I am the proud granddaughter of two World War II veterans.  I didn’t realize until I became an adult how important it was to capture their stories.  Now I’m trying to piece it together. After discovering these photos I decided to create this page to provide a glimpse into the past and to honor all of the men and women who served our country during World War II.

My paternal grandfather, Francis Wilson, enlisted on February 1, 1943 at Camp Dodge in Des Moines, Iowa.  He left the United States on September 29, 1944 and returned in July of 1945.

My maternal grandfather, and the photographer of everything you see here, enlisted in April of 1944, when he was 18.  He was sent overseas with the 16th Armored Division on February 5, 1945 and didn’t return to the United States until June 1946, a full year after fighting ended in Europe.

We would love to hear from you.  If you can identify anything in the pictures on these pages, please contact us.  Or we’d love to hear your families war lore – the stories pass down and retold.  Contact us below: