12 Months of Photos 2023 Military, Police, Firefighter

Question

July 2023 12 Months of Photos sharing theme: Military, Police, Firefighter

To participate, simply:

1. Choose a family photo that fits this week's theme.
2. Add it to this month's free-space gallery.
3. Reply with an answer below to let us know which photo you're sharing. If you want to include the photo but don't know how, click here.

The photo you share might be featured on the WikiTree home page and in our social media channels.

It is requested that no "best answer" stars be given to any photo, as they are all great pictures without exception and none should be preferred over the other.

Answer 1

This is a photo of my husband Mike Nelson taken in July 1970. He is at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Going to Jungle Survival School was required before going to Vietnam. He remembers that they were given tickets before hiding in the jungle; indigenous peoples of the Philippines would be looking for them, and they had to give them a ticket when they were found. He flew a combat rescue helicopter in Vietnam.

Comments

I LOVE the SIGN!!!!!  (I was a sign painter all my life) That is just plain "old school" beauty! (as far as old signs go!)

Thanks for sharing, cousin!

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What a magnificent photo sweet Alexis thank you for sending

❤️

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David, thank you for your comment. I was an art major in college and did my fair share of “old school” sign painting. I am so impressed with your musical, artistic and writing abilities. Your parodies are wonderful, and I especially liked Stayin’ Alive this week.

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Susan, thank you for your always sweet comments. 

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Great photo, Alexis, and interesting information.  You've done a wonderful job with your husband's biography.  This new WikiTree app tells me my relationship to any profile I click on.  I'm more closely related to you but I'm related to Mike Nelson as well (10th cousin--(4x), so there's a lot of missing generations on my side.

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Pat, thank you for nice comment and information about our relationship. I have been on a trip the last two weeks, and that is why I haven’t been active on WikiTree.

Answer 2

Dee Nelson's Detroit Police unit was one of the first to use motorcycles for patrol. There is a story about him on his profile with additional photos. Nelson-26278

Comments

Very interesting thanks for sharing! Coming from Milwaukee you know Harley D is the only kind I knew growing up.

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The first motocycle that they used were Hendersons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Motorcycle

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wow thanks for that! i learned something new!

Answer 3

A 16 Aug 1918 article in the Denní Hlasatel describes the Chicago Czech Immigrant Community having ceremonial flags at homes with each having stars for the number of men serving "Uncle Sam's banner for world democracy." The article listed my Great-Great-Grandmother's flag having 3 stars for 3 sons. (Jerry, Amos, Adolf) 

 

A 4th son, my Great-Grandfather Joseph, enlisted 5 Sep 1918. He went to Camp Grant (IL) and the "Spanish Flu" Pandemic struck there just weeks later. (Over 12,000 soldiers fell ill and over 1,000 lost their lives at the camp. The outbreak led the Camp Commander to commit suicide.)  Joseph fell ill and survived, but was left with significant health issues contributing to his death in Mar 1922. His Honorable Discharge in Dec 1918 was for reason of "Great and unusual hardship existing Hq. Camp Grant, Ill".

 

(Camp Grant Flu Source: NGS Magazine Oct-Dec 2018, v44, n4, p60)

Comments

Thank you, Eric, for sharing the photo and story.  It's a valuable reminder that many soldiers in many wars died not as a result of enemy fire but other tragic circumstances.

Answer 4

This framed family photo has always puzzled me.  My Aunt Catherine Miller is sitting in the lap of a World War I Canadian soldier.  Who was he?  Obviously it was important to my grandparents to have it framed.  There was a Fraser Robert Miller http://wikitree.com/wiki/Miller-65038 who died in May 1918 in France, a military error that killed him. Is this him holding his second cousin?  I don't know. 

Comments

Pat, thank you for sharing such a wonderful photo. I think, after reading the profile you did, this is very likely Fraser Robert Miller. My grandmother’s first husband’s photo is slightly iffy, but it had a special place in an album she made before she married my grandfather.

