East Asia Military Deployment Photograph Album, 1941-1954

The East Asia Military Deployment Photograph Album documents the professional activities of an unknown United States Marine Corps officer from 1941-1954. The album predominately focuses on two distinct periods: a World War II or post-war era tour in East Asia, and a 1953 deployment in Korea during and just after the Korean War.

The collection's earliest materials include two loose newspaper clippings from early 1941 reporting on the establishment of U.S. Naval Air Station Bermuda on Tucker's Island, Bermuda. One clipping features an image of several soldiers standing near a row of tents and includes an annotated 'X' over one soldier, possibly the album's creator. The collection also includes a photograph that may have been taken in Bermuda featuring three women on a beach.

Also present are eighteen photographs that appear to have been taken in East Asia, likely China, during or directly following World War II. These photographs include street scenes, buildings (both modern and traditional), fishing vessels, military vehicles, local people, and two photographs of the scrapbook's creator. The collection also includes a portrait of four unknown Marine Corps soldiers in their dress blues and a portrait of a Japanese woman featuring a stamp on the reverse indicating that the photograph was "Examined in the Field" and "Passed by Joint Intelligence." No other identifying information is available for the loose photographs.

The photograph album is comprised of 66 mounted photographs, most of which are annotated with handwritten captions in the album and on the back of each photograph. All captions located on the reverse of the mounted photographs have been transcribed and are present in the container list. The photographs document the soldier's stay in Hiroshima, Japan in June 1953 and time stationed in Korea in September and October 1953. The photos taken in Japan include images of soldiers and the military base at Etajima, street views, the Hiroshima Memorial and ruins, Japanese actors filming on location, and the scrapbook's creator and other soldiers dining and recreating at the Yamato Hotel. There are also three photographs of Iwo Jima taken from a plane in flight.

Photographs taken in Korea feature a group of soldiers at Johnston Island; artillery positions, tanks, and a helicopter in flight; views of military outpost buildings and tents, including facilities at Camp Matthews; events such as a "Beer Bust" and an awards ceremony; and soldiers, including the scrapbook's creator, engaged in hiking, bathing, cooking, sleeping, and other day-to-day activities. The album contains several self-portraits and other photographs with captions describing the photography techniques used for capturing the images. There is also a loose copy of the July 20, 1954 edition of the San Francisco Examiner featuring an article reporting on the arrival of the military transport Marine Phoenix in San Francisco from Inchon, Korea.

The collection also includes a handmade, undated Christmas card from a child and a leaflet from the Kyoei Industry Co. describing the tradition of maiko performers, possibly originally packaged with a doll or figurine.