Jacob Morgan - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

Mickey Strand - Veterans Series View More Photos Skip to Main Content

The Veterans Portrait Series.

Mickey is a retired Navy Photographers Mate, Chief Petty Officer, and was the Leading Chief of the Navy's elite Combat Camera Group Pacific. Mickey's current focus is the Veterans Portrait Series, which documents veterans' stories of service. He is focused on our Worlds' Greatest Generation. The veterans of World War II. 

Mickey interviews each Veteran, collecting and writing their service stories, archiving these notable historic figures and their stories for generations to come. Mickey has collected and displayed images and stories from over 100 warriors that at one point, signed the dotted line when our country needed their sacrifice of service most.  Mickey continues to collect Veterans from all services for the Veterans Portrait Series. In 2019 this body of work was displayed at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre Museum from Nov 11, 2019 — to March 1, 2020.

Mickey and the project were in the national spotlight, featured on the Sunday Today Show with Harry Smith Today Show Link to YouTube.  See the Google 360 Virtual walk through from the Palm Beach Museum Exhibit. Enjoy, and thank you for your help with this project. In 2022 Mickey has photographed over 25 more WW2 Veterans and will be hosting a print show in San Diego in November with an open house on Veterans Day.

Featured Veteran

Gill Nadeau
US Navy
SM3
World War II - Korea

Born on June 4, 1926, Gilbert Nadeau enlisted in the Navy at the age of 16 with his mother’s permission. When Gil initially reported to the enlistment office, he was informed that, at four feet eleven inches tall, he fell three inches short of the enlistment height requirement. Determined to join, he made repeated visits, hoping for an exception. One day, a recruiter allowed him to take the primary exams, and subsequently, Gil was granted the opportunity to enlist.

Gil attended boot camp in Sampson, New York. On the morning of the first week of January 1944, when he arrived at boot camp, the temperature was a frigid five degrees. During his initial physical examination, he faced an unusual situation – he was below the height chart’s minimum requirement. To address this, a corpsman loaned him a uniform top, and two other corpsmen positioned him against the wall, subsequently lowering the board as a third took an ID card photo to make him appear taller than the minimum requirement. The manpower shortage during this time was evident, as Gil’s boot camp was remarkably short, spanning only 28 days, before he was shipped off to the Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, MD. He attended Signalman A School, where he graduated and achieved a meritorious promotion to Signalman Third Class in just 29 days.

After completing his training, Gil was assigned to the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, VA, where he joined the amphibious training command. Their training involved using an old 158-foot wooden patrol craft with hammocks for the crew’s sleeping quarters. Subsequently, they were introduced to Landing Craft Infantry ships for transporting troops to shore during amphibious landings.
Later, Gil received orders to relocate to Portland, Oregon, where he was assigned to work on LCS-45, a Landing Craft Support ship. This ship had a crew of 75 enlisted personnel and six officers. Notably, his Commanding Officer held the rank of Lieutenant. The primary mission of the LCS was to provide support for landing troops equipped with 40mm guns and rocket systems to aid in amphibious operations.

The ship’s journey continued as it sailed to Hawaii, where the crew underwent further training. Following their training, Gil’s group of LCSs had escort duty alongside a group of LCTs on the island of Majuro. From here, they set sail to Guam and eventually reached Eniwetok. Unfortunately, during their operations at Eniwetok, the ship collided with another vessel, temporarily taking them out of action during the crucial Battle of Iwo Jima.

