter was the air-droppable Airborne Model 53, the “Parascooter”, which was used primarily by the 82nd. and 101st. Airborne Divisions when they parachuted into combat during the commencement of D-Day. The Parascooter provided swift mobility for couriers to move messages between units and the Parascooter even had a trailer hitch to pull the M3A4 general purpose utility cart which allowed it to move supplies as well. Some 5,000 Parascooters were built and after the war, the majority remained in France and Germany.

     The Sergeant in the photograph, however, isn’t sitting on a Parascooter but instead, he is riding a Cushman Model 32. The Model 32 wasn’t meant for the battlefield and instead, it was used by both the Army and the Navy as courier vehicles and personal transportation on Army garrisons and facilities, military industrial complexes, and Navy bases and shipyards.

     Cushman did build a civilian version of the Parascooter, the Model 53-A, which was more comfortable and had less military esthetics. It was marketed following the end of World War II but sales were disappointing. In 1957, the Cushman Motor Works ceased to exist and was bought out by the Outboard Marine Company.

Private: Army Service Forces

     A studio portrait of an enlisted man with the rank of private following his graduation from basic training at Fort Monmouth in 1943. Fort Monmouth, once located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, was home to the U.S. Army's Eastern Signal Corps Training Center. The center contained the Eastern Signal Corps Schools for enlisted, officer candidate, and officer personnel as well as the Replacement Training Center. The latter was housed in Camp Charles Wood which, along with Camp Coles and Camp Evans, were encompassed within Fort Monmouth's boundaries. The officer candidate Signal Corps school was the “bread and butter” of the facility, graduating a little over 21,000 men as newly commissioned second lieutenants between 1941 and 1946. Also housed at Fort Monmouth during World War Two was the U.S. Army's Film Training Lab.

     The private excelled at marksmanship during his training as evidenced by the Marksmanship Qualification Badge worn on the left coat pocket. He achieved the lowest grade, that of Marksman, as evidenced by the plain award. Beneath it are three clasps, denoting what he earned the badge in. The top clasp is Rifle, the clasp below it is Machine Gun, and the third clasp is Carbine. To receive the clasps in each weapon class, he had to meet a specific number of target hits at various ranges and in different positions. Other common wartime clasps included Pistol, Bayonet, Grenade, BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), and Submachine Gun among others. As a note, the next highest grade of the badge was Sharpshooter which included a round target on the badge while the highest grade was Expert and that badge consisted of a Sharpshooter Badge encompassed by laurels. The patch on his shoulder is that of the Army Service Forces and a part of that organization included the six technical services of the Army: Corps of Engineers, Ordnance Department, Quartermaster Corps, Chemical Corps, Medical Corps, and the Signal Corps. The private is a part of the Signal Corps as evidenced by the branch insignia of the Signal Corps on the coat's lapels. The insignia is that of two key components of a wigwag kit that consisted of two wigwag flags and a torch (the rest of the kit contained kerosene for the torch and a signal flare). Wigwag, more properly known as aerial telegraphy, was a method of flag signaling developed by U.S. Army surgeon Albert J. Myer who would become the very first commanding officer of the Signal Corps which was established on June 21, 1860. Thus, the significance of using the flags and torch as the branch insignia.

     As for Fort Monmouth, following World War Two, the Pigeon Breeding and Training Center was added to the campus though it was closed in 1957. The Signal Corps itself left Fort Monmouth in the 1970s, making its new home at Fort Gordon, Georgia. What remained was the Communications-Electronics Command Life Cycle Management Command (CECOM LCMC), the 754th. Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, Joint Interoperability Test Command, United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS), and the Patterson Army Health Clinic. Unfortunately, Fort Monmouth fell to the ax of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process and after all of the entities on the fort were relocated, Fort Monmouth was officially closed on September 15, 2011. Given the length of time the BRAC process took, then New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Act on April 28, 2006 that established the Fort Monmouth Revitalization Planning Authority in order to guide the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth and the land it sits on following its closure.

Private Wiley: Boca Raton Army Air Field

     Date unknown and assuming the name written on the photograph pertains to the soldier, then Private Wiley poses with his M1903A3 Springfield bolt-action rifle on the sands somewhere in Boca Raton, Florida. That we know the location is because, written on the back of the photograph, it reads: “This is on bivouac at Boca Raton. Everything was sand including half I ate.”

