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)

Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Spectators stand several people deep to watch the 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Lewis parade by on October 30, 1941.

Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Crowds line the street on October 30, 1941, as men and artillery pass in formation during the Army parade. Over 10,000 soldiers would take part in the 2 hour parade through downtown Tacoma.

Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Army Day parade in downtown Tacoma, 3rd Division.

Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950;

On October 30, 1941, downtown businesses were closed due to the massive two hour military parade making its way downtown. Following the parade, stores would throw open their doors for a once a year United Tacoma Days sale. Here bus and or streetcar employees meet with a coordinator, possibly to go over schedule changes made to deal with the increase of downtown traffic.

Military parades & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950; People associated with transportation;

Tank maneuvers at Fort Lewis where Mayor Harry P. Cain was guest of honor on October 21, 1941. Some of the 41 tanks are pictured during the one-day exercise. 4,500 men participated in the "battle" where everything, but the shells, was real. Spearheaded by the 10-ton armored tanks, the "Blues" traveled across rolling and rough terrain to engage the "Reds" in combat. (T. Times 10/22/1941, pg. 1)

Tanks (Military science)--Tacoma; Military maneuvers--Fort Lewis;

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)

Washington State Guard (Tacoma); Jackson, Ralph;

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.;

Permanent barracks and buildings at Fort Lewis. By summer of 1941, over 50,000 soldiers were scheduled to be stationed at Fort Lewis, making it the fourth largest city in the state. It ranked in population just below Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma. Fort Lewis was already the headquarters of the 3rd Division regular Army, but since last September, they had been joined by the 41st Division National Guard. (T. Times 2/16/1941, pg. 3)

Fort Lewis (Wash.); Barracks--Fort Lewis; Military facilities--Wash.;

Permanent barracks and buildings at Fort Lewis as they appeared in February of 1941. In 1916, Pierce County presented the federal government with 70,000 acres of land to be used as a military post for mobilization of troops in World War I. The post was known as Camp Lewis. After the war, the camp was dismantled. In September of 1927, it was renamed Fort Lewis and scheduled for 10 years of enlargement and development. The impending entry into World War II had sparked even more development. (T.Times 2/26/1941 p.3)

Fort Lewis (Wash.); Barracks--Fort Lewis; Military facilities--Wash.;

Chapel at Fort Lewis. The chapel was built in 1934 at a cost of $90,000, part of a six year, five and 1/2 million dollar improvement project funded by the federal government. The chapel is a two story brick structure with a colonnaded entry and a rose window. The inside was suitable for worship of all faiths. (T.Times 2/26/1941 p.3)

Fort Lewis (Wash.); Military facilities--Wash.; Chapels--Fort Lewis;

Wedding of Lt. A. W. Pribnow and Betty Fry at Fort Lewis. Mock wedding on mule back. The couple rides in chairs tied to either side of the mule's back. It is an old tradition that newly wedded officers and their brides are given a ride by their artillery battalion on the unit's caisson or gun carriage. The 98th Field Artillery (Pack) Battalion, lacking such equipment, was giving the tradition a fresh look by riding the couple on two chairs lashed to a mule's back. (not the same event as D10861 image A)

Fort Lewis (Wash.); Mules; 98th Field Artillery (Pack) Battalion (Ft. Lewis); Pribnow, A.W.; Fry, Betty;

Review of troops at Fort Lewis for Governor Langlie. A military band stands at rest while a dirigible flies overhead. The hills are covered with nearly a thousand seated spectators, present to view the show of military might. The 3rd Division, over 3,000 strong, would be parading for Washington's new Governor Langlie. The afternoon would be spent on close inspection of artillery and vehicles. (T. Times 3/6/1941, pg. 1)

Military parades & ceremonies--Fort Lewis; Airships;

ca. 1940. Group of solders stuffing sacks with straw - buildings and woods in background.

Military personnel--1940-1950;

In December of 1940, Sgt. Jack Bergnouse, from Company G 161st Infantry, stood at attention while his comrades watched. He was modelling the battle togs and pack of the 1940 modern soldier. He posed with his helmet on, bayonet fixed and feet encased in military rubber overshoes. The battlewear was much lighter and more streamlined than that of World War I; but he was still wearing the M1917 steel "Doughboy" style helmet left over from the first World War. In 1941-42, the more protective M-1 "Steel Pot" helmet was adopted as a replacement. (T. Times 12/23/1940, pg. 1)

Washington National Guard, 161st Infantry, Company G (Wash.); Bergnouse, Jack; World War, 1939-1945--Military uniforms--United States;

On April 17, 1941, the 205th Coast Artillery (anti-aircraft) unit set up machine gun emplacements on the Tacoma tideflats to protect Tacoma from a mock "attack" by planes. As night fell, powerful searchlights, located at Browns Point, near Stadium High, and on the tideflats, cut through the dark sky, locating airplanes from Gray field as they entered the air space over Tacoma. This camouflaged foxhole was placed where it could guard the Hooker Chemical plant, in the background, from attack. (T. Times 4/18/1941, pg.1)

205th Coast Artillery (Tacoma); World War, 1939-1945--Military training; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma);

A portion of the current 900 recruits pose on the tarmac near the old Tacoma Field hangar, now part of McChord Field. The volunteers face six weeks of intensive training, including drilling. They are destined for specialized branches of the service- such as medical corps, ordnance or the air corps. (T. Times 11/27/1940, pg. 1)

Soldiers--Tacoma--1940-1950; McChord Field (Tacoma); World War, 1939-1945--Military training; Military life;

The U.S.S. Laffey was on display at Tacoma Municipal Dock after being hit by five Japanese kamikaze planes and four bombs in an attack 30 miles north of Okinawa. The crew suffered 103 casualties--32 dead and 71 wounded. The destroyer, "riddled like a sieve above the water-line"--the hull and superstructure twisted by the impact, was drydocked at Todd Shipyards for repairs. In 1946, she participated in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini. (T.Times, 5/26/1945, p.1; Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. IV, pp. 16-19).

