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Unknown WWII Army Soldier
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I need your help to locate this soldier or his family.
I am trying to identify a Soldier in the Army in WWII. He passed through the Army Base in India in the 1940's, somewhere between 42-45. (his picture is attached)
My late Father in law, Layton H. Wicksten was a Cpl. in the Army stationed in India at the base called "The Depot" or "Bengal Air Depot" in the CBI (China/Burma/India) Theater, under the command of Col. Frank Hackett. (In or near Agra, India) Dad was an artist and did a lot of the art work for the newspapers "The Tiger Rag" and "The Depot". (as well as painting "Mascots" on the pilots planes) He featured a drawing of different soldiers from the Base on the back of most papers (Tiger Rag) as well as civilian personnel. He also did a beautiful painting of Col. Frank Hackett, that the Base presented to him at a party, I can't recall if it was a birthday, retirement, transfer or what.
One day Dad saw a soldier sitting at the airstrip waiting for his plane (he was not stationed there, he was on his way to where ever he was stationed) and
did a drawing of him but he never found out who he was. I have been trying,
with no luck, to find out who this soldier is. Could you put his picture in your newsletter or publications with the caption "Do you know this soldier?" Perhaps he or his family, widow, children, neighbors or someone who knows him will see it and contact me. I know I'm asking a lot, but I think it's a worthwhile endeavor and I hope you will too. Especially with what is going on right now, it would be nice to give this soldier's family a small part of him back.
I also gave a copy of the drawing to the Eisenhower Museum in KS, along with Dad's entire collection of pictures, drawings, newspapers and everything else he collected while he was in India, when he passed away a four years ago. They said it was the single largest WWII collection they had ever received. (The Naval Museum on Treasure Island, CA said the same thing when I donated all my late Mother in law's Navy possessions, her name was Helen S. Gordon aka Eilly or Scotty, including many telegrams and Naval stories, pictures etc. She was a WAVE stationed there in WWII)
This soldier could still be alive, but if not I would like to give the drawing to his family, it is very very good, Dad was a phenomenal artist. I know someone would recognize him if I could just get his picture to the public. If you have any suggestions of where else I could send this for help please let me know. I am attaching the drawing if you will help me by publishing this. The more people that see this the sooner I will find him or his family, I am hoping he is still alive. It would be ideal if the AP would pick this up, I have no doubt I would find him. Also several Army/Military publications/websites have agreed to post this.
******I wasn't able to attach the picture here, but if you will go to the Military photo site on AncientFaces under Unknown WWII Soldier or Wicksten you can see the picture.**********
Thank you for your help,
Linda Wicksten
Sparks/Reno, Nevada
ll13@intercomm.com
(that's LL13)
Comments about this story:
Dear Everyone,
July 2006
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to tell you that I finally found my WWII Soldier I have been looking for since 1998.
In May 2006 a publication in Sacramento, CA published my article with the photo of my unknown soldier in their "Military World War II, Korea, Viet Nam & Today" magazine. Editor John Shank was one of the few that was willing to help me by publishing the photo and information so that I could get it to as many people as possible hoping someone would recognize him. And finally... success... his cousin, a WWII Vet, in Colorado wrote and said the soldier looked like his cousin Tom Roth in Nebraska, I contacted the family and sure enough it was him. Unfortunately Tom passed away September 27, 2002 in Kearney, NE. I have been in contact with his wife and she has given me the evidence to verify my soldier is indeed her late husband. Tom left a wife Wilma, a daughter and 2 sons as well as many other family members. Tom’s 3 other brothers were also in the military. If only I had found the publication sooner I could have met Tom.
Thomas Joseph Roth was in the US Army Co. A 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment 11th Airborne Division, he was drafted January 1951 and discharged in 1953 as a Corporal, he was 73 when he passed away. I wish I could have met the soldier whose drawing hung on my late father-in-law’s studio wall for over 50 years. Dad, Layton Wicksten, always wished he knew who the soldier was so he could have given him the drawing. After Dad died in 1997 I decided I was going to find him, the soldier’s eyes always seemed to tell me “please find me” so I decided I would.