     Even though the date is not known, we can place it to at least after June 1, 1942 when Boca Raton Army Air Field (AAF) officially opened. The facility was under the jurisdiction of the 3501st. Base Unit, Eastern Technical Training Command. Other units stationed at the airfield included the 319th. Base Headquarters & Air Base Squadron, the 26th. Anti-Submarine Wing, and the 13th. Sub Depot, Air Technical Service Command. The entire base encompassed some 5,860 acres with a little over 800 buildings and a regular population of 16,000 military personnel. The main role of Boca Raton AAF was to train personnel in the use of radar. In addition to instruction on using radar, training was also provided on maintaining radar equipment and the unit also performed the installation of radar gear in aircraft.

     PVT Wiley looks to be wearing the M1938 one-piece herringbone twill (HBT) coverall which suggests he may have been a mechanic as this uniform item was typically only issued to mechanics in addition to tank crewmen. However, the coveralls soon became popular with other branches in the U.S. Army so this isn't a reliable indicator of his military profession. For equipment, PVT Wiley has little. It would appear that he only has on his M1VA1 gas mask bag that contained his M3 diaphragm gas mask. For head covering, he is only wearing the liner to the M1 steel helmet. The bayonet fixed to his rifle is the original M1905 pattern which featured a 16 inch blade. By 1943, a new bayonet for the M1903 was issued, the M1, which was shorter at 10 inches. Many of the original M1905 bayonets were taken out of service, modified to M1 standards, then reissued.

     As for Boca Raton AAF, by the end of World War Two, the need for the facility fell and on May 5, 1947, the last class from the radar school graduated. The program then moved to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. On September 18, 1947, the Category 4 Hurricane Four severely damaged the facility before all of the equipment was moved to Keesler Field. Nature wasn't done with Boca Raton AAF and on October 12, 1947, the Category 2 hurricane, informally called Hurricane King, ravaged the base to the point it was largely uninhabitable. Some of the land was returned to the town of Boca Raton and 838 acres was kept as the Boca Raton Air Force Auxiliary Field (AFAF). It was used as a secondary base for the 1707th. Air Transport Wing and the U.S. Army Chemical Corps used part of the facility as a research lab. By 1958, Boca Raton AFAF was shut down with 1,000 acres given for educational purposes (today, the land is used by Florida Atlantic University and shared with Palm Beach State College), 200 acres left for the Boca Raton Airport Authority (where Boca Raton Airport currently operates), with the remainder given back to Boca Raton.

Private: 1st. United States Army

     A studio portrait of a Private, enlisted grade E2, of the 1st. United States Army. The 1st. Army, established on August 10, 1918, was the first of three such armies created by the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Following World War One, it was inactivated on April 20, 1919. However, an amendment made in 1920 to the National Defense Act of 1916 would see four field armies raised, geographically located throughout the United States. The intent of this was to provide a skeletal organizational structure to accommodate mass mobilizations of forces in the time of national need. Thus, the 1st. Army was reactivated on September 11, 1933, with its geographical area being the northeastern U.S., at Fort Jay, Governor's Island, in New York. Its main mission was training support. For much of its early existence following its reactivation, the 1st. Army was more on paper than actual troops and it consisted mainly of staff personnel. This changed as the U.S. moved towards a war footing and starting in 1939, under the command of General Hugh A. Drum, the 1st. Army began to fill out with actual personnel. The 1st. Army entered combat with the invasion of Normandy (D-Day) on June 6, 1944 and would see continued action in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns. It was the men of the 1st. Army who shook hands with Soviet forces at Torgau, Germany, along the Elbe River, on April 25, 1945. In May 1945, the 1st. Army's headquarters returned to New York to begin preparations for Operation Coronet. This was the second phase of Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan. The 1st. Army was tasked to invade Honshū, the largest of the Japanese home islands, in the spring of 1946. Fortunately, the use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw the Japanese surrender, removing the need for Operation Downfall.

