WORLD WAR II GYRENE PHOTO ALBUM
page 18
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(left) Alda Devine, of Hillsville, Virginia, in Honolulu– summer of 1945. Alda served with G 2/3, 3rd MarDiv as a BAR man during the Bougainville campaign and with the Marine Depot, Pearl Harbor.
Courtesy of Alda Devine
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(above) G 2/3 on American Samoa– early1943. The CO, Capt. Bert Simpson, is in the middle of the front row.
(click on the photo above or HERE to view a larger version.)
Courtesy of Alda Devine
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I received the following in an e-mail from Alda Devine: [H]ere's a synopsis of what happened to me after Bougainville. While setting up camp on the 'Canal I developed symptoms of moo-moo [filiriasis]. I was surveyed stateside to the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, Ca. After a couple of months of getting stuck with a razor blade in a cork with inconclusive findings, I volunteered for active duty. I guess my service record warranted assignment near home, for I was assigned to the Naval Torpedo Plant in Alexandria, Va., my home town. After a stint there I was shipped back to the Pacific Theater, I think to rejoin the 3rd MarDiv. However, I was pulled from the replacement pool and assigned tio the Pearl Harbor Marine Depot till war's end. I was honorably discharged in Feb '46.
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(left) Cpl Lyle Nelson, 3rd Signal Co, 3rd MarDiv. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 1942 and served until October 1945. He was from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Cpl Nelson was a field wireman in the divisional switchboard section. He participated in the campaign for Bougainville and was reassigned stateside in April 1944. He served at Treasure Island for the rest of his time in the Corps.
Both before and after his service, Cpl Nelson worked in the communication industry. He retired from Bell Labs and died in 1988.
Courtesy of Cpl Nelson's son, Jim Nelson
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(above) Cpl Lyle Nelson (standing second from left) with some of his buddies in the 3rd Signal Co–late 1943. If you can identify any of the other Marines in this photo, please contact WW2Gyrene.
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Below is an excerpt of the WW2 Gyrene guestbook entry from Cpl Nelson's son, Jim:
"I am the proud son of a WWII Marine, Corporal Lyle E. Nelson, 3rd Signal Co., Third Marine Division. He landed on Bougainville Nov 1, 1943 after enlisting Aug 1942 and shipping out for Auckland in Feb, 1943 with Division HQ aboard the SS Lurline. My father was deeply but quietly proud of his USMC service until his passing in 1988. Semper Fi…"
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(above) 3rd Signal Co divisional switchboard on Bougainville– late 1943. The Marine in this photo appears to be the same as the one in the above photo kneeling second from left. If you know his identity, please contact WW2 Gyrene.
USMC Photo
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(left) Cpl Steve Aleksich, of Peoria, Ill. Born in 1920, Steve joined the Marine Corps in January 1942. He shipped overseas with the 22nd Marines and volunteered for the 3rd Raider Bn while stationed on Samoa. He fought the the Raiders in the Russells and on Bougainville.
When the Raiders were deactivated in February 1944, Steve was assigned to 3/4. With this outfit, he participated in the landing on Emirau in March 1944. He served in combat during the entire campaign for Guam in the summer of 1944. He rotated back stateside and spent the rest of his service as a rifle coach at Parris Island. He was discharged shortly after the war ended.
Following his Marine Corps service, Steve became a design engineer in the aerospace industry. He worked on the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, and passed away in 2000.
information and photo courtesy of Marine veteran Perry Woolsey
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(left) Cpl Anthony Reviello of Rutherford, NJ. Tony served in the Marine Corps from 1944–46 as an aircraft mechanic with VMF(N)–542. His squadron took part in the campaign for Okinawa, flying from Yontan airfield, and was credited with 18 kills.
Tony is retired, and still lives in Rutherford. His hobby is restoring antique autos, and he's a proud Marine.
Courtesy of Cpl Reviello's daughter, Arlene
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