Approximately 3,000 images collected from over 300 people are in a searchable archive of family snapshots. More than 250 photo essays exploring how photographs shape our memories are posted in the CV Gallery, the CV Museum, and Positive Visions. Please contribute stories and photographs or create essays inspired by images in our archive. Launched in 1996, Collected Visions was conceived and is updated by Lorie Novak.
Images and Story submitted by Tim Chatwood.
Ted Chatwood: US Navy WWII
(Third in from the left)
Landing Ship, Tank (LST) 687
LST 687 Info
LST 687 Info
LST 687 Info
LST 687 Info
Ted Chatwood is my grandfather from my father’s side. I
never got to know Grandpa Chatwood because he passed away when I was very young. What I
know of him is from the stories told by my father, newspaper articles from when he
was a detective in the Peoria, Illinois Police Department, and old photographs.
The photographs above are from his time in the Navy during WWII.
It is not uncommon for our grandparents to have served in the military during WWII, but Ted Chatwood’s story is very different. He came from a very poor family with many children. His family was still trying to escape the pain the Great Depression had caused them. With the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US was pushed into a war they had been trying to avoid. Every able body man was called up to fight. Ted Chatwood saw this as his way out and to give his family one less mouth to feed. At the age of fourteen, he lied about his age and enlisted into the US Navy.
It is not uncommon for our grandparents to have served in the military during WWII, but Ted Chatwood’s story is very different. He came from a very poor family with many children. His family was still trying to escape the pain the Great Depression had caused them. With the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US was pushed into a war they had been trying to avoid. Every able body man was called up to fight. Ted Chatwood saw this as his way out and to give his family one less mouth to feed. At the age of fourteen, he lied about his age and enlisted into the US Navy.
The photograph of the sailor’s sitting around the table are Ted Chatwood and his crew. Little is known about when or where the photograph was taken. It is was most likely taken in 1942 after he completed training and was heading to the Pacific Fleet. The restaurant matches that of the time period and could be anywhere in the US.
The photograph of the ship is the LST (Landing Ship, Tank) he was assigned to. This ship was part of many invasions of Japanese held islands. Many of the invasions were major turning points in the war. You can see the damage inflicted on the ship during it’s duties.
Photo Essay- Photo taken from site.
One of my favorite things to do when I’m home in Carson
City, Nevada is visit my dad’s house where our dog Bailey lives. Bailey was
named after my grandmother’s favorite drink, Bailey’s Irish Cream. Bailey is a golden
retriever we got as a puppy in 2004. It is the first dog I have ever had. He is
a very playful dog, even being as old as he is today. One of the main reasons I
would go to my dad’s house is to work on projects or his website. As I would
sit in the computer room tying to finish something, Bailey would sit next to me
trying to get my attention. He would brush up against my leg or try to get me
to pet him. There were many times I would try to work on something sitting on
the couch and all Bailey would do is sit in my lap, making it impossible to work.
Eventually, I would give in and pet him or take him outside to play ball. You
would think I would have been upset having to stop what I was doing to play
with him, but I always went back to work not minding at all. When I moved to Reno, Nevada, just thirty
minutes away, I would see Bailey less and less. I grew to miss him and his
company. Even when no one else was home, I never felt alone. The connection I
feel when being around Bailey is one I have never been able to recreate. He was
always able to me not stress over the task at hand. What I thought was a distraction
was making me walk away from a problem and clear my head. I now find myself stressing
over tasks that were very easy with Bailey there.
Never underestimate the power of a pet.
Never underestimate the power of a pet.
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