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Military Monday – WWII Coca Cola Ad

August 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ad in the San Antonio Express newspaper, 17 June 1943. “Even a general in Africa writes home how much he misses meeting the gang downtown to enjoy a Coca-Cola. Overseas, Coke is a refreshing remembrance of home. Men cherish its taste and refreshment.”

Coca Cola Ad - 17 June 1943

From my dad Carl Armstrong's scrapbooks - Coca Cola Ad - 17 June 1943.

This was in my dad’s scrapbook with his other clippings of his time stationed in San Marcos, Texas. June 17 was his birthday.

About Military Monday

We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

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Military Monday – My Grandfather’s Photos of Gen. Pershing

August 1, 2011 By 4 Comments

While going through photos taken in France during WWI by my grandfather, Willie Benoit — a tiny (1-1/2″ by 2-1/2″) photo of a man with a mustache surrounded by children and adults caught my eye. I turned the photo over and was completely surprised to see the name General Pershing written in pencil on the back. The photo was on an album page with two other photos — one of Pershing addressing the troops and one of the car in which Pershing was riding. Seeing and photographing Pershing must have been an incredible moment for my grandfather. I wish I had known about the photos while he was alive. I would have asked him to tell me about them.

General Pershing in France

Photo of General Pershing taken by my grandfather Willie Benoit in France during WWI.

Photo of General Pershing taken by my grandfather Willie Benoit in France during WWI.

After departing New York under top secrecy in May 1917, Pershing arrived in France in June 1917. 1 I’m not sure when or where in France the photo was taken. My grandfather’s photo album is dated Sept. 1918 through Aug. 1919, so it probably was taken during that period of time. Even though he was stationed in Dijon, he has photos from other places in France, so it could have been taken in one of the places he visited.

Photo of Pershing’s Car

Photo of General Pershing taken by my grandfather Willie Benoit in France during WWI.

Photo of General Pershing's car taken by my grandfather Willie Benoit in France during WWI.

This photo is really interesting to me because of the women to the right of the car in the photo. Who were they? Were they with Pershing or were they there to see him? The four stars on the car are also fascinating to me.

Does anyone know what kind of car this was?

Photo of Pershing Addressing the Troops in France

Photo of General Pershing taken by my grandfather Willie Benoit in France during WWI.

Photo of General Pershing taken by my grandfather Willie Benoit in France during WWI. Pershing appears to be addressing the troops.

In the bottom right of the photos, you can see the tops of the heads of soldiers. Pershing is standing above, so he looks as if he is addressing the troops below.

My Grandfather’s WWI Photo Album

I wrote about my grandfather’s wonderful photo album a couple of weeks ago, and I go through it, I will continue to share the photos here .

General Pershing

About Military Monday

We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

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Military Monday: Willie Benoit’s WWI Photo Album

June 27, 2011 By 4 Comments

My grandfather, Willie Benoit (1894-1985), was stationed at a POW camp in Dijon, France during WWI. He never talked about the war itself, but often spoke fondly of the French people and the towns he visited. As a Cajun from Louisiana, he spoke French and was able to communicate with the people he met. When he came home from the war, he brought with him a photograph album, chronicling what he saw and the places he visited, including Paris, Monte Carlo and Le Mans. The album is interesting in that it appears to have been something that was officially issued.

The Photo Album Cover

Willie Benoit's WWI Photo Album

Willie Benoit's WWI Photo Album

The cover of the album is embossed as follows:

Photographs
R.U. 309 M.T.C.
On Foreign Service
With A.E.F. France (A.E.F. means American Expeditionary Forces)
Sept. 1918.
Aug. 1919.

R.U. could stand for release unit or rescue unit. I have searched but cannot find what M.T.C. means. Please leave a comment if you know.

Inside the Album

For each set of pages, the left page has a photo with a printed caption, and the right page has photos that were taken by my grandfather.

Willie Benoit's WWI Photo Album

Willie Benoit's WWI Photo Album

My grandfather captioned many of the photos in his album, leaving a wealth of information about his service in France.

Willie Benoit's WWI Photo Album

Willie Benoit's WWI Photo Album

My grandfather made notes on some of the official photos, as he did on this one captioned “A village in Chatau Chierry that was wrecked by the Germans in their big drive towards Paris in July 1918.”  He wrote, “As it looked when I saw it!”

About Military Monday

We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

Filed Under: Daily Themes, Genealogy, Military Monday, Monday Themes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,