Photo By Kare Lohse

ROBERT W. ARNTS

“WWII Attu Scrapbook”

My dad, Robert W. Arnts, was born in Sayre, Bradford County, PA, and was married to his wife Elizabeth for 54 years upon his passing on June 19, 1997 at age 76. He served on Attu with the U. S. Navy beginning in the fall of 1943 for about 18 months. He was an engineer and manager at Ingersoll-Rand Co., Phillipsburg, NJ for 43 years, retiring in 1981. He often talked about one buddy, Wesley Frick, who called my mother shortly after my dad died. I have a photo album with many great photos of dad's days on Attu. Most of these photos are not captioned. I will share them here with you, hoping that you can identify some of the people in the pictures, or the places at which they were taken. If you can identify anyone in these pictures, or the dates and places they were taken, please get it touch.

A group of 11 men standing by a Quonset (Pacific?) Hut. [ Robert Arnts]

1. A group of 11 men standing by a Quonset hut.

A "tree" "grows" on Attu! [Robert Arnts]

2. A tree “grows” on Attu!

Easter celebration in the Aleutians. [Robert Arnts]

3. Easter was celebrated in the Aleutians much like it was elsewhere in the world...with the exception of the weather being a major difference, and, it was difficult to color powdered eggs!

Digging out...March 1945. [Robert Arnts]

4. Digging out after a snowstorm, March 1945.

Robert Arnts (L) and shipmate. [Robert Arnts]

5. Robert Arnts (L) and shipmate taking a break by their Quonset hut.

Man's best friend, the mascot "Snowball," poses on the left. [Robert Arnts]

6. Someone on the left is holding "man's best friend" it appears. The mascot's name was "Snowball."

Men's "other" best friends; pinups posted on the wall of their Quonset huts. [Robert Arnts]

7. Man's "other" best friend, pretty ladies pictures posted on the wall of their Quonset huts. A little something to remind them what was waiting at home for them.

Robert Arnts & Shipmates, Winter 1945. [Robert Arnts]

8. The following individuals are in this photo. Numbers correspond to folks in the picture: 1. John Clark - Laural, Maryland; 2. John Gilmore - Wapato, Washington; 3. Stanley Bochenski - Trenton, New Jersey; 4. Art Beaumont - Portland, Maine; 5. Bert Patterson - Gardan City, Kansas; 6. Wes Frick - Verona, Pennsylvania; 7. William Baurlein - London, England; 8. Theo. Foster - Portland, Oregon; 9. Evan Crawford - Jackson, Michigan; 10. Lt. Francis Wolff - California; 11. "Tex" Taylor - Amarillo, Texas; 12. Spud Spaulding - Chesterfield, New Hampshire; 13. Sack (Jack?) Stout - Silver City, New Mexico; 14. Sam Aspromonti - New Castle, Pennsylvania; 15. William Fleishhaur - New York City, NY.; 16. Robert Arnts - Easton, Pennsylvania

Marie Arnts Lee

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