I sent out over 10,000 emails to various Military agencies, newsletters, websites, etc. I sent over 7000 emails to newspapers in every major city in all 50 states. The Las Vegas Sun (Susan Snyder Reporter), and the Reno Gazette Journal (Guy Clifton Reporter) and The San Francisco Chronicle as far as I know were the only ones that did. USA Today/Weekend refused. The Women’s VFW posted it on their website, the men’s refused as did all 50 states VA Departments. Then there was one guy that told me to give it up and quit wasting my time because I would never find him... I told you then I would and that if I was ever lost I hoped you wouldn’t be the one looking for me... and I would find him... I told ya so!!!
Bomber Legends Magazine printed it, Merrill’s Marauders, the US Army Rangers Association, The Hump Pilot’s Association, CBI MESSAGE CENTER site, Ancient Faces Genealogy, RootsWeb Genealogy, and several private military tribute sites posted it to their websites. The Hump Pilot’s Association posted it at a reunion as did Ft. Breckenridge. A copy of the drawing along with all of Dad’s WWII belongings was donated to the Eisenhower Museum/Library. Several other military departments and personnel helped me with contacts, some that were able put it in their newsletters etc., or passed it on to anyone they thought might be able to help me and I am deeply grateful. I wish I had all of their names.
As it turns out, I was looking in the wrong place at the wrong time!
Dad was in the Army stationed at the Bengal Air Depot near Agra, India from 1942 to the end of 1945 and while he was there did a lot of drawing for the Army’s Tiger Rag Newspaper. He featured all the soldiers on the Base throughout his time there as well as non military personnel, he did a lot of artwork for the Rag as well as the Depot News Base paper and painted mascots on the pilots planes. Anyway, he drew a lot of soldiers he never knew as they were passing through, which is why this soldier’s drawing got confused over time. What actually happened we have come to find out is that after Dad got home in December of 1945 he eventually married and moved from San Francisco to Palo Alto. Mom took the “Life” magazine and in November of 1951 they featured the soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division as they watched the first Atomic Bomb in southern Nevada. Dad must have seen the article and liked this soldier’s face, so he did a drawing of him. Dad always liked to draw people with what he called interesting faces. And because this soldier was not named, somehow in time he must have “meshed” him with all the unknown soldiers he saw and drew in India. When I met him in 1977 and saw the drawing on his studio wall and asked about him I was told he was a soldier waiting for his transport at the Base in India that he drew and when he got back to give him the drawing he was gone. This was what he told the family whenever someone asked about the drawing up to the day he died. I wish he could know who he really was, but I’m sure they have met in soldier heaven and had a good laugh!
Anyway, his wife has provided me with a copy of the Life Magazine article and photos and there is no doubt this was the soldier Dad drew, and the soldier I have been looking for. Finally he has a name and an identity and his family will have the drawing Dad always wanted them to have. I will be taking the soldier home to Nebraska in August to meet his wife Wilma and give the drawing to her and her family. Ironically I was in Nebraska about 100 miles from her 3 months before I finally found him!!!
EUREKA I FOUND HIM!!!!! I realize it was a billion to one that I would, but I did and that’s all that matters. And now you know the rest of the story.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone that helped,
Linda Wicksten
Sparks, NV (Reno)
LL13@intercomm.com
Here are the 3 stories in the Reno, NV newspaper: Click on the links
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2002/05/31/15691.php May 2002
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2003/01/24/32806.php?sp1=rgj&sp2=Life&sp3=Life Jan. 2003 With interview & support from Major Jim Grimshaw USArmy Rangers
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060724/NEWS10/607240334/1002 July 2006
Submitted by: ll13 Jul 30, 2006
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I myself see my sons features on this mans face - of course - my son is now 18 and could be under that helmet, so naturally I see his features! Check out his face at:
http://geocities.com/biff2trix1/photopagelace.html
Submitted by: trixie_mcguire Feb 9, 2003
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I showed this picture to my mother because my father was in the hospital in India during World War II - she cried and said that it looked like all the little soldier boys with their helmets on at that time - scared and handsome.
Submitted by: trixie_mcguire Feb 9, 2003
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