In honor of memorial day, I am an 88 year old WW2 aerial photographer/vet

I don't have a question but just want to thank you for your service. (And mention how handsome and dashing your 19 year old self was and your 88 year old self is! :)

Thank you!! This is his granddaughter, he's smiling right now :)

came here to say thay exact thing

How did you know he was smiling?!

LOL

Straight dude, here. Can only agree.

;)

seriously- grandpa was SEXY!

He's blushing

/r/LadyBoners

This is his granddaughter: hahahaha

I have to ask about the monkey, you must have a story from that you want to share?

I found the monkey in Hilandia, New Guinea. It was near the campsite and just came up to me. I saw him and fed him bananas and tree nuts, and he liked me a lot. I kept him on a chain and became very close to him. I could not take him home back to the states, and I was very upset. I had him for 6 months and miss him dearly. The officer took him away from me. I named him, wow this goes back to 1945, Tojo. That was the Japanese premiere. He used to climb on the tent pole and he stayed there and kept watch. At night, and jumped onto my stray dog and rode him like a horse. The dog used to go crazy.

As someone who lives in the Philippines, what was your favorite things while in our country? I know things have changed a lot since you were last here but what was your fondest memory during your stay here?

I also with like to say thank you for your service. Philippines would have been a very different country today if it weren't for courageous people like you,

The people are absolutely fantastic and the food is great. I love chicken adobo. They taught us how to fish, how to wash our clothes, and then they would cook and clean. I learned so much about nature there and experienced the beautiful country. Meeting amazing young children was one of my fondest memories. The family respect is incredible. When I think of the Philippines I think of hospitality.

Now that I am in a nursing home, I think of all the compassionate and understanding people and many of my nurses are Filipinos. I think these people work in hospitals and medical centers because they truly care about others

Edit Although I am fully functional my wife had an accident a couple of years ago where her leg was amputated and she has a bad case of Parkinsons. In order to be with her I decided to live in the nursing home with her. She has full recollection of everything. I also have spinal stenosis from crouching in the airplanes and I had to have both knees replaced. It is difficult for me to walk. But I have my iPad and a TV in my room along with war memorabilia!

Now that is love. I'm at a loss for words.

66 years in August!

You're everything in a man I want to become.

An amazing loving husband, a man with so much honor for his Country he puts his personal squat behind him to serve and protect what we love. Raising a flourishing and loving family that actually appreciates and understands the sacrifices you made / endured.

I tearfully say thank you, so much for everything you laid upon line to protect the future of this nation. You're more of a man than I will ever be. I will always keep your story with me, and again

THANK YOU

Aww! He says thank you!

Wow so cool.

Do you have any really cool photos you want to show us?

http://imgur.com/LdWTsQ6 http://imgur.com/OgWN7Su

Rotated the images for everyone.

http://i.imgur.com/h7yADe8.jpg http://i.imgur.com/ExkG2mx.jpg

I think the folks in /r/colorizedhistory should take a jab at these two. :-)

Thank you for your service.

:')

[deleted]

Not at all. Great people

Since you asked so nicely, I am on it.

Here's the second one in color.

(In case anyone asks, the first one doesn't turn out too well because of the flash removing the details of his torso, and you usually need to have a scanned version of the photo that is to be colored.)

Awesome!

Thanks for the help!

Absolutely incredible.

YOURE absolutely incredible!

How do you feel about the way war has changed since WW2? Also have a wonderful memorial day and thank you so much for your service.

Today I am replaced by a satellite. They don't really depend on aerial photos. Technology replaces many jobs in the war, and I'm fascinated by how advanced it has become.

Considering your aerial photography role during the war, and your iPad now, any thoughts on Google Earth? I think its great that now anyone can see what only people with their own satellites could see during the cold war.

Google Earth is great. Now, I usually just listen to NPR and watch the History Channel on it

What was the most humbling experience you've had while you were serving?

They buried, I heard, his name was Harold, what happened was when they buried him he was Jewish they buried him with a cross. When we found out about it we went to person in charge of the burials because we wanted him buried with respect to his religion. We got it changed and I was very proud that we gave him dignity.

[deleted]

Hashem yevarech otcha. I am Jewish too.

What advice would you give a 19 year old like me who has minimal ideas when it comes to what I expect in my future?

I always regret not taking on my GI bill for my education. Take my advice and keep learning. Take more opportunities and learn as much as possible in life.