     The private appears to have belonged to one of the field artillery battalions within the 1st. Army as evidenced by the branch insignia on the lapel of his jacket which consisted of two crossed cannons. That he served with the 1st. Army is denoted by the unit patch on his left shoulder. Although difficult to see, it consisted of a black letter A with an Army green border. The private is also no longer in the U.S. Army, having been discharged under honorable conditions. This can be told by the Honorable Discharge Emblem lozenge sewn onto the jacket above the right breast pocket. This emblem was nicknamed the “Ruptured Duck” as the poor design of the eagle was such that is more resembled a duck than an eagle. Because of this, we can assume this photograph was taken post-World War Two. Beneath the “Ruptured Duck” appears to be a Meritorious Unit Citation ribbon that is surrounded by a gold laurel frame. His ribbon bar, from top to bottom and left to right, seems to consist of the American Campaign ribbon, the Purple Heart ribbon with an oak leaf device (which meant he was awarded the decoration twice), the Good Conduct ribbon, an unknown ribbon (possibly a state National Guard ribbon), and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four Service Stars which represented campaigns he had participated in.

     Today, the 1st. Army is still very much active, being the oldest and longest established unit in the U.S. Army. Its main mission is to train Army Reserve and National Guard forces. It is divided into two commands, 1st. Army Division East and 1st. Army Division West. Under each are training brigades. 1st. Army Division East is based at Fort Knox, Kentucky and is responsible for all states east of the Mississippi River while 1st. Army Division West is based at Fort Hood, Texas and covers all states west of the Mississippi River. Notable early commanders of the 1st. Army included General John J. Pershing (1918), Lieutenant-General Hugh A. Drum (1938-1943), and Lieutenant-General Omar N. Bradley (1944). Interesting notes about the 1st. Army include their motto which is “First in Deed” and the A in the unit's patch represents the letter A in Army and also, being the first letter in the alphabet, harks to the unit being the first, as in, the 1st. Army. The patch was authorized on November 16, 1918 and approved by the War Department on May 5, 1922. Today, the A remains in black but now uses a white and red background.

Corporal John Raines: Posing with the Big Boy

     Corporal John Raines, as written on the back of the photograph, “...posing with Tommy gun and one of the big boys.” Raines looks to be wearing the herringbone twill one-piece work suit which was commonly issued to both mechanics as well as tank crews. This uniform item would later become popular and would see wide-spread usage outside of the motor pool and armored vehicle troops. He is also wearing heavy leather gloves. On his head is what appears to be the M1938 combat helmet as evidenced by what looks like one of the ventilation holes on the helmet just below the goggles. The helmet wasn't designed to protect the wearer from bullets like the M1 steel helmet. Instead, the helmet was to protect crewman from sharp edges and protrusions within the confines of a tank or tank destroyer. For equipment, Raines only appears to be wearing the carrier for the M3 lightweight gas mask.

     In Raines' hands is the Thompson M1928 submachine gun firing the .45 ACP cartridge. That it is the M1928 model can be told by the Cutts compensator on the end of the barrel. Later Thompson M1 and M1A1 models did away with this compensator and also, as a further identifier of the first model is that the M1 series could not fit the 50-round drum magazine (seen here) or the larger, 100-round drum. Nicknamed the “Tommy Gun”, the weapon saw widespread use by Allied forces throughout World War Two and some of the 1.75 million weapons built continue to see combat even today.

     The “big boy” is a M3 light tank, known to the British as the “Stuart” or less commonly, the “Honey”. This is likely the initial production M3 judging by the positioning and style of the small pistol port flap on the side of the turret. The M3 was crewed by four men and first entered production in March 1941. The M3 served as a light reconnaissance tank and despite being declared obsolete in July 1943, the M3 continued to see combat until the end of World War Two. The M3 was armed with the M5 37mm gun which could successfully engage other light tanks, armored cars, and even some early war medium tanks but as the war continued in the European Theater, the M3's gun was woefully inadequate. However, in the Pacific Theater, the M3 was able to successfully combat Japanese tanks which typically were not thickly armored. Besides the British, the other large scale user of the M3 was the Soviet Union via Lend-Lease. In addition to the M5 gun, the M3 was equipped with five Browning M1919 .30 caliber machine-guns. One was mounted on a pintle mount fixed to the turret side, one was fitted co-axially with the gun, one was fitted in the front of the hull (which we can see behind Raines), and one was fitted into a sponson on either side of the hull, firing forward. The later M3A1 model did away with the sponson mounted weapons. The hatches for the driver and the co-driver are open and laying in the hatch of the driver is a Springfield M1903 bolt-action rifle judging by the butt plate which is about all that is visible of it.

