USAAF Keesler Field, Mississippi -- January 1943

My father, Herb Hegwer, was inducted into the Army Air Force in October 1942.  By 12 Jan 1943, he was at Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi. He seems to have  served there pretty solidly into November of 1945,  with the exception of some temporary duty posts for advanced training as an aircraft mechanic at:

•  Los Angeles at Burbank Airport, California 
• Chanute Air Force Base, Rantoul, Illinois, 
• Lake Charles Army Air Field, Louisiana

Military records indicate he specialized in fuel injections systems, engine change, and turbo supercharger work. He worked on, at least, B-17 and B-24's.

Daddy was processed for release at Shaw Field in Sutter, South Carolina on 7 Jan 1946. I assume he had been there since November 1945.  He was shipped to a separation base in Santa Ana, California Jan 10 and finally discharged from there on January 17, 1946. It was an honorable discharge as a sergeant, 139th AAF Base Unit.

The snapshot above is dated "about Jan 12, 1945" and taken at Keesler.  

The back of the photo is clearly labeled in my father's handwriting. Left to right, the soldiers are Donald E. Hunter, Francis J. Hoffman, Thomas A. Hensley, Herbert C. Hegwer, and Howard Hart. It can't be coincidence that their surnames all start with "H", can it? The notation TSS 397 stands for Tech School Squadron 397.

 

 I have several additional photos from this time period of Dad with Donald Hunter. Some are from their visit to the family home in Alhambra while the two were training in Burbank.  It looks as though my young aunt was sweet on Don!