Memories Of World War II

Stories / By /

Veterans Day, the day we Americans honor the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. Over the years, I’ve talked to many World War II veterans, members of America’s “Greatest Generation” and it’s always amazed me how much they remember of their war time activities. My Dad never bragged about his service in World War II and seldom even talked about it but if you caught him in the right mood he could give very detailed accounts of his time in the South Pacific. Some 60+ years after the war, Dad sat down and wrote some of what he remembered on a tablet. These hand written notes are a pretty amazing bit of history. …

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Rip’s Polish Ancestry Villages Slideshow

Vintage Photo Slideshows / By /

Most of Rip’s Polish ancestors, including the Polka, Kloc and Maduzia families were poor farmers from the small villages in the Debica area of southeast Poland; Gawrzylowa, Jaworze Dolne, Jaworze Grone, Pilzno, Pilznionek and Zawierzbie.

These photos of the ancestral villages of Rip’s Polish ancestors were taken by James Derheim in the 1980’s. James also labeled all of the photos and included some hand made maps of the locations.
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11 Generations of Rip’s Ancestors

Heritage / By /

Rip’s roots can be traced back to two uniquely different American families. His father was an 8th generation American whose ancestors were among the earliest Dutch settlers in New York, long before the American Revolution and his mother was a 1st generation American whose Polish family settled in Texas around 1870.
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World War II In The South Pacific Photo Album

Vintage Photo Albums / By /

Walter A Rip Smock's WWII In The South Pacific

Most of these photos were taken in the Marshall Islands in 1944, during World War II. Rip was in the Navy and served on an Aircraft Carrier in the South Pacific. His Navy buddies nicknamed him ‘Smokey’. The descriptions were taken from writing in Rip’s albums or from the back of the original photos.

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Hunting and Fishing In The 40’s Photo Album

Vintage Photo Albums / By /

1940's Walter A Rip Smock Hunting and Fishing PhotosMost of these old Texas hunting and fishing photos were taken in the 1940’s either at the old Chocolate Bayou shack or at the Christmas Bay camp between Surfside and San Luis Pass. The descriptions were taken from writing in Rip’s albums or from the back of the original photos.

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