What kind of lenses did you use, shooting in the air? Just curious, and thank you. :)

It was a K-2 and a K-18 camera and a Fairchild brand

with the use of nuclear weapons and the subsequent victory, what was the feeling amongst troops towards Truman after V-J Day?

He did the right thing because he shortened the war and also gave us a point system, which means how long you were serving, which let us off earlier. He didn't send anyone home right away, and depending on how long you were there would determine when you went home.

Thank you for your service. What are your observations about the generations from the 60's, 80's and late 90's? I'm 48 and like to compare notes with people of all ages. Thanks for the ama.

1) I was a hippie, against the Vietnam War. Any war that followed after WW2 I don't agree with. I even sold and designed peace dog tags at peace marches with my 4 kids. I designed many peace symbol tags with doves to promote non-violence. Dog tags should not be used for war, they should be used for peace. 2) I was against Iraq in the 80's and was focused on my kids instead of wars like the Gulf War. 3) I didn't like the feelings Bush had on the war. I really only liked Truman even though he had shortened the war

Thank you for all you've done. What's the most ridiculous thing you witnessed?

P.S. Your aviator sunglasses in the picture from when you are 19 are awesome.

In those days I didn't really think about those things. Thinking back on it, the hygiene was pretty gross. You were a cowboy in the jungle. I would brush my teeth in dirty water once a month and a lot of troops wouldn't face this in the present

I dont really have any questions. I just want to thank you for your service and to thank you for protecting my freedoms before I was born. You have my deepest respect.

He's very appreciative of your comment and very excited!

You seem to have, overall, enjoyed the time that you served. My grandfather served in both Italy and North Africa in WW2 and will absolutely never even speak of his experiences, as they were too traumatic. First of all, thanks for being so open and honest! Now, what elements of the war, specifically, gave you the fondest memories? Do you feel like only certain personality types can come out of war with the type of positivity you have?

1) I came from a family of 8 boys, 4 were in the military, one served in North Africa, one served in Europe, one came in on D-Day, and then I in the South Pacific. Each one of us served in a different theatre and I liked talking about it with them. Being together and discussing our experiences made me proud. 2) Yes, you have to be positive and enjoy the simple pleasures in a time of destruction. I always identify myself as a veteran and am very proud of my experience because I met a lot of interesting people like villagers and my fellow members of my squad. I truly made a lot of brothers. I didn't fight on the line and I feel like that was part of the reason, I never saw many horrors. I helped save lives and take photos

No question, but thank you. You are one brave mother fracker! Thank you for your commitment and service.

My papa just said "F yeah!"

How did reconasaince missions usually proceed (so did you have a crew - who did what, what plane did you fly, were you usually pretty high or low in altitude?)? Did you often run into opposition?

1) I had a pilot, an aerial gunner, navigator, an aerial photographer(me), and I was also the GPS and the satellite. The navigator would sometimes take the place of me if I was shooting pictures. In those days there was no GPS. 2) B-24 was the airplane. 3) 500 feet off the ground, VERY low, because we didn't have a GPS!. 4) Yes, then we would have to go to a higher altitude. People would shoot at us very often, it was scary. We would go up to 800-1500 feet.

First off, thank you for your service. I could not begin to imagine what you're been through. I have no question, but I felt compelled to put this down. My grandfather, Alvin Love, also served in New Guinea, but as a mechanic. He'll have been gone for 8 years in July. He would have been 91 this year. I miss him terribly. To your granddaughter, please cherish every moment you have with him.

I do! He's in tears right now so excited to share his memories. I am only 16, and am so lucky to have such an amazing papa who loves his family and his country. I spend a lot of time with him

When I was 16 my History teacher gave us an assignment to interview someone at least 40 years older than us. I chose my Grandpa, who also served in WW2. He passed in '09, and the cassette recording is long gone. But I will never forget the giggle that came right after I found a girlie pin up pic in his war stuff, when I was interviewing him about his experiences. I can't tell him now, but I sure can tell you, thank you so much for your sacrifice, Sir. And Miss Granddaughter, you have made my day more than you know. This is like going back in time for me.

:)

Did you do any post-bomb recon at Nagasaki or Hiroshima? if so, what was your first thought/impression?

No, I didnt see much of Japan as I started in New Guinea, then East Indies, then the Phillipines, Okanawa. Nothing really bothered me as I was desensitized to the destruction. I really respected and still respect the Japanese, they were very nice to me and cooperative.