     Unfortunately, there is no visible unit patch on his uniform nor markings on the M3 tank to identify what unit Raines was part of. On the back of the photograph is the location of where the photograph was taken, that being Washington D.C. If this is the case, it could be that he was part of the 428th. Reserve Infantry Regiment which was based in Washington D.C. It should be noted that some infantry divisions had a reconnaissance company that, in some cases, were equipped with M3 tanks instead of the more common armored cars such as the M8 Greyhound. As to exactly where such a field photograph could be taken, the only real possibility was Fort Humphreys which was located at Greenleaf Point, a peninsula at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The post, renamed to Fort Lesley J. McNair after World War Two, is the third oldest post in the United States, having been founded as Washington Arsenal in 1791. It is the home of the Inter-American Defense College and National Defense University but at the time of World War Two, the post was also used for basic training and thus a reasonable possibility for Corporal Raines' location. However, again, with no real specific identifiers in the photograph, an accurate unit and location isn't possible.

155mm M1A1 Howitzer: Barrel Burst on Enubuj Island

(U.S. Army Signal Corps)

     The job of artillerymen, from the 12th. century when cannons were first introduced to modern times, still comes with considerable risk. While counter-battery fire, aerial bombardment, and enemy ground attacks are known risks which have a measure of risk mitigation, a more frightening aspect of crewing and firing cannons is the barrel burst. This is graphically illustrated by this photograph of a U.S. Army 155mm M1A1 howitzer belonging to the 7th. Infantry Division.

     The photograph was taken on Enubuj Island which U.S. military planners named Carlson in preparation for Operation Flintlock. This was the nine phase taking of the Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls from the Japanese. The invasion commenced on January 31, 1944 and the 7th. Infantry Division was tasked with taking the islands of Ennylabegan (Carlos), Gea (Carter), Ninni (Cecil), and Enubuj (Carlson). The mission was to sweep the islands of Japanese forces and set up artillery firing positions to support the landings which were to occur elsewhere on the atolls the following day. The four islands made up a portion of the Kwajalein Atoll. The islands were not wide, typically being only a half a mile in width. This made it impossible for the Japanese to defend in depth and so the Japanese situated the bulk of their forces to repel an ocean-side landing. The landings on the four islands were swift and the men of the 7th. Infantry Division were able to quickly dislodge and eliminate what few Japanese defenders there were. However, the main island of Kwajalein held the majority of the Japanese defenders, 5,000 in all, which were drawn from the 1st. Amphibious Brigade and 2nd. Mobile Battalion. The U.S. had learned from earlier assaults against Japanese held islands and unleashed a massive bombardment of the islands prior to the launch of the assault forces. Ships from the U.S. Navy's Southern Attack Force moved closer to Japanese positions and utilized armor-piercing shells in order to penetrate heavily dug-in Japanese positions while Consolidated B-24 bombers flying out of Apamama Atoll added their bomb payloads to the artillery bombardment coming from Enubuj (Carlson) Island. The effect was devastating to the Japanese troops and the landings on Red 1 and Red 2 Beaches kicked off at 0930 on February 1, 1944 with the 7th. Infantry Division making significant progress, in part as the landings were made on the atoll side, not the ocean side as the LVTs and tanks were able to travel over the coral reefs. Despite repeated Japanese counterattacks, Kwajalein Island was declared fully secure on February 5, 1944 though the fighting was more or less over by February 3, 1944.

     During the four days of combat, the 7th. Infantry Division lost 142 men, suffered 845 wounded, with 2 missing in action. Of the Japanese, 4,300 perished with only 166 being taken prisoner. Unfortunately, the gun crew for this M1A1 howitzer were counted in those 142 men killed. Burst barrels can be caused by metal fatigue in the gun but most often, the cause is a problem with the shell itself. Examination of the damage to the M1 indicates the latter to be the case. A problem with the shell such as poor construction, metallurgy variance, or some other production defect can cause the shell to explode within the barrel with dreadful effects, especially here as the shell burst just barely beyond the breech rather then further down the barrel. The shrapnel caused by the shredded metal of the gun created by the explosion only compounded to the tragedy.

