Today I want to respond to my readers with some pictures of my service during World War II. Up until today, I had no knowledge of how to post these photos. You will all be happy to know that today that episode has been completed successfully.
Signed,
Finnegan
Forced to smile under the gun. Howard Portnoy and I with two guitars we purchased with cigarettes from a lady in Ghent.
Lady in Ghent, Belgium and Ozone Park, L.I. Comedian, Polachski...
Who is that good looking soldier on the left side of the picture.
Who is that good looking soldier on the left side of the picture.
Polachski and I in Ghent, Belgium, June, 1945.
Cadre of the 301st port Company at Indiantown Gap, P.A. The only one I remember is the guy on the left, in the back row.
The Infamous Company Clerk on Utah Beach. The Seahorse insignia on the monument is no longer in use. Originally issued to Combat Engineers and Beach Masters, it was worn on Class A uniforms and attached to the left front pocket of an Eisenhower Jacket.
I got a choice of a Court Martial or Company Punishment in this outfit after I was AWOL and got the nickname Finnegan. I had chosen Company Punishment and later, I was transferred out to a Cook and Bakers unit, going overseas in one week.
The Cook and Bakers unit was reorganized as a Cadre for the 518 Port Battalion. I became a member of the 301st Cadre and the name of Finnegan fit me like a glove .
I waved goodbye to my old outfit, as they shipped out to the South Pacific when the 301st, was just, three weeks old.
They say, a picture is worth a thousand words but in this case I have more than another 1000
words to tell the story of this 496th Port Battalion, photo.
Me, on top of a Bunker on Utah Beach.
Bob Cary and Robert Marcott.
Two men from Oak Park, IL. ,
A Chicago suburb. They
slowly turn into the,
two wildest guys on Utah Beach.
9 comments:
Great pics! look forward to seeing more ;)
Thank you Vince.
Nice to have a First comment
from a New reader.
Welcome.
So glad you posted these pictures Sol. They really do add a lot to the whole picture of your blog. I wish I more pictures to share on my dad's blog, but Papa said he never had a camera. Thanks for sharing!!!! Liz
The pictures put a face on the soldier who has written these numerous WWII articles. When I read them, I consider the cat that has 9 lives(???) How many does a soldier in uniform have?...and still survives to recall his experiences and to personally relate them to his readers.
Was looking over the photos again and had another thought. I think you probably had the M-1 Carbine(?).
I have heard a lot of stories, of how little ammunition each soldier was originally issued, as to a handful of clips etc. Any memory of how much ammo you initially carried, when you landed?
Sgt. Mac,
We were issued one clip as long as i owned my M1 Carbine.
However....We picked up discarded clips on the Beach from discarded weapons.
Plenty of ammo available...Carried two fully loaded clips in my Duffle Bag until I got Stateside.
I love these photos! They really do bring some of your stories to life. I'm so happy you've got the picture posting process mastered now. Looking forward to more, if you have any. Take care...
Thanks Pat.
I'm working on another posting of photos right now...
I can very easily accept great comments like yours that are so complimentary. Welcome back.
Sol
Enjoyed the pictures. I've been reading some of your posts and think that you underestimate what a treasure of stories you have to tell. Please consider writing and posting more often.
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