Sir,

Thank you for your service. I am currently serving in the Army as a helicopter pilot, and I know that in the air we have a different view of the world/ battlefield. I would assume you had chances to take reconnaissance photographs from both the ground and air based perspectives.

Were there certain aspects of either or both that made those particular photographs more valuable to the intelligence troops?

People say that mine is another "greatest generation" but I believe mine has nothing on yours. Bless you, and thanks for this AMA.

I made sure my angles and perspective were great. I think my artistic eye really helped that. After the war I went into portrait and commercial photography because I'm very passionate about it Thank you for your service!

Damn, you look great for 88, and now for my question what was your favorite photograph of all time?

My favorite photograph of all time is a picture of JFK, I'm really fond of him: http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/john-f-kennedy.jpg

I would love to hear more about your pet monkey. I've always wanted one.

This is his granddaughter: He's laughing right now. okay back to him: Used to leave him in my tent on a chain and he slept on the tent pole. He always was on my shoulder when I trained him to be like that. Very affectionate and he used to pick up little specks on my arm that he thought were bugs and would try to eat them. He used to scratch my skin. He would get so excited when I came back

Do you get upset when people confuse Memorial day with Veterans day?

Not at all, I think it's nice to be remembered at least in some way twice a year. It's very important for our youth to continue to remember how so many people have fallen and fought very hard to protect their country and bring honor.

someone should colorize him when he was 19

/r/colorizedhistory to the rescue?

That would be great! Please link it here if someone does do it. My grandpa would love to see the results

All I have to say is thank you.

Thank you for your appreciation

What is your favourite picture that you've taken? The one the makes you happiest? The one that makes you sad?

1) Pictures of natives were my favorite. 2) The pictures of their children and family were amazing and made me very happy to take. They were lovely people. In exchange to taking their photographs they would watch my clothes and feed me. I loved taking pictures of what they ate, them fishing, and coconuts. 3) When I took pictures of the destruction and dead Japanese it really upset me. I felt very bad. I was happy I never really had to use a gun or weapons. I could never have done that

Best and worst part of owning a pet monkey?

Also, thanks for serving, and damn you look badass. (In both pictures)

I am a badass.

Best part; Theyre like little humans Worst part; he would hurt my arm sometimes trying to pick bugs off of me. The absolutely worst part was having to give the guy up

Hi I am from the Philippines! How was it working with Americans and Filipinos during the war?

Filipinos are some of the nicest people I have met. I love the people so much, because they were so good to me. They fed all of the troops, washed my clothes. They always helped you. They appreciated what we were doing for them. I thanked one of the women for washing my clothes on the rocks, I gave her my white parachute. The next day she marched her entire family to me because she had thought I was giving her material for her wedding gown!

Thank you so much for your service, and it's a great thing to (kind of) talk to a vet.

• You said that some of your fondest memories are from the war. is there any specific example that sticks out in your mind?

• What are the details behind the engagement that gave you your Purple Heart?

• And, what was the local reaction to allied forces living in the Philippines after the war?

A family friend of ours fought in the war, and I think was a combat pilot. He passed a few years back, and I never got the chance to talk to him about it. Thank you for doing this AMA!

1) Bob Hope visited the troops and that was very nice. I heard him and took pictures of him. The photographs I took of him, gee imagine that, and the camera that I used was an aerial camera that took 9 by 18 photos so they were very large. When the camera went off the shutter made such a loud noise and being that I was the closest point to him he interrupted me and says "COULD YOU PUT THAT RAT TRAP AWAY"

2) I was up in the air in the B-24 with my head out of the window which was used for observation and I got shot in the ear from shrapnell from a flak. I didn't even realize it the noises of the plane were distracting me.

3) They weren't upset we were in their village. They were never mad

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Nope Philippines will always remain close to my heart

OP: Your grandpa was a fox! Love those aviators, too!

This is a really silly question, I'm sure, but how exactly does one get shot in the ear and...um...live to answer questions on Reddit decades later? It sounds like a really scary story, and if he doesn't mind speaking about it (although I understand perfectly if he'd rather not), I'd like to hear it.

EDIT: I see you've answered it upthread, but I have a kind of gross curiosity about this. Where in the ear did the shrapnel hit you? Do you have the piece of shrapnel somewhere in a jar?

he just chuckled. And it grazed my ear I was very lucky

I was a Canadian soldier who joined after the end of the cold war. On this Memorial Day I would like to say thank you for your service. I have two questions.

