hide & seek

Childhood games were part of life for those of us in the 1950s.  Usually it was a group process involving a number of neighborhood kids.  Things were pretty straight forward :  "Army"; and/or "Cowboy & Indians", for the guys... "dolls"; and/or "dress-up" for the girls.  Occasionally we would join forces with "hide & seek" being the routine activity.

Now when one graduated from "peak-a-boo" to the task of "hide & seek", one needed a certain level of training.  The following shows a young one in such a training episode.

First, one must get the concept of hiding.   Just closing the eyes certainly hid everyone else, but it failed to recognize that the rest of the body remained exposed.  Over time, one was to learn how to place the exposed body parts behind certain obstacles, and not to giggle or laugh which added auditory hints to your selected location.  Special positions, light and darkness, and other considerations were often necessary.   The fellow above seems to be somewhere in between this learning curve.  Eyes opened...body parts somewhat hidden...swatting down [ a added benefit ]...and a determined look which seems to be saying... "they won't find me here". 

Hum...wonder as adults how many of us are still playing this game...hide & seek.

Stamps

Childhood in Kentucky during the 50's was pretty much straight forward.  You woke up...went to the bathroom...got dressed...a bowl of cereal...then to the great outdoors.  At least this was true during the three months of summer vacation.  The weather cooperated on most days, and you could participate in all kinds of neighborhood adventures.  On rainy days you might still play outside...get soaked...and jumps around in all those puddles of water.  Now on some days that contained thunder and lighting you needed to stay indoors, and go to plan B.   Here is one example :

A beginning collector it was stated.  Led by the Cub Scouts, followed at end by the Brownies and  well dressed neighborhood kids betwixt, you marched into plan B.  It even showed the playful dog rising to the occasion.  What more could you ask for in a plan B... 4300 spaces for stamps... more than 2500 pictures...world maps...and descriptions of each country... wow.  Good old Abe [born in Kentucky], honest George, and our friends to the north, are shown on the stamps carried above.

The back of the album continued the promises.  Stamp collecting brings fun and knowledge...even a couple of foreign languages were shown on these stamps.

 Let's get this plan B going.  Bring on the stamps......

 Wait a minute, you say it has stopped raining...back to plan A it is.

Wings of Valor : Air Crew Member

Once the plane got back to base, it was up to the ground crew to check for damage, and to repair the aircraft for another flight.  The wings are shown.

The image is that of the seal of the United States.  There is a circular figure placed above the head of the eagle.  It appears to be a sun burst surrounded by a circle of starts.  Does anyone know its symbolic meaning?

Keep'um flying.

BLOG-A-VERSARY....AGAIN

On this very day, July 7, 2010...my adventure into the blog world began.  Now begins the eighth year.  Just over 300,000 page visits [302,671] among the posts, and 794,073 for all blogs started since then.  The blog world continues.  Hard to believe that 333 posts have been written among these seven years for this blog. [1,633 post for all blogs combined]   Prior to blogging, a family newsletter dedicated to the JONES surname was published from 1989.  This newsletter was titled: The Jones Genealogist, thus the name of the blog spot is taken.  Happy Anniversary...may the post keep coming till the cows come home.

Wings of Valor : Aerial Gunner

Once the plane got off the ground and into the air...and the navigator got the plane to its desired position...and the bombardier got their bomb load to the target...the coming and going often depended upon the aerial gunner.  On the B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber there were up to 13 -50 caliber machine guns. [Lucky number I guess.]

Upper turret, belly turret, nose turret, and tail gunner all had their assigned guns.  During an air battle, all crew members (except the pilots)  joined the fighting.  A bullet with wings it is.  Fire at will. 

Wings of Valor : Bombardier

Once the Pilot/Co-Pilot got the bomber into the sky, and the Navigator got the plan where it was assigned to attack, the Bombardier was to get the pay load onto the target.  The wings shown is that of the fellow who took control of the plan to get the bombs on target.

A bomb heading downward in the middle of the view finder.  Bombs away!

Wings of Valor : Navigator

The role of the pilot was to get the plane off the ground and into the air. [wings shown last post]  Once airborne, the navigator was to get them where they were assigned.  The wings worn by the one who controlled the course of the plain is shown below.

There was a special symbol placed in the center of the wings.  It seems to have been the symbol of a gyrocompass of sorts.  This was a compass consisting of a continuously driven gyroscope whose spinning axis is confined to a horizontal plane so that the earth's rotation causes it to assume a position parallel to the earth's axis and thus point to the true north.  True north indeed it is.