     As a side note, the M1 was redesignated as the M114 in 1962 and while it is no longer in service with the U.S. Army, the M114 is still used by a number of nations around the world. The largest users of the M114 include Greece, Brazil, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Private First Class Floyd L. Rogers: Sniper Killing BAR Gunner

     Private First Class Floyd L. Rogers of C Company, 38th. Infantry Regiment, 2nd. Infantry Division poses for a photographer somewhere in the north of France on June 29, 1944. Rogers was part of a heavy weapons platoon, led by Technical Sergeant Frank Kwiatek. Kwiatek had a score to settle with the Germans when one of his two brothers, Ted Kwiatek, was killed in action during the combat in Sicily, having served as a gunner in a tank crew. A few weeks later, his other brother, Jerry, was killed during the battles in Italy proper. Kwiatek was featured in an article by Sgt. Walter Peters in Yank magazine where he discussed his methods for dealing with German snipers which were a ever present threat as the Allies moved through France. Included in the article was mention of Rogers. Rogers was born on November 29, 1919 in Rising Star, Texas and at the time of the photograph, he was 24.

     There appears to be some confusion on the number of kills Rogers was credited with. Most sources give a count of 27 and this appears to be confirmed in General Orders No.32 issued through the 2nd. Infantry Division headquarters in 1944 when Rogers was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in actions which took place on June 11, 1944 in France. Interestingly, it was said Rogers was part of the Rangers which suggests that he had been selected to attend the Ranger Battle Training Course. Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) from select infantry regiments, which included the 38th. Infantry Regiment, attended the two month course at Camp McCoy (in Wisconsin) that started on April 12, 1943 and concluded on June 5, 1943 and graduates from the course were sent back to the units they came from albeit far more highly trained and adding capable NCO leadership to those units. Thus, while Rogers likely received this specialized Ranger training, he was not a part of any of the Ranger battalions created during World War Two. Returning to the Silver Star, this is the third highest award a soldier can receive for valor in combat. The 2nd. Infantry Division, in total, had 741 personnel decorated with the Silver Star during World War Two.

     It is said that Rogers used his M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) to vanquish the 27 men which had all been called snipers. The BAR was not a new weapon, having been introduced into service in 1918 and being first blooded in combat on September 13, 1918 in the hands of the 79th. Infantry Division. Typically chambered for the .30-06 Springfield round, the BAR usually used a 20-round magazine and it was deployed as a light machine gun. The U.S. Army did not issue the BAR in large numbers until 1938 when it began to be used as a squad automatic weapon. By World War Two, the main BAR model in use was the M1918A2 though earlier models were also issued to meet the soldier's demand for the hard hitting weapon. Some debate whether or not some of the men Rogers killed were genuine snipers as the BAR was not exactly conductive to precision shooting. It was not uncommon for the Germans to leave behind one or two soldiers to harass Allied troops. The trained and skilled snipers typically were found in German companies, battalions, and other higher echelon formations. At the platoon level, some German soldiers were given the designation of sniper but had no formal training at all. Other Germans who may have been encountered alone or in pairs included artillery forward observers and reconnaissance troops. While not taking away from Rogers' accomplishments, it is possible that some of those in his kill score were not specifically snipers.

     Of interest is that Rogers is wearing a helmet cover made of German Buntfarbenaufdruck 31 (literally “Colorful Print 31”) camouflage material. More commonly known as Splittermuster (“Splinter Pattern”), it was introduced in 1931 and continued in use throughout World War Two. The camouflage was mainly used for zeltbahn, tarnhemd (smocks), and tarnhelmüberzug (helmet covers). Rogers likely used a swath taken from a smock or zeltbahn to fashion his helmet cover. Also, he has removed his rank from the sleeves as evidenced by the loose threads where the rank patches would have been. He carries a total of twelve magazines for his BAR (not including the one in the weapon) and a Mk.2 fragmentation grenade is also visible. Finally, he has the M1910 entrenching tool but has cut down the shaft, eliminating the T-handle end.

