First Lt. Wilbur E. Roberts, center, goes over some paperwork with Brig. General Walter J. DeLong (left) and another unidentified officer at the special detachment headquarters in Forks. Gen. DeLong was an inspection tour of the field headquarters of the detachment of the Washington State Guard. Lt. Roberts was the detachment's commander. They had been sent to some of the wildest country in the US to serve as spotters for enemy aircraft. TPL-1758
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); DeLong, Walter J. ; Roberts, Wilbur E.;
In July of 1942, Pfc. Vern A. Reishus of Tacoma gazes westward watching for enemy aircraft, from an observation post built by the Washington State Guard on the Sekiu River bridge, located on the coastal road from Port Angeles to Neah Bay. The Guard's assistance was requested by the Army's Fourth Fighter Command, charged with the aerial protection of the Pacific Northwest. In June of 1942, thirty one members of the newly organized 4th Volunteer Infantry, Wa. National Guard, departed from Tacoma's Armory for active duty in one of the nation's most rugged areas. They were posted as lookouts on the Olympic Peninsula. (T. Times 7/28/1942, pg. 1)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Reishus, Vern; Observation towers; Bridges--Olympic Peninsula;
On June 18, 1942, a group of soldiers was pictured leaving the Armory in motor lorries for the Olympic Peninsula. They wave and smile at the camera from the rear of the lorry as it pulls away. The group of 30 Washington State Guard soldiers had been placed into active duty and ordered to proceed to the Olympic Peninsula to man air raid warning posts. All of the men had volunteered for the positions. They were under the command of Lt. Wilbur E. Roberts and would be headquartered at Forks, in southwest Clallam County. (T. Times 6/18/1942, p.1-picture)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Military uniforms--Washington State Guard; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations; Military vehicles;
Guardsman Irven W. Kenney kissed his mother goodbye on June 18,1942 as he left for active duty with the Washington State Guard. Emotionally looking on was his father, Lieut. Col. I. W. Kenney, a member of the staff of Adjutant General Walter J. DeLong. Irven had volunteered to go on active duty and was being sent to the Olympic Peninsula with 29 other Guardsmen to man air raid warning posts. In August of 1942 Lieut. Col. Kenney died suddenly while stationed in Ogden, Utah. His son, Irven Kenney, Jr. survived the war and returned to Tacoma where he lived for the rest of his life, dying in July of 1992. (T. Times 6/18/1942, pg. 1-picture)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Military uniforms--Washington State Guard; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations; Kenney, Irvin W.; Kenney, I.W.; Kenney, I.W.--Family;
A young soldier, carrying his possessions, happily prepared to board a military transport at the Armory, bound for the Olympic Peninsula. Thirty Washington State Guardsmen and their commander were called into active duty, the first in Washington. They were leaving on June 18, 1942 for their new headquarters at Forks, where they would fan out to man coastal air raid warning posts. They would be working with the Fourth Fighter Command, US Army Air Corps. (T. Times 6/18/1942, pg. 1)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Military uniforms--Washington State Guard; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations;
On June 18, 1942, a conference regarding travel orders was taking place as the first group of Washington State Guard to be called into active duty prepared to leave the Armory for the Olympic Peninsula. Pictured left to right are Sgt. Wallace Drake, 1st Lt. Wilbur E. Roberts- detachment commander, Sgt. Tom Cutter and Sgt. James E. Collins. The men will be headquartered at Forks where they will man coastal air raid warning posts. (T. Times 6/18/1942, pg. 1-picture)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Military uniforms--Washington State Guard; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations; Drake, Wallace; Roberts, Wilbur E.; Cutter, Tom; Collins, James E.;
A group of State Guardsmen are pictured leaving the Armory and loading into motor lorries on June 18, 1942. Thirty men and one officer of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Volunteer Infantry, Washington State Guard had been called into active duty, the first in the state of Washington. They were travelling to the Olympic Peninsula where they would man coastal air raid warning stations. (T. Times 6/18/1942, pg. 1)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Military uniforms--Washington State Guard; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations; Military vehicles;
