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Note three of the packers are wearing Levis

more of the same unit

the 35th would go to Burma as part of the MARS Task Force

Sam Cox wrote:

Note three of the packers are wearing Levis

I was just trying to figure that out (the Levis) when I read the caption. Really interesting, I've never seen that before.

Blue jeans were worn by soldiers in the form of the blue fatigue uniform of that era, which went out early in World War Two, but I've never seen them wearing civilian blue jeans before.

Another great find Sam!

On the Phillips saddle is Captain Ralph Hitch.

He was a Wyoming cowboy. In this photo he is wearing levis like a lot of the packers in his unit.

I interviewed Mr Hitch back in 2002 but the i left the dictaphone at LAX.

He was in his words "lucky that his peacetime career was necessary to his military one"

The 35th originally trained at Ft Bliss and was then sent to Colorado with the 71st Infantry Div(light). After the 71st was converted to a standard division rather than a "light" one,the pack elements separated (in the case of the QM units) or converted (in the case of the Artillery ones).

These pictures came to me from Mr Hitch .

Sam Cox wrote:

Note three of the packers are wearing Levis

Note the use of the blinds.

Couvi wrote:

Sam Cox wrote:

Note three of the packers are wearing Levis

Note the use of the blinds.

Is that a GI item? They don't look like the ones I've seen in prior photos.

Sam Cox wrote:

On the Phillips saddle is Captain Ralph Hitch.

He was a Wyoming cowboy. In this photo he is wearing levis like a lot of the packers in his unit.

I interviewed Mr Hitch back in 2002 but the i left the dictaphone at LAX.

He was in his words "lucky that his peacetime career was necessary to his military one"

The 35th originally trained at Ft Bliss and was then sent to Colorado with the 71st Infantry Div(light). After the 71st was converted to a standard division rather than a "light" one,the pack elements separated (in the case of the QM units) or converted (in the case of the Artillery ones).

These pictures came to me from Mr Hitch .

Where in Wyoming?

If memory serves,Richmond Wyoming.

He also worked for the Forest Service .

This was 12 years ago so i may be mistaken.

Sam Cox wrote:If memory serves,Richmond Wyoming.

He also worked for the Forest Service .

This was 12 years ago so i may be mistaken.

Maybe Riverton?

Do you recall any other details about his interview, his service, post war life, etc.?

Pat Holscher wrote:

Couvi wrote:

Sam Cox wrote:

Note three of the packers are wearing Levis

Note the use of the blinds.

Is that a GI item? They don't look like the ones I've seen in prior photos.

Note the blinds on the left shoulder of the soldier who bear a striking resemblance to George S. Patton. This is the type I am more familiar with.

http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu/r/RUN02000 ... N02064.JPG

He was a pre war Cavalry man so he may have been Wyoming NG.

He said "aside from seeing some friends die and some good mules die too,the war wasn't too bad,after the depression it wasn't too bad at all"

On India " a terrible country"

On Burma specifically "a magical country"

The pack troops held a rodeo and mule polo games with the remount units. Blue jeans were packed away for the campaign and made up up the semi official uniform of the 35th after the campaign.

I think the 35th was attached to the 475th Infantry (I will have to check).

After the Burma Campaign he spent time in China and Tibet buying horses and mules for the Chinese army.

I found these pics on the same hard drive.

This is marked as 252nd Pack Troop,the 252nd would go to Burma with the 124th Cavalry Regiment.

The pack troops alway look a little rugged but this bloke is going the extra mile.

Sam Cox wrote:I found these pics on the same hard drive.

This is marked as 252nd Pack Troop,the 252nd would go to Burma with the 124th Cavalry Regiment.

The pack troops alway look a little rugged but this bloke is going the extra mile.

I love that photo!