1. Have you ever thought of writing a book and filling it with your experiences, memories and photos as you already know are priceless?

2. Did/do you keep in touch with anyone you met who fought for the Japanese or who lived in Asia?

1) A lot of people have said that to me, I need a writer! 2) Unfortunately no, I wish I did but it was very hard because of the times and lack of communication. I did have a squadron reunion but most of the guys are gone. If there are any people from Leyte, Sebu, ect. maybe their families I had met. I woud love to know changes in those places now

Not a question, but 19 year old you looked like a stone cold badass.

Pretty much :D

First off, a big thank you to you and all your fellow service members.

I'll jump into what I'm wondering...

Were you drafted or joined voluntarily?

Do you think the world will be a better or worse place in 100 years?

What made this monkey so cool? What's your best memory of Tojo the monkey?

1) Drafted 2) It will be a better place if we stop interfering with the Middle East and support Israel and all the countries who want democracy and peace. 3) The monkey had a great personality and was one of my best friends. I'm an animal lover to this day. At one point in my home I rescued 12 cats and 9 dogs at once

Outside of war, what did you and other veterans do to pass the time?

We spent more time playing cards, but in my spare time I would just go to the villages and photograph how villagers lived. That was the most enjoyable for me. i knew I would have many opportunities playing cards and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity

What's something you saw during the war that haunted/still haunts you?

When I was in surgery on my heart about 10 years, I had a really bad flashback of a person that was shot down from my squadron. Another instance was when a man's plane didn't come down and they were tyring to talk by radio giving him instructions and when I did see it come crashing down I was too focused on what to do. Ironically his wife that day received gave birth to a set of twins and they didn't want to upset him as he was not there by his side. He was really bothered by that. Fortunately his plane did come back

How do you see your role as a photographer in the war?

A person who never used violence to help America

He is one good looking man! Thank you for all you've done. You are appreciated and respected more than you know!

This is his granddaughter, he's so excited for all the feedback he's received so far

First off, thank you for not only doing this AMA, but for serving. As a family of a WW2 nurse who served in Europe (who actually lied about his age to enlist), It's awesome to see vets still alive to talk about their time. There are questions I wish I could've asked my grandfather, but he died before I was born.

Did you do any other service after the war? (Were you stationed at any bases here in the states?)

Were you a part of the draft?

1) No, I went home and started a family with my lovely wife who is still alive today with me. I got honored with the 5th Airforce a couple of years ago to Vance Base Enid Oklahoma and they did a flyover for us. 2) I was drafted after I took a test for photography

Having had your own military experience, what were your thoughts of the Vietnam War? Did you support it or want the U.S. out? What about more recent wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan?

I did not support the Vietnam war at all nor did I support any war in the present

In the village that you lived in, how did the locals treat you? Did they welcome soldiers at the time or were they uneasy about them?

They ALWAYS welcomed us

[deleted]

1) yes absolutely 2) Not going to war with any other countries after World War 2 3) My biggest hope for the future is that my grandchildren and their children will find peace

I teach highschool history. What do you want kids to remember? What are the things you'd like conveyed to the following generations about the war?

Although the war had a lot of bad things, people should know that there were great times depending on where you were. If you really want to learn about history, try to meet people who were actually there

What was the most beautiful thing you have witnessed in war?

Port Mosby was absolutely beautiful in New Guinea but the Philippines was even better. The villages and houses were intricate and fascinating. New Guinea was all jungles. Sebu was my favorite

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In the foxholes I was scared because our auxiliary would be firing at our enemy planes and I feared for my life that they would attack. But they never came close to harming us

Thanks for your service.

Peace

Did you see the HBO series "The Pacific"? It was sort of a sequel to Band of Brothers, but in the Pacific. If so, did you think it was accurate? What were your thoughts on it? Thank you for your service.

Nope, I'll look into it

Have you visited the Philippines since your departure? I live here now and am interested to see your take on the biggest differences from WWII! Thank you!

No, I unfortunately have not. I would have loved to. My favorite city in the Philippines was Takloven, but I don't think it's there now. I think it's more westernized in the present.

Thank you for taking time on Memorial day to do this AMA. Were you interested in photography before the reconnaissance assignment? What souvenirs did you take home?