Group picture of 30 Washington State Guardsmen and their commander, the first in the state to be called into active service. In the foreground is 1st Lt. Wilbur E. Roberts, Commander. The men are part of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Volunteer Infantry, Washington State Guard. They departed at 8:20 a.m. on June 18, 1942 in motor lorries for the Olympic Peninsula where they will man air raid warning posts. They will work with the Fourth Fighter Command, US Army Air Corps. The men will be headquartered at Forks, a logging and lumber town in Clallam County. (T. Times 6/18/1942, pg. 2-picture, names in caption)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Military uniforms--Washington State Guard; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations; Roberts, Wilbur E.;
Brig. General Walter J. DeLong, state Adjutant General, and his daughter Norma DeLong at Camp Murray. Norma was entering her junior year at Clover Park High School. She was the middle child in the DeLong family. (T. Times 6/20/1942, pg. 5)
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); DeLong, Walter J.; DeLong, Walter J.--Family; DeLong, Norma;
In June of 1942, Mary Rathfon (left) and Elizabeth Morris posed with a poster encouraging employees of the Internal Revenue Department to sign up for Payroll deductions to purchase war savings bonds. "Let's hit the bull's eye! Everybody. Every Payday. At Least 10%." Miss Rathfon holds an allotment card. Lots of those cards were filled out at the IRS office at the downtown Post Office; sign ups totalled 94.9 percent. (T. Times 6/5/1942, pg. 2)
War bonds & funds--Tacoma--1940-1950; Internal Revenue Service (Tacoma); Targets (Sports); Arrows; Posters; Rathfon, Mary; Morris, Elizabeth;
Brig. General Walter J. DeLong and his wife and daughter Norma at Camp Murray. Norma, a junior at Clover Park High School, was the couple's middle child. They also had two sons, Walter Jr., who attended Washington State College, and Clarence, a sixth grader at Clover Park School.
Washington State Guard (Tacoma); DeLong, Walter J.; DeLong, Walter J.--Family;
Major Ralph Jackson of the Washington State Guard pictured deep in concentration over his paperwork. This photograph accompanied an article urging volunteering in the State Guard, headquartered at Camp Murray. The State Guard was organized in 1941 to take the place of the National Guard which had been called into active duty. This group provided the governor with a military force to be employed in protection of lives and property within the state boundaries during an emergency. Men 18- 55 were eligible to volunteer. The State Guard was recommended for those contemplating future military careers or those unable to serve in regular military duties. (T. Times 7/1/1942, pg. 5)
On April 6, 1942, Tacoma was host to the first wartime parade through downtown Tacoma. It was held on the 25th anniversary of the U.S. war declaration of World War I (4/6/1917.) It also demonstrated the fitness and readiness of the Army and its equipment. The focus of the parade was a full regiment of infantry, completely equipped with steel helmets, packs and gas masks. In this photograph they are led by a military band and stretch out down the street as far as the eye can see. The Army Parade wound its way down Broadway and Pacific Ave. Missing were the usual photographers, news photographers were allowed to only take shots that were of no value to the enemy. (T. Times 4/6/1942, pg. 1)
Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Soldiers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Marching--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Military personnel--Tacoma;
On April 6, 1942, the Army held its first wartime parade in downtown Tacoma. It was held on the anniversary of the US war declaration of World War I (4/6/1917). The parade included an whole infantry of soldiers, fully outfitted. They also demonstrated their current equipment, such as these light scout cars armed with automatic rifles. (T. Times 4/6/1942, pg.1)
Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Soldiers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Marching--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Military personnel--Tacoma;
Standing in front of a portrait of General Douglas MacArthur and behind a giant "V" for victory, Lois Mae Smith sang at the war bond rally held on March 31, 1942. She was flanked by Bruce Stewart, a boy scout from Jason Lee Junior H.S. and Kenny Strom, a sea scout. At the "Defense Rally for Business Men," Tacoma's business leaders pledged to sell bonds amounting to 2% of their previous year's gross sales. Over $170,000 in pledges were turned in at the rally, and the drive expected to reach a total of over $300,000. TPL-1971 (T. Times 4/1/1942, pg. 1)
War bonds & funds--Tacoma--1940-1950; Public schools--Tacoma--1940-1950; Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma); Smith, Lois Mae; Stewart, Bruce; Strom, Kenny; World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects of war--Tacoma;
Big Buddy Day Marymount Military Academy. Norton Clapp, left, with tennis racket shakes hands with a young tennis player over the net on the academy's tennis courts. Building in background. Big Buddy Day was an annual event at the Academy where men and boys could participate in sports and programs together. The school had rigid standards in academics and athletics. The teacher-student ratio was 1-6. By 1974, the military designation and uniforms were dropped and the school became primarily a boarding school catering to the wealthy.