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Thank you, Alexis.  You make a good point.  However, he had to return to Canada on leave for this photo.  If he stayed overseas the whole time it's not him.  Maybe the local newspaper would say he was back for a short visit before returning to the war.  I'll check.

Answer 5

A Military Family.......my great grandfather, Lt Col Frederick William Benwell (1834-1896), Frederick's father, Col James Benwell and Frederick's grandfather. Maj Gen "Sir James" Limond C.B., all serving in India.

Comments

John, thank you for sharing such a lovely photo of your very distinguished great grandfather.

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Thankyou Alexis, I wondered if I was ever going to find out who his Benwell grandfather was and when I discovered him, through all his wife's ancestors on WikiTree, I immediately joined.

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John, I also became interested in WikiTree because of my great grandfather and his family. I was very surprised to find a profile and photo of Thomas McCleery, especially since I had never seen anything on any other website about him.

Answer 6

my grandfather Lonnie a first in African American History in Milwaukee 

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Spencer-25421

Comments

What an excellent profile you've created for your grandfather, Dee.  Thank you for sharing.

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Thank you I will learn how to add a photo today with Betsy Ko!

Answer 7

This photo was provided by a friend, I work on her family history. This man is her husband's great grandfather, born about 1862, he served for 13 or 16 years in Bengal, India. He and his wife left for India within a few weeks of their June 1884 marriage in Devon, England, 3 of his children were born in India, the eldest in September 1885.  He appears to have lied about his birthdate  when he enlisted to fight in WW1. 

My friend's son, so the great, great grandson of this man could be his twin, exactly the same hair and eyes.

Comments

Very cool photo. Thanks for sharing ! I love the uniform!

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Wonderful photo, M.  So he lied because he was too old to fight in World War I.  Just today I ran across a man who shaved 6 years off his age so he could fight in the Civil War.  I wonder how common it was for older man to do this.

Answer 8

I've added a photo of my first cousin, twice removed, Roger Ray White

He served in World War II. His obituary says he won a Bronze Star, but so far, I haven't been able to get to the library to get on Fold 3 and see if I can verify that.

I don't know the meaning of the items he's wearing in his cap and on his jacket.

I did figure out how to get the photo (that was already on Wikitree) added to the Free Space page!

Comments

Hi Sally.  Roger was an enlisted man in the Field Artillery branch (hat and collar).  He qualified on three weapons in his Basic Training; I can't read the bars attached to the marksmanship medals, but things generally covered in WWII were M1 rifle (US Rifle, caliber 30, M-1), M1 carbine (optional), M1911 .45 cal pistol, and Browning Automatic Rifle (B.A.R.).  My guess would be the first three, but the Army had zillions of weapons ranging from bayonets to tank weapons that could be qualified on.  The badge with two bars is the Marksman badge, the most basic qualification (hit at least 23 of 40 targets).  The other is a Sharpshooter  badge (30-35 hits out of 40).  He doesn't have an Expert badge (36-40 hits).  This was probably a graduation photo from Basic Training (note no rank insignia).  What a great photo!

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Thanks so much!

I that would have taken me a long time to find out that kind of information.

I appreciate it!

Answer 9

This is my great grandmother's brother Drvr William John Campbell NZFA with his best mate from home Jack Hay having their photo's taken in Egypt in 1916. They were ANZAC's there with the NZEF. Uncle Bill served in Gallipoli, before this photo was taken, and then afterwards in The Battles of the Somme, Messines and Passchendaele.

Comments

That picture is so KEWL!  Thanks for sharing!

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Gosh this is an amazing photo, Sarah.  Thank you so much for sharing it.

Answer 10

My father is the Illinois State trooper on the left side of the photo, leading the arrested escapee.

Answer 11

My 4th great grandfather, Manuel Blanco Encalada was Commander in Chief of the chilean Army and Navy. He fought for chilean and peruvian independence, and he was the first president of Chile.

This stamp was issued to commemorate 100 years of the first chilean government.