The 66th Photographer

I love this image, sent to me by the relative of John Katruska (see post below)

Thank you to Renee Katruska for sending the image!

During World War II, Mr. DUVALL served in the U.S. Army with the 71st Division, 3rd Army in the European Theater and was honorably discharged in 1946.

ENJOY!

I managed to get in contact with the daughter of Adrien J. Salvas, and she sadly confirmed that the man i am looking for isn't her farther. She did send me some great photos though, here are just 2 of them, including the Bronze Star Medal he was awarded.

Through this website I honor them, as they provided us with testimonies and through their lenses we are able to learn, hoping that one day, peace may govern our world, instead of war.'

Mike has bombarded my email account with images, postcards, tickets and news paper cuttings. Its been great browsing through them. Here is a cool postcard his Grandmother received while his Grandfather was still away.

Images are flowing in! Received a few today from Mike, the son of Michael Kerr, who was a Combat Engineer for the 66th Infantry Division. The images are great, and he is  sending me a few other things next week, including some letters. Cant wait! Thanks Mike.

Received a great surprise in the post today. A parcel from Texas! With this inside! Thanks alot to Bob who sent this around 5,000 miles to help me with my project. 

Keep the images coming in! 

I will upload a sample very soon!

I may have found out the identity of the mystery man...I am excited!!

"This picture taken on 10th May 1945 two days after Germany surrendered and the 66th moved into the pocket that was occupied by the Germans. My father is the one in the middle and he was just 25 at the time.  Before the war my Dad worked in a hoisery mill operating a knitting machine.  The fellow on the far left was a soda jerk before the war in NY.  Do you know what a soda jerk is?  At a time when drugstores had food counters inside the soda jerk was the guy who made the malts, the milk shakes, the cherry cokes etc for the people who sat at the counter.  The two guys on the left were farmboys from Alabama.  One of their names was Wagner.  My Dad said they could barely read and write but they were the two nicest guys and the two strongest guys he ever met.  The man 2nd from left is an officer who my Dad could not remember but he said he was a really good guy meaning he let the soldiers get away with a lot as long as they did their duty.  What moves me most about the picture is that those 5 guys look like any 5 kids on a high school football team who just won the traditional Thanksgiving Day football game against their long time rivals.  5 guys holding up as a trophy the flag of their enemy and their faces saying "look, Ma, we whupped 'em."  5 years before that flag was the flag of what the world said was the greatest and most fearsome army to ever take the field.   And yet they did get a whupping, didn't they.  They got their butts kicked by a knitter from Philadelphia, a soda jerk from NY and two barely literate cotton pickers from Alabama.  That's why I love that picture.    My Dad died in 2008."