Marymount Military Academy (Spanaway); Private schools--Spanaway; Military education--Spanaway; Clapp, Norton, 1906-1995;
Officers greet one another in December of 1941 at the annual Christmas banquet for Company D, 116th Medical Regiment, Washington National Guard at Camp Murray.
Washington National Guard, Company D, 116th Medics (Tacoma); Banquets--Camp Murray; Holidays--Camp Murray--1940-1950;
ca. 1941. Fort Lewis soldiers demonstrate artillery techniques on the main parade ground in this 1941 photograph. The base chapel can be seen in the background at left. The citizens of Pierce County donated the land for a federal military base in 1917. Camp Lewis was named for Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. The named was changed to Fort Lewis in 1927.
Fort Lewis (Wash.); Chapels--Fort Lewis; Artillery (Weaponry )--Fort Lewis;
On October 30, 1941, all the stores downtown closed in the morning as Tacoma turned out for a massive parade of pre World War II military might. Over 10,000 men from the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Lewis marched as well as a parade of mechanized strength. One of the most impressive sights was the mobile kitchens where military cooks prepared food as they moved down Broadway during the two hour parade. Here soldiers receive coffee in the early morning hours prior to the parade kick off.
On October 30, 1941, over 10,000 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Lewis marched down Broadway in a tremendous military spectacle, the largest Army parade ever seen in Tacoma. The men march in step in mass formation, suggesting the enormous military power of the US. (T. Times 10/30/1941 p.1)
On October 30, 1941, the Army parades showing its military muscle. This was the greatest military spectacle to date in the Northwest. On the left is the Cameo Theater, 1128 Pacific Avenue.
Men and artillery wait patiently for their turn to parade on October 30, 1941. The Fort Lewis show of military might was over 6 miles long and took two hours to pass.
On October 30, 1941, people stride across the ground liberally scattered with papers at the military parade, composed mostly of the 3rd Infantry from Fort Lewis and their tanks and fire power.
On October 30, 1941, the troops of the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Lewis took to the streets of downtown Tacoma in a tremendous military spectacle. Over 10,000 soldiers, as well as their mechanized units, took part in an enormous Army parade. A crowd of Tacomans turned out to watch the spectacle.
On October 30, 1941, jeeps roll down the Broadway parade route as Fort Lewis shows off its military strength in a parade. Over 10,000 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division marched as well as a steady flow of tanks, artillery and mechanized machinery.
On October 30, 1941, the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Lewis took part in a huge military parade through downtown Tacoma. Men in jeeps pull artillery weapons. The Roxy Theater is on the right. The Bostwick building can be seen in the center background.
On October 30, 1941, the men of the 3rd Infantry, a division of Fort Lewis, march down the street in mass formation, suggesting the tremendous military power of the US. The line of marching men was over 6 miles long.
On October 30, 1941 troops of the 3rd Division's Infantry Battalion maintained close-order formation as they passed the Roxy Theater, turning from Broadway to march down South 9th Street. One of the largest crowds to ever watch a parade in Tacoma gathered to view the Army Day extravaganza. The parade of over 10,000 soldiers, with their support vehicles, stretched for over 6 miles. (TTimes 10/30/1941 p. 1)