     PFC Rogers did not survive the war. On July 12, 1944, he was killed in action. It was the very same day he posted his Silver Star to his mother, Anne Belle Rogers. He was returned to Rising Star, Texas and was buried in the Rising Star Cemetery in Rising Star, Eastland County off County Road 273.

     As for Frank Kwiatek, he survived the war, having a kill score of 38. Later, in 1947, at the rank of Master Sergeant, he would be decorated with the Medal of Honor for his service.

Technician 4th. Grade Nicholas Viscardi: 3rd. Armored Division

     Sometime in 1943, Nicholas Viscardi enlisted in the U.S. Army and following his induction training, he was posted to the newly formed 66th. Infantry Division under the command of Major-General Herman F. Kramer. So new was the unit that it had no distinctive insignia and Kramer authorized a competition among the division for a design. Private Viscardi’s snarling black panther drawing won and the image became the unit’s official patch, thus creating the division’s nickname, the “Black Panther Division.” Impressed with Viscardi’s artistic talents, Kramer had orders cut to assign Viscardi to the division’s headquarters staff where he would often do portraits of the officers and their wives. 

     This new posting, however, did not last and another high ranking officer became enamored with Viscardi’s work and requested that he be transferred to the 3rd. Armored Division. As the only available position in the unit was in the motor pool and at a higher rank than Viscardi was, it earned him a promotion to Corporal and a new posting to the 3rd. Armored Division’s Service Company. 

     In September 1943, the 3rd. Armored Division was deployed to Europe as part of the 1st. Army under General Courtney Hicks Hodges. There, it saw significant action as well as suffered equally significant casualties. So much so that Viscardi was pulled from the Service Company and became an assistant driver/bow gunner of a M4 Sherman tank in one of the division’s two armored regiments (the 32nd. or 33rd.). Viscardi would see action in many of the major engagements to include the Battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine into Cologne, and the Battle of Dessau. During the combat to take Cologne, the turret of Viscardi’s tank was struck by a Panzerschreck round which decapitated the tank’s commander. Viscardi would receive two Purple Hearts for being wounded in action during the course of the war. Over 10,500 Purple Hearts were awarded to personnel of the 3rd. Armored Division. Following VE-Day, Viscardi was sent to France to work in the Army’s Information and Education office. Viscardi would be discharged from the Army late in 1945, having attained the final rank of Technician 4th. Grade (T/4). 

     Known more by his pen name Nick Cardi, he would be remembered by comics fans for his work at DC Comics on such characters as Aquaman, the Teen Titans, and the gunslinger “Bat” Lash. 

     Viscardi died in November 2013 at the age of 93. 

Enlisted Man: 15th. Signal Training Regiment

     A studio portrait of an enlisted man in the Army Service Forces which is denoted by his shoulder patch. Specifically, he was part of the Signal Corps which made up one of the seven technical services which were encompassed by the Army Service Forces beginning in 1942. That he was Signal Corps, and that he was an enlisted man, is evidenced by the pair of branch insignia on the upper portion of his jacket’s collar. 

     His unit was the 15th. Signal Training Regiment and this can be told by examining the distinctive unit insignia (DUI) pinned to the collar below the branch insignia. DUI were often enameled and so this reflected the flash which washed out the nearest DUI to the camera. Enough of the other DUI was visible to identify the unit. The unit motto, given on a scroll underneath the crest, read “FIDELITER SERVIMUS” which means “Faithful Service.” The unit was activated on December 1, 1940 as the 15th. Signal Service Battalion but on December 14, 1942, the unit was redesignated as the 15th. Signal Training Regiment. On May 31, 1945, the unit was disbanded but on September 23, 1986, it was reconstituted as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 15th. Signal Brigade and currently serves under TRADOC (United States Army Training and Doctrine Command) at Fort Gordon, Georgia. 

     The award on his left jacket pocket is a marksman qualification badge and though it is extremely difficult to read what is on the device’s clasp, given the length of the word, he likely earned it in RIFLE. 

