Dirty Jobs

For most of us, the glory of the WWII front line soldier attacking his way through the impossible German lines is what we associate with heroics. A lot of people don't understand that for every combat soldier, there were 1.7 (or 2, why not?) people who served in non-combat roles to back that soldier up. These included non-combatants, engineers, medics, CP staff, quartermasters, maintenance, drivers, etc. They are the unsung soldiers of WWII that may not have gotten the "glory" that the combat soldier did, but played just as much of an important part to win the war.


Corporal Max Shepherd, Jeep driver for an officer named "Barney." His speedometer was 24,591 miles when he turned it in at the end of the war.


Graves Registration team. They identified the bodies on the battlefield.


Sgt. Vern Kurtanbauch, from Brandt, S. Dakota, the S-1 clerk for the Service Co., 355th Inf., 89th Inf. Div, sets up shop as the Red and Blue Armies maneuver at Camp Carson, Co.


Jim Baskerville of the 191st Signal Repair Co. They repaired radios, phones, and other Signal Corps equipment in the CBI theater.


103rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 28th Infantry Division in Europe during WWII.


USAAF ground crew loading an extra gas tank on a P-51D for the 332nd Fighter Group in Italy.