Are there any folks out there who might be able to better explain this symbol and its meaning?

Wings of Valor : Pilot

Valor can be defined as strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness.  The U.S. Army Air Forces, June 1941 to September 1947, gave qualification badges to those who were active among the various Air Forces [1st Air Force to 20th Air Force] who participated in WWII.  These came to be called "wings" and  represented the various roles the individual had among the air crews.  The following posts will show these worn by the air crews.

The first is that of the "Pilot".

Wings centered by a shield.  In bomber groups this would also be worn by the Co-Pilot.  These were formed from sterling silver, and the words "sterling" appears on the back side in very small print.

According to the text by A. Timothy Warnock, the United States Air Force was first called "the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Army Signal Corps" from August 1907 to July 1914.  It was then called "Aviation Section, U.S. Army Signal Corps" from July 1914 to May 1918.  It was then described as "U.S. Army Air Service" from May 1918 to July 1926.  This was changed to "U.S. Army Air Corps" from July 1926 to June 1941.  During WWII, it was the "U.S. Army Air Forces" from June 1941 until September 1947 when it was formed into a distinct branch of service the United States Air Force (USAF).  The wings to be shown are from the WWII period of valor.

Ref. : United States Air Force Combat Medals, Streamers, and Campaigns, by A. Timothy Warnock, Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1990.

Almost 40

Looking back in time is usually the major part of a genealogist's activity.   Family ancestors uncovered, and their story recorded is often the goal.  Today however... in the present... finding this picture of my oldest as a child, brought to mind the realization that she is about to turn 40. 

Here she stands.  Hair blown, investigating everything around her, it was difficult at times even to get her to stand still long enough for a picture.  This must have been one of those days.  A birdhouse with Cardinal was in front leading the way. [Kentucky State bird it is.]  That look of ..."what's next"...graces the face.  Wow...almost 40 years ago.   The future is still being explored, and the present is still being lived.  Hum...more family stories to be written.

Kentucky Barns

For a nine year old, the 1950s in Central Kentucky had a few things certain.   Church on Sundays, getting spanked at home if you got spanked at school, the "Voice" of the Kentucky Wildcats   [Caywood Ledford], and tobacco barns.  You know those stately, wood, black painted structures that had all those openings along the sides, and a shining metal roof.  A Sunday drive around the Bluegrass country side seeing tobacco growing in every field, would certainly need somewhere to reside after being cut.  On long drives, you could count the barns you observed while hanging out one of the back windows.

Here is all that remains today...

Time has past.  The tobacco fields are long gone.  Most of the remaining barns look somewhat like the one above.  Not what you would call "stately". 

WWII American Defense Service Medal

Defending America prior to the onset of WWII began on September 8, 1939 following a national emergency proclamation.  Of course it ended on December 7, 1941, but the following medal was awarded to members of the United States armed forces for service during this period.

On the obverse (front) stands a female figure representing Liberty.  She is holding a shield and brandishing a sword.  She stands on a live oak branch with its branches terminating in four leaves representing the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.  "American Defense" is lettered above.  The ribbon is yellow with narrow red, white, and blue stripes near each edge. 

Several clasps were awarded with the medal. [Two claps are shown on the medal above.]  The Navy and Marine Corps each had two clasps, with the "Fleet" clasp awarded for service on vessels of the fleet.  The "Base" clasp was for service on shore at bases and naval stations outside the continental limits of the United States. [This included Alaska and Hawaii at the time.]

On the reverse (back) the inscription "For Service during the Limited Emergency Proclaimed by the President on 8 September 1939 or during the limited emergency proclaimed by the President on 27 May 1941" is given.  Below this inscription is a spray of seven leaves.

Note: the Army had a "Foreign Service" clasp for service outside the continental limits of the United States, and the Coast Guard authorized a "Sea" clasp.  Also, personnel of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard who served on board certain vessels operating in actual combat were entitled to a bronze "A" on the medal ribbon.

References:

American War Medals and Decorations, by Evans E. Kerrigan, The Viking Press, N.Y., 1964.

The Call of Duty : Military Awards and Decorations of The United States of America, by John E. Strandberg and Roger James Bender, 1994.

Guidebook of U.S. Medals : A complete guide to the decorations and awards of the United States from 1782 to present, by Evans E. Kerrigan, Medallic Publishing, 1990.