Sergeant Stanley Martin Lieber: 1st. Motion Picture Unit

     Because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, early in 1942, Stanley Martin Lieber enlisted in the U.S. Army and entered the Signal Corps as a lineman. Posted stateside, Lieber maintained and serviced communication equipment and effected repairs to damaged telegraph/telephone lines and poles. Later, Lieber would transfer to the 18th. Army Air Forces Base Unit, better known as the 1st. Motion Picture Unit (FMPU) which was housed in Culver City, California. 

     The FMPU’s mission was to produce propaganda films, create training films and documentation, and also serve as the sole training provider for combat photographers and cameramen who would be deployed to the frontlines. Training, to include regular infantry combat instruction, for these men was conducted at Page Military Academy which was in nearby Los Angeles, California. Lieber was tasked with the writing of military manuals, scripting for training films, and illustrating. Lieber received the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of 288 (Playwright) though other sources list his MOS as 286 (Motion Picture Production Technician). Lieber would be discharged from the Army in late 1945 and with the war over, the FMPU was disbanded in December 1945. By the time of his discharge, Lieber had achieved the rank of sergeant and was decorated with the World War II Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal. He also earned the right to wear the Honorable Service Lapel Button which was given to honorably discharged servicemen. It was better known as the “Ruptured Duck” due to the appearance of the oft said poorly rendered eagle which made up the button or pin. 

     Because of his service and significant post-war contributions, Lieber was inducted into the Signal Corps Regimental Association and made an honorary member of the 2nd. Battalion, 3rd. Infantry Regiment in June 2017. The 3rd. Regiment, nicknamed the “Old Guard”, is the oldest active duty unit in the Army, having been formed in 1784. Lieber would pass away in November 2018. 

     Stanley Lieber is much better known to us as comic creator Stan Lee.

The Kagnew Battalion: Ethiopia's Korean Conflict Warriors

An Ethiopian officer (armed with the M1 Carbine) and an enlisted man (armed with the M1 Garand). For the most part, they are fully equipped with U.S. weapons, uniforms, and equipment. The exception is the Ethiopian insignia pinned to the collars (visible on the officer). Photograph via the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

      In August 1950, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie heeded the United Nations call for an international force to combat the North Koreans and halt their advance into South Korea. In discussions with the U.S., it was decided to field a single infantry battalion of Ethiopian troops. Despite the country lacking resources, Selassie put out the call for volunteers from Ethiopia’s 1st Division Imperial Bodyguard and due to the overwhelming response, the troops to fill out the battalion were handpicked by Brig.Gen. Mulugetta Bulli. A good portion of the unit was made up of experienced soldiers, officers, and many WW2 veterans. The new unit was given the name Kagnew Battalion after the steed of General Mäkonnen Wäldä-Mika’él Gudessa, Selassie’s father. Although there was one battalion, in actuality, there were three. However, only one battalion was ever in-country at a time. Intensive training was given to acclimate the troops to the conditions, terrain, and environment they’d find in Korea. Under the initial command of Lieutenant Colonel Teshome Irgetu, the Kagnew Battalion boarded the USNS General J.H. McRae on April 12, 1951 and departed for Korea, arriving on May 6, 1951. The troops wore British Pattern 37 uniforms but as time went on, it was replaced with U.S. uniform items with the Pattern 37 uniforms only being worn for ceremonial duties. Due to the older, outdated weapons the Ethiopian military had (and also because of logistical concerns), the U.S. also outfitted the battalion with U.S. small arms, infantry weapons, and equipment and so, after a short period of training on the new weaponry, the Kagnew Battalion was incorporated into the U.S. 7th. Infantry Division as a replacement for one of its battalions. In fact, Kagnew Battalion soldiers would often put the combat service identification badge on their M1 helmets (others the Ethiopian roundel). 

     In rotation, the Ethiopian soldiers of each battalion would see combat from 1951 to 1954, engaging in some 238 total actions with a total of 121 KIA and 536 WIA. That there were no POWs or MIAs was because no Kagnew Battalion soldier allowed themselves to be captured and they never left any man behind. In all, one Silver Star and eighteen Bronze Stars were awarded to Kagnew Battalion soldiers while Lt.Col. Irgetu and 2nd. Lieutenant Haptewold Mamo were awarded the Ethiopian gallantry decoration the Order of Menelik II. Other decorations for the unit included the Korean Order of Military Merit, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Korean Service Medal. Finally, soldiers earned the Ethiopian Kagnew Combat Pin (very much styled after the U.S. Combat Infantry Badge). The unit was disbanded in 1965.