U.S.S. Laffey (Ship); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Vertical lift bridges--Tacoma; Ships; World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations; Piers & wharves--Tacoma; Municipal Dock (Tacoma);

Destroyer U.S.S. Laffey at 11th St. The USS Laffey was on display at Municipal Dock. The destroyer survived an attack by six Japanese suicide planes and two bombs sixty miles off Japan. The hull and superstructure were grotesquely twisted by the impact. (T.Times, 5/30/1945, p.9)

U.S.S. Laffey (Ship); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Vertical lift bridges--Tacoma; Ships; World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations; Piers & wharves--Tacoma; Municipal Dock (Tacoma);

Destroyer U.S.S. Laffey at 11th St. Miss Marie Ruedin and Miss Doris Long inspect the battle-scarred aft gun turret of the U.S.S. Laffey. The destroyer was on display at the Tacoma Municipal Dock after it was hit by six Japanese suicide planes and two bombs. F 1/C Maurice Miller, showing the damaged gun to the women, was on the forward deck gun when Laffey was struck. One of his companions was killed, one wounded. (T.Times, 6/1/1945, p.1)

U.S.S. Laffey (Ship); Ships; World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations; Ruedin, Marie; Long, Doris; Miller, Maurice;

The Marymount military band, under the direction of John Kelly, was photographed practicing for the big pageant and military display scheduled at the Armory on May 8, 1943. The pageant, "Uncle Sam and the United Nations," was being organized by Tacoma's 2nd Battalion Washington State Militia. The cadets from Marymount military school were taking part, as well as various UN military and civilian war work groups. The event was being offered to the public free of charge. (TNT 5/6/1943, PG. 24)

Marymount Military Academy (Spanaway); Private schools--Spanaway; Military education--Spanaway; Marching bands;

Photograph of the Coast Guard and the Tacoma Waterfront Defense Committee cleanup of the waterfront in April of 1943, to prevent fires. Abandoned shacks and houses were demolished and burned. A fireman and a Coast Guardsman are pictured bringing up the hose connection in case of emergency. The ground is strewn with building materials and debris. These would be sorted through for materials that could be salvaged for the war effort. (T.Times 4/28/1943 p.1-picture)

Military organizations--Tacoma; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma; Railroad cars--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A delegation representing the 1,080 students at Jason Lee posed perched on and around the fifth jeep the student body helped buy for the war effort. Many had paper routes, did odd jobs or held down a four hour after school job to raise the funds to buy war bonds and stamps. From the start of the school year in September to April of 1943 when this photo was taken, the Jason Lee students bought over $4,400 in war bonds. The "Minuteman Schools-At -War" program was only one of many that helped finance the war. (TNT 4/19/1943, pg 4; T.Times, 4/19/1943, p.14.)

War bonds & funds--Tacoma--1940-1950; Jason Lee Junior High School (Tacoma); School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Jeep automobile;

In January of 1943, Capt. Bernhard Groth of the US Army's Ninth Service command came to Tacoma on an inspection tour of the State Guard units. He said that he was well pleased with the training and appearance of the Tacoma units. The men in this photograph are unidentified, but they are believed to be members of the State Guard.

Washington State Guard (Tacoma);

In January of 1943, Capt. Bernhard Groth of the US Army's Ninth Service command was in Tacoma for an inspection tour of the State Guard units. Pictured left to right are officers believed to be Major George Nelson, Capt. Walter Morris, Maj. James McGee and and unidentified guardsman. (T Times 1/27/1943, pg. 14)

Washington State Guard (Tacoma);

In 1946, Bellarmine was one of only two Washinton high schools that offered junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Each day a full class period was devoted to some phase of theoretical or practical military training. Studies included first aid, marksmanship, map reading, and the fundamentals of marching. Uniforms furnished by the government were worn two days per week. (Cage, 1946, p. 20-21).

Military education--Tacoma; Military training--Tacoma; Cadets--Tacoma; Reserve Officers Training Corps (Tacoma); Bellarmine High School (Tacoma);

In 1946, Bellarmine was one of two high schools in Washington State that offered Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC). Military training included first aid, marksmanship, map reading, and the fundamentals of marching. This portrait taken in May shows the school's statue of Mary looking down toward Bellarmine's JROTC Color Guard holding their flag and a U.S. flag, with Mount Rainier in the background. (Cage, 1946, p. 22).

Military education--Tacoma; Military training--Tacoma; Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint; Rifles; Flags; Cadets--Tacoma; Reserve Officer Training Corps (Tacoma); Bellarmine High School (Tacoma);