Photo By Kare Lohse

ELBERT A. “MAC” McBRIDE

Dec 1944 - Oct 1945 by Elbert McBride

Mac was the Navy Chief Petty Officer in charge of the Carburetor Shop, FAW 4, while on Attu from December of 1944 to October of 1945. Mac was 81 when we assembled this scrapbook, and enjoying the good "retired" life! Elbert A McBride was born on August 21, 1919, in Leonard, Texas to Lawrence McBride and Beulah Crews McBride. He married Janelle "Jenny" Vann in 1941, she preceded him in death. He then married Ruby Treadway on December 14, 1991 in Brownwood Texas. Elbert served his country in the United States Navy during World War II, and was a member of: the Amateur Radio Club; Chief Petty Officers Association in Forney Texas; The Shriners’ Eye Bank at Eagle Pass; The Hadacol Angels Motorcycle Club and the Brownwood 32nd Degree Masonic Lodge. He had worked at G. C. McBride Inc. Rock Crusher and as manager at Ross Company in Eagle Pass. He had lived in Brownwood for a number of years and was a member of the St. John’s Episcopal Church. E. A. "Mac" McBride passed away on Thursday, December 27, 2012, at Brownwood Regional Medical Center. Those left behind to cherish his memory are his wife, Ruby McBride of Brownwood; sons, John Vann "Skip" McBride and wife Sheila of Wichita Falls and Craig Alan McBride Sr., and wife Dora of Houston. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Coral, Melissa, Rachael, Craig Jr., Jonathon, and Allison; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jenny; one sister and two brothers.

#1. Massacre Bay.

#2. Down the road to Casco Cove.

#3. The West arm of Holtz Bay.

#4. This was a Japanese command hut, or what was left of it, in 1945.

#5. An Attu mountain waterfall.

#6. A well-concealed Japanese gun slit. Very difficult to pick out from the rest of the terrain.

#7. I believe this is "Shelton," at the entrance to one of the many Japanese underground tunnels.

#9. Mac McBride standing near a Japanese covered trench.

#10. A bomb dump located on Attu.

#11. A sign located near Little Falls Cemetery on Attu detailing the casualties inflicted during the capture of Attu.

#12. Little Falls Cemetery, Attu, AK, 1945.

#13. Visiting Little Falls Cemetery, Attu, AK, 1945.

#14. This is the person seen in the background of picture #13 visiting the graves at Little Falls Cemetery, Attu, AK, 1945.

Originally published: 21 September 2002

#8. Shelton standing on the entrance to a Japanese tunnel.

#15. The Japanese Cemetery at Little Falls, Attu, AK, 1945.

#16. Another picture of the Japanese Cemetery at Little Falls, Attu, AK, 1945.

#17. Mountain landscape view of Attu, 1945.

#18. Mountain landscape view #2, Attu, 1945.

#19. Mountain landscape view #3, Attu, 1945.

#20. Cloud formations surround Attu, 1945.

#21. A Japanese dummy gun on Attu, 1945.

#22. A dummy P-38 on Attu, 1945.

#23. January, 1945. 2nd Lt. Robert L. Nesmith took off from Attu's Alexai Point Army Airfield as the third man in a four-ship formation of P-38s flying P-38 tail number 13400. They were flying a low-level across Attu when Lt. Nesmith got a little too close to the ground. Click HERE for story.

#24. Summer on Attu, 1945.

#25. Looking northwest from Attu Naval Air Station. Mt. Terrible is to the extreme right.

#26. Mount Terrible.

#27. Attu's snow was pretty much our only recreation.

#28. Overlooking Attu's Massacre Bay, 1945.

#29. Rock formations on Murders Point.

#30. Attu scenery, 1945. Are those phone poles?

#31. Looking out the door of the carb shop. We're almost snowed in.

#32. Aviation Carburetor Mechanic “AMMC” Chief E. A. McBride, Attu, 1945.

#33. Carb and Paint Shop during storm. Attu, 1945.

#34. Paint Shop (left) and Carb Shop (right) during storm. Attu, 1945.

#35. Fog coming in over Casco Cove. Attu, 1945.

#36. Looking toward Casco (extreme left). Attu, 1945.

#37. Midnight, looking towards the NAS from Casco Cove. Attu, 1945.

#38. Naval Air Station, Fleet Air Wing 4. Attu, 1945.

#39. PBY flying overhead. Attu, 1945.

#40. PP and Sam walking in 70-knot winds. The CO ordered us to travel in pairs. Attu, 1945.

#41. Here's a picture of a PV-1. Elbert McBride is on the right. This photo taken just before Mac made "Chief." Attu, 1945.

#42. Here's some PV-2 belonging to FAW4. Attu, 1945.

#43. Quonset Huts buried in the snow. Attu, 1945.

#44. More Quonset Huts in the snow. Attu, 1945.

#45. Attu, 1945...FAW4 and runway.

#46. Snow plow at work. Attu, 1945.

#47. Warehouse tunnel. It goes back into the rock 1/2 mile. Attu, 1945.

#48. Here's an X23...Attu, 1945.

#49. Fighter landing and takeoff strips, Alexai Point, Attu, 1945.

#50. Cooly, Babin, Fish.

#51. FAW4 Group

#52. Sam Buche.

#53. "Zoom Zoom" Philips.

#54. Dave O'Mara, top right, 1945.

#55. "P-P" Peter Pounders.

#56. Bill Hughes on top of hut.

#57. Ralph "Casanova" Johnson.

#58. C.E. "Bud" Jones.

#59. Bud Jones 16 months on the Rock.

#60. Johnson and Jones.

#61. "Duke."

#62. Jones and Johnson.

Shortly after having posted the above photos, Mac sent us a few more of individuals he had worked with during his assignment on Attu. We were able to match some photos with names.