US airmen posing with local men of a native village at Guadalcanal in 1943
Gift in Memory of John O. Spinks, Sr.
Description:
US airmen posing with local men of a native village; most wear tradition dress although one native man is dressed in Western clothing. Serviceman Spinks is located on the far right. "Native village on Guadalcanal. 1943." Guadalcanal. November/December 1943
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John Oliver Spinks was born 27 November 1913 in Greensboro, Georgia and moved to Birmingham, Alabama during the depression to work in the steel mills at USX Fairfield Works. Spinks joined the Alabama National Guard in 25 March 1937 and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on 25 March 1940. He was sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations in October of 1943. He saw service at Guadalcanal, New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Bismark Archipelago with the 100th Bombardment Squadron. During his service he was awarded the Bronze Star and had attained the rank of Master Sergeant upon separation. He was honorably discharged at Fort McPherson, Georgia on 11 September 1945. Mr. Spinks passed away in Midfield, Alabama on 24 October 2008. The collection contains camp and combat photographs taken on various Pacific islands as well as group photos of B-25 crews and stateside training.
Geography:
Guadalcanal
Latitude:
-9.533
Longitude:
160.200
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials:
Huts--Guadalcanal
Indigenous peoples--Guadalcanal
Soldiers--American--Guadalcanal
Villages--Guadalcanal