After repairs, the ship was reassigned to another group tasked with the final operations in the Philippine Islands. Following their successful operations in the Philippines, the ship played a role in the landings on the island of Borneo. Their contributions included assisting in securing of Brunei and later Miri, as part of the overall operations in that region.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series
  Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last 1 hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some photographs for the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question.  Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2024 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
Jacob Richard. Morgan was born on Oct 10th, 1925, and grew up in El PasoTexas, in a pretty poor home. He served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1964, serving 20 years of active duty. Jacob was attending Texas A and M and was offered the opportunity to attend Rice University in the V-12 program as a student seaman recruit. He attended school for one year before attending a pre-midshipmen school in New York. the V-12 program generated specialized trained officers for the Navy and the Marine Copts during WW2 from 1943 - 1946 at over 131 colleges in the US. Seaman Morgan jumped at the opportunity of this accelerated commissioning program. Ensign Morgan graduated from Midshipmen school in 1945 at just 19 years old. After graduation, he reported to San Fransisco awaiting transportation to the Pacific, serving once as an escort to a debutant ball to Miss Dorothy Hills, daughter of the Hills Brothers Coffee Co. Jacob sailed to Guam aboard a Destroyer to be assigned to his actual first ship. stopping first in Guam. Ens Morgan served as a Censor on Guam awaiting transport west, blacking out service members’ letters home of any data that had military importance or sensitivity to military operations. Ens Morgan also enjoyed his evenings at the Guam Officers Club and enjoyed the gambling it offered. One night he volunteered to run the dice table serving as the House. In ten days, Jacob made more money than his expected salary for the remainder of the year. Never before had he experienced this much money in one place. He caught another ship to Tahiti to catch his permanent duty station. The transport stopped for supplies on Bora Bora, an island in French Polynesia serving as a rear base after the attack at Pearl Harbor. Eventually, the transport met with Ens Morgan's Fast Battleship, USS South Dakota (BB-57). Jack was transferred to the Dakota aboard a bosun's chair while underway. Jack served as a gunnery officer on Dakota, participating in the Philippines campaign, the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and attacks on Mainland Japan three times. After the surrender, USS Dakota sailed into Yokosuka, Japan, and tied alongside the USS Missouri. On Sep 2, 1945, all the Dakotas officers, including Ens Morgan, lined the rails to witness the surrender agreement signing. The USS Dakota remained in Japan for a year, eventually returning to New York. LTJG Morgan served as a reservist and returned to Texas A and M. Lt Morgan returned to active duty during the Korean War, serving on the Heavy Cruiser USS St Paul (CA-73) as a gunnery officer in turret two for three years. Jack again returned to school on the GI bill, where he studied medicine, graduating with his MD in 1957. He returned to active duty as a Lt Commander in the Medical Corps. His residency was at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, Ca. He returned to San Diego Balboa Naval Hospital. During the Vietnam war, CDR Morgan deployed to the Naval Hospital Taipei Taiwan, an evacuation hospital for service members injured in Vietnam. He served at the hospital for two years, receiving an award for his work with malaria from China. He returned and studied with the cardiology department at Scripts in California for two years and the Balboa Naval Hospital for another three years. CDR Morgan served with the Pediatric and Cardiology units at the Naval hospital. CDR Morgan worked, studied, and updated pediatric cardiac journal articles winning the Casimir Funk Award, the first Naval doctor to receive this award. Jack retired from active duty in 1973 and served as a professor of medicine for two years at Texas Tech. He later returned to San Diego, serving in private practice for many years, retiring in 2007 after his 82nd birthday
Jacob Morgan - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
Jacob Richard. Morgan was born on Oct 10th, 1925, and grew up in El PasoTexas, in a pretty poor home. He served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1964, serving 20 years of active duty. Jacob was attending Texas A and M and was offered the opportunity to attend Rice University in the V-12 program as a student seaman recruit. He attended school for one year before attending a pre-midshipmen school in New York. the V-12 program generated specialized trained officers for the Navy and the Marine Copts during WW2 from 1943 - 1946 at over 131 colleges in the US. Seaman Morgan jumped at the opportunity of this accelerated commissioning program. Ensign Morgan graduated from Midshipmen school in 1945 at just 19 years old. After graduation, he reported to San Fransisco awaiting transportation to the Pacific, serving once as an escort to a debutant ball to Miss Dorothy Hills, daughter of the Hills Brothers Coffee Co. Jacob sailed to Guam aboard a Destroyer to be assigned to his actual first ship. stopping first in Guam. Ens Morgan served as a Censor on Guam awaiting transport west, blacking out service members’ letters home of any data that had military importance or sensitivity to military operations. Ens Morgan also enjoyed his evenings at the Guam Officers Club and enjoyed the gambling it offered. One night he volunteered to run the dice table serving as the House. In ten days, Jacob made more money than his expected salary for the remainder of the year. Never before had he experienced this much money in one place. He caught another ship to Tahiti to catch his permanent duty station. The transport stopped for supplies on Bora Bora, an island in French Polynesia serving as a rear base after the attack at Pearl Harbor. Eventually, the transport met with Ens Morgan's Fast Battleship, USS South Dakota (BB-57). Jack was transferred to the Dakota aboard a bosun's chair while underway. Jack served as a gunnery officer on Dakota, participating in the Philippines campaign, the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and attacks on Mainland Japan three times. After the surrender, USS Dakota sailed into Yokosuka, Japan, and tied alongside the USS Missouri. On Sep 2, 1945, all the Dakotas officers, including Ens Morgan, lined the rails to witness the surrender agreement signing. The USS Dakota remained in Japan for a year, eventually returning to New York. LTJG Morgan served as a reservist and returned to Texas A and M. Lt Morgan returned to active duty during the Korean War, serving on the Heavy Cruiser USS St Paul (CA-73) as a gunnery officer in turret two for three years. Jack again returned to school on the GI bill, where he studied medicine, graduating with his MD in 1957. He returned to active duty as a Lt Commander in the Medical Corps. His residency was at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, Ca. He returned to San Diego Balboa Naval Hospital. During the Vietnam war, CDR Morgan deployed to the Naval Hospital Taipei Taiwan, an evacuation hospital for service members injured in Vietnam. He served at the hospital for two years, receiving an award for his work with malaria from China. He returned and studied with the cardiology department at Scripts in California for two years and the Balboa Naval Hospital for another three years. CDR Morgan served with the Pediatric and Cardiology units at the Naval hospital. CDR Morgan worked, studied, and updated pediatric cardiac journal articles winning the Casimir Funk Award, the first Naval doctor to receive this award. Jack retired from active duty in 1973 and served as a professor of medicine for two years at Texas Tech. He later returned to San Diego, serving in private practice for many years, retiring in 2007 after his 82nd birthday