Estonian Recruits - Some that stood out

Thanks to a donation from Larry K and an anonymous friend from San Francisco, I have a couple of hundred sets of body typing photos of Estonian military recruits.  So I was glancing through the collection looking for some common element upon which to base a set when I noticed that some of them stood out for various reasons, mostly height differences between the pairs.  So that's what you get today starting with a head and shoulders one above the other for 529-530.

 

612-613 - Hips and Shoulders

The hips and shoulders set these two apart.

 

562-563 - Height and Expression

Not only is there a height difference between these two, but their facial expressions are starkly different.

Mr. Left is like, "OK, I can do this. Fine."  Mr. Right just wants it to be over.

 

654 - Going Solo

Maybe there were an odd number of recruits the day 654 came through

because he is one of a very few who appear without being paired.

 

642-643 - Height and Breadth

These two differ not only in height, but also in breadth.

 

644-645 - One tanned, one not

The recruit on the left seems to have tan lines from a swim suit,

something I don't think I've seen before in this collection.

 

507-508 Big Beef and Mini-Me

I call these two "Big Beef and Mini-Me."

 

656 Two in One?

For some reason, Number 656 appears solo from two angles in the same frame.  Is it just me, 

or does this look like two different men?  The height difference seems key.

 

669-670 Tan Lines

Numbers 669 and 670 are more tanned than most of the men in the archive, and 670 even 

shows tan lines from working outdoors with no shirt and suspenders or bib overalls.

 

697-698 - Another Head and Shoulders Above

Our last pairing is another one where one guy stands head and shoulders above the other.

I do find both of them to be quite pleasant to look at, though.

 

Jo Brunenberg

Today I am featuring some work by Jo Brunenberg, a Dutch photographer who is still active.  

I am focusing on his work from the 1980s, starting with this image with the photographer 

himself at top and a model named Paul in the lower part of the picture.

 

Polaroid I

This is the first of three Polaroids in today's series.

 

Atlantic Wall I

Jo Brunenberg did an extensive series of photos in 1983-84 along the Atlantic Wall, the coastal fortifications the Germans built mostly in France in World War II.  The model here is Martin.

 

1983

This 1983 Jo Brunenberg photo looks like it was shot on the cellar steps.

 

1984

I find the composition of this 1984 Jo Brunenberg photo to be genius.

The cracks in the wall mimic the tree branches.

 

Interesting lines

For some reason "art deco" popped into my mind the first time I saw this one.

It isn't, of course, but the curves and angles work well together.

 

Polaroid II

I don't know how Jo Brunenberg did this with Polaroid technology, but here it is.

 

Atlantic Wall II

I like the geometry of this Atlantic Wall series photo.

 

Arthur Tress

Was there a male nude photographer for whom Arthur Tress didn't pose in the 1980s?

He seems to have had significant artistic input for this Jo Brunenberg picture.

It looks like something Mr. Tress would have produced himself.

 

Atlantic Wall III

This is another from Jo Brunenberg's Atlantic Wall series from 1983-84.

The aperture looks like some sort of drain made to fit the model.

 

Polaroid III

The interior finish of the walls in this Polaroid make me think of Brunenberg's 

Atlantic Wall series, but this one is not included in the set.

 

Veterans Day, 2024 - Korea, the Forgotten War

 Korea, a Forgotten War and a Long Road Home

For Veterans Day, 2024, we will take a look at  Korea, sometimes called the "Forgotten War."  For some of the U.S. Korean War dead, it has been a long road home.  Here in Hawaii at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, there is a group of dedicated scientists with the Defense POW/MIA  Accounting Agency who continue to identify the remains of fallen soldiers over 70 years after the war ended.  Today we will remember some of the soldiers who lost their lives and took a very long time to come home.  Above is a repatriation ceremony for some of the returned.

Billy M. Mc Intyre

Army Corporal Billy M. McIntyre, 19, of Carter, Oklahoma had been missing for 

over 61 years when his remains were identified and returned to his family.

 

U.S. Marines 1950

I find this photo from 1950 of newly arrived Marines at Busan, Korea to be quite impressive.

 

Ralph S. Boughman

Corporal Ralph S. Boughman of Union, South Carolina was 21 when he was listed as missing

 in action, presumed killed, in 1950.  Over 71 years later, he came home.

 

Integrated Unit

The Korean War was the first major U.S. military operation to be racially integrated.

 

William H. Jones

Army Private First Class William Hoover Jones was MIA in late 1950.  In 2018 the North Koreans turned over a number of remains, one of which was identified as Pvt. Jones in 2019.

 

Carl Mydans I

Carl Mydans took this photo of some men from the 1st Cavalry in the summer of 1950.

 

Joe T. Avant

This is Corporal Joe T. Avant of Greenwood, Mississippi.  He was 20 when he went 

missing in Korea, and his remains were returned home 69 years later.

 

Cooks?

I think these GIs are cooking something.

 

Billy DeBord

Private Billy DeBord of Miamisburg, Ohio went missing in 1950,

and his remains were brought home 64 years later.

 

A Survivor - Captain Ike Fenton

This is Captain Francis "Ike" Fenton, Jr. being told that his unit was virtually out of ammunition.

Fortunately, he survived the war along with 86 of his men.