Men in Bed Day

It's Men in Bed Day, and we start with two guys in Army barracks.

 

Candid?

I'd love to know if this one was really candid or not.

 

Snapshot

My source said this was a snapshot, and I think the lighting is remarkable for an amateur.

 

Come hither

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Hemingway

Decades after his death, supposed evidence surfaced that said Ernest Hemingway 

at least fantasized about gender fluidity and male to male sex.  This photo 

made in Spain doesn't prove anything, but it is interesting.

 

Jack Desmond

This is Jack Desmond by Fox Studio, and they forgot to put sheets on the bed.

 

Camping?

I don't know if these guys were camping or in the military 

or both, but they seem to be getting quite cozy.

 

WPG?

I got this one during the sack of tumblr, but I think it may be 

part of a Western Photography Guild "at home" series.

 

Planning?

These two look like they may be planning something, 

and the guy standing is making sure the coast is clear.

The one in bed is way, way overdressed.

 

Welcoming

Our last naked guy in bed looks like he's welcoming a friend.

 

Western Photography Guild Day

Today's series is all Western Photography Guild by the great Don Whitman.

We begin with the only unknown model of the set.  Anyone?

 

Pat Burnham

Pat Burnham might be asking,  "Does all this oil make my ass look shiny?"

Sorry, I just couldn't help that.

 

Hunter Metcalf

We get a big smile from Hunter Metcalf.

 

Dan Gibson

The hairstyle and lack of frontal nudity make me think that this picture

 of Dan Gibson was made early in Don Whitman's career.

 

Jim Plummer

I hope they put a towel or something under Jim Plummer's crotch for this pose.

The beautiful Western landscape is full of things that bite, scratch, and sting.

 

Steve Anthony

This is Steve Anthony and his large eagle tattoo.

 

Glen Hudson

Although the background looks like a studio setup,

this shot of Glen Hudson was made outdoors.

 

Oscar Navarre

Here we see Oscar Navarre on a rocky hillside.

 

Phil Lambert

Don Whitman used a utility pole support cable as a prop in this shot of Phil Lambert.

 

Paul Burkhart

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Memorial Day 2026

USS Indianapolis, CA-35

It's Memorial Day in the USA, and this year I am saluting the US Navy men of the Second World War.  The picture above is the USS Indianapolis monument in its namesake city.  In July of 1944, the Indianapolis was given the job delivering the components of the Little Boy atomic bomb to Tinian Island in the Marianas, and none of the men on board other than two "artillery officers" knew what was in those crates.  (My own father had served on Tinian in the 112th Seabees, one of several units that built the huge air base there.)  After delivering the cargo, the Indianapolis sailed to Guam and then into the Philippine Sea where she was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine just after midnight on July 30, 1945.  The ship sank in 12 minutes without radioing her location.  Over 300 men went down with the ship, and 583 died in the water under horrific conditions over the next several days.  Only 316 were rescued.  Those 883 men were the worst loss at sea in the history of the US Navy.  Below is the reverse side of the monument with the names of the dead inscribed.

So while we enjoy our barbecues, excursions to the lake, or a trip to the beach, 

stop for just a moment and remember these men and all the others like them.  

They deserve our eternal respect.

A two part photo series follows.

 

Memorial Day Navy, Part 1 - Shirtless Sailors

For part one of our Navy photo series, we have some shirtless navy men.

These guys are said to be from the USS Texas, a battleship which fought

in both World Wars and in the Atlantic and Pacific in the second.

 

Buddies

We don't know who these three buddies were or what ship they served on,

but it's obvious that they had a stong bond of friendship.

 

USS Bunker Hill

This is the boxing team of the USS Bunker Hill aka CV-17, an escort aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater.  The men are posing in front of the ship's scoreboard, showing all the Japanese ships and aircraft they had a significant part in destroying.  In something of a rarity, we have the names 

and ranks for all these brave and handsome men.  See below:

 

PT 305

Most of us think of PT boats as being part of the Pacific war,

but PT 305 saw duty in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

1942

Closing the shirtless sailors section of today's set with a picture for which I have only the year, 1942.

 

Memorial Day Navy - Intermission

For our first intermission picture, we have my all-time favorite WWII line crossing photo.

The guy on his knees is removing a grape (or olive) from the big guy's navel with his tongue.

 

Sailor and Dog

This sailor holding a happy looking dog is trying to grow beard,

and makes a perfect seque into part two of today's series.

 

Memorial Day Navy, Part 2 - Beards

In a more civilized era than today, the U.S. Navy allowed men to wear beards and even staged 

contests for growing them.  Today we look at some World War II bearded swabbies. 

 I'd go on shore leave with any of these three fine sailors.

 

USS Pensacola 1944

These hirsute fellows served on the USS Pensacola in 1944.

 

16 inch

This sailor's waxed mustache measured sixteen inches from tip to tip.  His beard ain't bad, either.

 

1944

All the info I have on this one is "American Sailors, 1944."

 

U.S.S. Scorpion

Ending our Memorial Day Navy series with the winners 

of the U.S.S. Scorpion beard growing contest.

To all who served and sacrificed for our freedom, thank you!