Forrest Huffstetler - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

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World War 2

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during the World War 2.

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 an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in 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
US Army PFC World War 2 Forest Haskell was born on Dec 12th, 1923, in Gastonia, NC, and served as a Paratrooper in the Army during WW2 with the 82nd Airborne and made three combat jumps, including D-Day when his unit secured Sainte Mere Eglise, France, the first town liberated by allied forces on D-Day all before his 16th Birthday. Huff joined the Army in 1940 at 15 1/2 with documents that stated he was 18. These were signed by his aunt, a notary, whom he told he was 18. Huff became a Paratrooper in 42 because they paid an extra fifty dollars on top of his base pay of thirty dollars a month. Huff attended paratrooper training in Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and was then assigned to the reconstituted 82nd Airborne. In April 1943, he was shipped off to Casablanca, North Africa, on a Kiser ship. On July 9th, Huff made the first combat jump with the 82nd’s, 3rd battalion company H for invading the Italian island of Sicily. After combat operations on the island, the 82nd prepared for the second combat drop in Italy. The night of September 14th, Huff and his unit, as part of Operation Avalanche, made their second drop into Salerno, Italy. After securing the port of Naples for a few months, Huff and the 82nd were loaded back on transports and made sail for Cookstown, Ireland. Here they trained for a few months preparing for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Huff did not think he saw the sun for the few months they were assigned there but celebrated Christmas of 1942 before reporting to Quorn England for final preparations for his third combat jump for Operation Overlord. On June 6th, Huff landed at 2 a.m. just outside Sainte Mere Eglise. The 82nd took the town at 4:30 in the morning when Lt. Col. Edward C. Krause, the CO of the 3rd Battalion, raised the Stars n Stripes, liberating the first city during the D-day invasion. Huff remembers, “I was scared during every jump, but when they said GO, you went.” He said that coming down that night, the flack was as thick as the Fourth of July, but the intel helped them make it and secure the town. Huff and his team fought and held the city for three days from the Germans until a tank unit reinforced them from Utah Beach, allowing them to move forward. Huff and his team were relieved off the line to prepare to jump Operation Market Garden into Holland. He injured himself during his 18th training jump but joined the team via truck a few days after the jump. The 82nd then found themselves called to action on the night of the 17th of Dec 1944, trucked 18 hours into Trois-Ponts, Belgium. Huff and the 82nd reinforced the northern line at the start of the Battle of the Bulge as the German forces pressed the attack. After the Ardennes offensive, the 82nd advanced into Germany. After the German surrender, the 82nd was stationed in the Lugol's Germany, aka the Black Forest, until relived off the line by the Red Army.
Veteran,NIK,WW2
Forrest Huffstetler - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Army PFC World War 2 Forest Haskell was born on Dec 12th, 1923, in Gastonia, NC, and served as a Paratrooper in the Army during WW2 with the 82nd Airborne and made three combat jumps, including D-Day when his unit secured Sainte Mere Eglise, France, the first town liberated by allied forces on D-Day all before his 16th Birthday. Huff joined the Army in 1940 at 15 1/2 with documents that stated he was 18. These were signed by his aunt, a notary, whom he told he was 18. Huff became a Paratrooper in 42 because they paid an extra fifty dollars on top of his base pay of thirty dollars a month. Huff attended paratrooper training in Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and was then assigned to the reconstituted 82nd Airborne. In April 1943, he was shipped off to Casablanca, North Africa, on a Kiser ship. On July 9th, Huff made the first combat jump with the 82nd’s, 3rd battalion company H for invading the Italian island of Sicily. After combat operations on the island, the 82nd prepared for the second combat drop in Italy. The night of September 14th, Huff and his unit, as part of Operation Avalanche, made their second drop into Salerno, Italy. After securing the port of Naples for a few months, Huff and the 82nd were loaded back on transports and made sail for Cookstown, Ireland. Here they trained for a few months preparing for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Huff did not think he saw the sun for the few months they were assigned there but celebrated Christmas of 1942 before reporting to Quorn England for final preparations for his third combat jump for Operation Overlord. On June 6th, Huff landed at 2 a.m. just outside Sainte Mere Eglise. The 82nd took the town at 4:30 in the morning when Lt. Col. Edward C. Krause, the CO of the 3rd Battalion, raised the Stars n Stripes, liberating the first city during the D-day invasion. Huff remembers, “I was scared during every jump, but when they said GO, you went.” He said that coming down that night, the flack was as thick as the Fourth of July, but the intel helped them make it and secure the town. Huff and his team fought and held the city for three days from the Germans until a tank unit reinforced them from Utah Beach, allowing them to move forward. Huff and his team were relieved off the line to prepare to jump Operation Market Garden into Holland. He injured himself during his 18th training jump but joined the team via truck a few days after the jump. The 82nd then found themselves called to action on the night of the 17th of Dec 1944, trucked 18 hours into Trois-Ponts, Belgium. Huff and the 82nd reinforced the northern line at the start of the Battle of the Bulge as the German forces pressed the attack. After the Ardennes offensive, the 82nd advanced into Germany. After the German surrender, the 82nd was stationed in the Lugol's Germany, aka the Black Forest, until relived off the line by the Red Army.