1) Yes, I come from a long line of photographers. I studied photography in high school as a vocational trade. My cousin was a town photographer in the Holocaust and took pictures that were useful in the Nuremberg Trials and hang in the museum in DC today. Before the war, I received an appointment to work for the government at the Army War College in DC. Because there were no copy machines I had to photograph documents that were stamped restrictive, top secret, and most secret. I'm pretty sure these were part of the Manhattan Project. 2) I had a Japanese sash, which they wore around their belt line. On the back of it would be knitted knots and these were the Japanese messages of his family profession and it was used to identify him and his family if he died. I brought home a purple heart, my cameras. Most things I was not allowed to take home. I was very sad about my monkey. I did buy a lot of copies of my cameras and donated it to the present day squadron in Enid, Oklahoma the 5th airforce

Did you find out any thing about the government/military you didn't want to?

In War College I have a flashback where I had to photograph the most secret that I believe was the Manhattan Project. I was shocked to see how many documents were kept hush hush

Thank you so much for your service, sir, and taking the time to tell us your stories.

(Also, thanks to your granddaughter for relating all the information.)

Thanks!

With the World Wars being such a negative time in history, what are you able to take from the experience that is positive?

I really only have positive memories of the war, I'm very lucky. I wish more people focused on the interesting and positive parts rather than the horrors

I would like to start by saying thank you for your service. We are all indebted to your sacrifice.

You said that some of your fondest memories are from the war and I was wondering if you would share some that you remember?

The honor flight in the present I took about 2 years ago was awesome. I met a lot of older war vets. http://www.honorflight.org/

Hello and thanks for everything you've done for our country :) How did you end up in the situation where you were shot?

I was photographing an airstrip that Japanese had and I had my head out the window in a B 24. They spotted me

There was a special on discovery last night about aerial 3d photography, is that what you were a part of?
What locations do you remember photographing the most?
Do you think any photographs that you personally took helped tip the war?

1) No, they didnt have it. 2) The villages and the enemy airstrips were quite interesting. 3) Yes, the most famous discovery I made when I had the aha moment when I realized I was the eyes of General Macarthur. We were the 8-ballers. Look for the book, it's really cool. I can't remember any specifics right now

Very handsome, as a young man!~

Thank you! I agree-His granddaughter

Hi. I am currently serving as a photographer in the Air Force. I am not an aerial photographer, but it is an option if I choose to pursue it.

What was your school and training like?

Was it what you wanted to do, or was it a, "Congrats, this is now your job." Kinda thing?

Did you ever do work for documentation purposes, or was your work strictly for recon and intel purposes.

Did you do much work in the darkroom or did you just hand your imagery over to people to process?

Thanks! This is all very interesting.

I always loved photography in high school and I did photograph for documentation, recon, and intel purposes. I worked in dark-rooms we created in the jungles

Thanks for your service. I'm curious if you use a modern digital camera now (DSLR) and how you feel about the modern advancements in photography.

Yes! I have many cameras and always have one with me. Taking pictures is still one of my favorite things to do. This is his granddaughter: The majority of my photos from my early childhood were actually taken by my Papa, he always had a camera ready to snap a picture. He's so talented and has a great eye

Just wanted to say that your 19 year-old self looked like a total boss. Thank you for your service.

You're a boss!

Clicked for the feels, stayed for the hotness! Wow - one good lookin' service man!

(and I'm not even American)

;)

Where were the photos you took during the war displayed?

Edin Airforce base in Oklahoma

What do you think about digital photography compared to film?

Both are incredible in their own ways. Photography is an art form that no other can compare to

Thank you for your service to our country. How did you find the Philippine people? Did they treat the Americans well? Or did they harbor any resentment to the Americans being there? I assume the Philippinos hated the Japanese more than they disliked the Americans.

The Filipino people are the kindest in the world. There was a mutual respect and bond I will never forget. I never met one that harbored resentment.

As somebody who is interested in joining the military and has a nack for Cameras (mostly video, but stills are awesome!) what do you suggest?

I don't know what a present-day reconnaissance consists of but read the Eyes of the 5th Airforce book and educate yourself on programs you can join before joining the military. Keep studying photography and cameras, and inquire about military training.

What was the life expectancy of photographers in that theater of war? I've heard it was worse than that of the soldiers. Is that true?

I never heard anything like that.

What do you think of today's photographic equipment and cameras? Do you use the "latest and greatest" cameras or resort to your older ones? Thank you for all you've done aswell sir.

I use the latest and greatest. My older ones are on display to admire and show others. I don't want to ruin them

Do you still own any firearms/weapons from your service days? If so, which ones?

Never had a real gun in the war. I was a photographer and am glad I never had to harm anyone