Captain Pratima Dharm: The U.S. Army’s First Hindu Chaplain

(Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Army)

      In 2006, Pratima Dharm received her commission in the U.S. Army and in 2008, she was selected to attend the Army’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program while in her year long deployment to Iraq. It was during her tour that she received the Bronze Star for conducting a series of humanitarian operations in Northern Iraq to provide needed supplies and care to the populace in the region, including the Kurds. Dharm grew up in New Delhi and in mid-2001, she immigrated to the United States. Prior to coming to America, she attended Notre Dame Academy (a Roman Catholic secondary school) and would go on to attend Mithibai College and later, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women’s University, both of which are in Mumbai. This would earn her a Masters in Psychology. Dharm was raised a Hindu but she was exposed to many religions through her education, from her family who was open to other religious thought, as well as growing up in New Delhi which was a mixed religious city. An inner drive to know God saw Dharm enter into theological study after her immigration where she studied Judaism and Christianity in addition to maintaining her Hindu faith. Upon entering the U.S. Army, she was assigned to the Staff Specialist Corps, the combat service support branch and one in which unassigned officers were placed. In order to become a chaplain, the individual must train at a seminary and be endorsed by a religious organization in order to serve on active duty. At the time, there was no seminary which offered Hindu studies and so Dharm attended a Protestant seminary and was endorsed by the Pentecostal Church of God. Upon her ordination, Dharm wore the cross insignia on her uniform, denoting a Christian chaplain. This was because at the time, there existed no Hindu uniform device nor even a specification for a Hindu chaplain. This led to the Clinical Pastoral Education Program which was the result of a Department of Defense endorsement for a Hindu chaplaincy and Dharm submitted her interest in the program. Chinmaya Mission West became the endorsing religious organization and in 2011, now Captain Pratima Dharm became the U.S. Army’s very first Hindu chaplain as well as the first Indian female chaplain. At that time, there were approximately 1,000 Hindu soldiers in the Army. Dharm, though, was not a Hindu priest and thus could not perform sanskaras which are Hindu rites of passage that include such things as wedding ceremonies, various child rituals (naming, entrance into school, and other child “firsts”), and cremation rites. Still, she provided worship services (Hindu and Christian) and Hindu festival celebrations. In 2014, Dharm left the U.S. Army and became the Hindu chaplain at Georgetown University but within a year, resigned the post, to paraphrase her words, seek direction from God on what her future may be.

     The photograph here of CPT Dharm shows her prior to receiving her endorsement and advancement to chaplain and so she wears the Staff Specialist Corps branch insignia. It was not until 2012 when a Chaplain Candidate specific branch insignia was issued. The main difference was the replacement of the sword with a shepherd’s crook. Upon becoming a chaplain, she wore the cross insignia of a Christian chaplain given she was taught in a Christian seminary and endorsed by a Christian religious organization but in May 2012, the U.S. Army authorized a Hindu specific insignia which consisted of the Sanskrit syllable for Om. There are many interpretations of what Om is but in Hinduism, it is the most sacred syllable and mantra of Brahman, the Almighty God of Hinduism. Some interpretations consider Om to be absolute truth, the essence of life, and the vehicle of deepest knowledge and self-knowledge. Images exist of CPT Dharm wearing all three insignia over the span of her career. Dharm’s ribbons are: Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal (with Bronze Campaign Star; likely Phase 5 “Iraqi Surge”), Global War on Terror Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Army Overseas Service Ribbon. The ribbon over her right breast is the Army Superior Unit Award. Above that is the DUI (Distinctive Unit Insignia) for the Chaplain Corps whose motto is “Pro Deo et Patria” which means “For God and Country.” Barely visible in the photograph beneath her name plate is the crest of the 3rd. Infantry Division.

     Sadly, in 2014, some no morals, unscrupulous spammer utilized a photograph of CPT Dharm as part of his phishing campaign emails.