An old photograph
We are sorting family photos. One that I particularly enjoy shows my dad, Paul F. Henderson, Jr., in a suit and bow tie, sitting at a bar with another dashing young man. The back of the photo is enscribed with my dad's name, and the name Walter Nettbaum.
Based on the year, 1946, and my dad's likely age, 22-23, I did some Ancestry searching to locate Walter Nettbaums born around 1922 or 23, and perhaps in or around Chicago. I located several records, some of which seemed to indicate that Walter was wounded while on active duty in the USMC, possibly in the Pacific Theater. Among records I reviewed, a couple listed him within the long categories of Navy Department wounded in action.
My dad enlisted in January 1942 and served in the South Pacific. Maybe they were just two Reservists that bumped into each other in a bar. Or maybe they were on ship together. Or, perhaps, they served on Guadalcanal, American Samoa, or other particular zones. In any event, there is that picture, the information about Walter that I found on Ancestry, and, sadly, Walter's obituary.
Now Walter and Paul are beyond inquiry. But I still like the photograph showing two brothers in arms home again, and hopefully finding the way to make themselves whole again.
Jim
Based on the year, 1946, and my dad's likely age, 22-23, I did some Ancestry searching to locate Walter Nettbaums born around 1922 or 23, and perhaps in or around Chicago. I located several records, some of which seemed to indicate that Walter was wounded while on active duty in the USMC, possibly in the Pacific Theater. Among records I reviewed, a couple listed him within the long categories of Navy Department wounded in action.
My dad enlisted in January 1942 and served in the South Pacific. Maybe they were just two Reservists that bumped into each other in a bar. Or maybe they were on ship together. Or, perhaps, they served on Guadalcanal, American Samoa, or other particular zones. In any event, there is that picture, the information about Walter that I found on Ancestry, and, sadly, Walter's obituary.
Now Walter and Paul are beyond inquiry. But I still like the photograph showing two brothers in arms home again, and hopefully finding the way to make themselves whole again.
Jim
