My father served in the US Navy during WWII (1943-46). He was a Seabee. For those who may not know the term, it means he was in a US Naval Construction Battalion, (Construction Battalion = C.B. = Seabee). He was in the 126th CB Battalion, (and temporarily with the 125th CB Battalion), stationed in Okinawa.
I first viewed my father's WWII photographs as an adult, late in 1999. They were included along with my parents' other old photographs, all of which I was sorting with my parents' assistance, for inclusion in a video "scrapbook" film that I was producing for our family's remembrance. Although many of the photographs were interesting to me, the WWII photographs were captivating. Until then, I had never known of their existence. From my first glimpse of them, I recognized their historical importance. Since then, I have wanted to create a space on the Internet to share these rare historical photographs with anyone who may have an interest in viewing them.
By clicking on the links below, you may view my father's WWII photographs. I should note that most of the photographs were not taken by my father. I refer to them collectively as "my father's" because they belong to him. However, he does appear in a few of them, as do several of his friends. Sadly, he has long since lost touch with all of those men who served with him. Needless to say, if anyone knows the whereabouts of any of those long lost friends, PLEASE contact me.
I have sized all of the photographs to fit within the frame of a fifteen inch monitor screen. For those website visitors who wish to examine more closely, higher resolution versions of the photographs are available upon request. The higher resolution versions allow for the details,
(such as the faces of the many men who were aboard the Troop Carrier upon which my father returned to the USA), to be viewed more clearly.
Please be advised that a few of the photographs are graphic in nature. Also, please keep in mind that nearly 60 years have passed since these photographs were taken and developed. They have aged considerably, but they still document a period of history which will never be forgotten.
My father's name is Vincent Maione, but his friends called him "Jim".
The "WWII Photographs" subsection of The Pumamouse Website is dedicated to all US Veterans with sincerest gratitude to them for their service to my country, and with my personal thanks to my father,
for his service as a Seabee during WWII, for preserving these photographs and sharing them with me, and for allowing me to share them with the world.
The Pumamouse
(MaryAnne)
September 2003 |
