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.
US Army
PFC
World War 2
Bill, originally from Muscatine, Iowa, was raised on a farm during the Great Depression. To help support his family during those challenging times, he took on various jobs, including working as a milkman. At 17, Bill eloped with Ms. Elizabeth Knox Ridenour, and their marriage lasted for over 75 years. He also contributed to the war effort by working in the warehouse at the Rock Island Arsenal. On May 29, 1943, Bill was drafted into the Army and inducted in Davenport, Iowa, before being sent to California.
Bill completed his 13-week Army Bootcamp at Camp Callan, which is now located on the Torrey Pines golf course site. This boot camp focused on training soldiers to operate anti-aircraft gun systems. Following basic training, Bill was assigned to Headquarters, 19th Coast Artillery, Coastal Defense, San Diego. Their primary responsibility was harbor defense, which included overseeing the batteries at Fort Rosecrans. Bill was designated as a driver and worked at the motor pool located on Sassafras Street near the San Diego airport.
Bill’s assignment involved operating a Studebaker US6 2½-ton 6×6 truck, specifically designed for towing 40mm artillery weapons or transporting crew members. Bill distinctly recalls that his truck had the identification number #23. Their duties often took them to Fort Irwin for training sessions on the artillery ranges, and on other occasions, he would transport troops and equipment to the battery locations at Point Loma, Fort Rosecrans. For approximately one year, Bill’s unit was accommodated in the tents on the Marine Base.
Bills unit received orders reassigned to duties in Europe. They began their training at Fort Livingston, Louisiana, focused on advanced infantry training. After completing this phase, they traveled by train to Louisiana and then reported to Fort Meade, Maryland. However, their orders were modified to shift their deployment to the Pacific, and they were relocated to Fort Stoneman in Pittsburg, California, in the Bay Area, in preparation for transport to the Pacific area of responsibility. In the spring, Bill and his new unit, the 182nd Infantry Regiment, boarded the USS General Weigel (AP-119), a troop ship carrying approximately 5,000 service members.
The USS General William Weigel anchored off the beach of the Philippine Island of Leyte as part of the invasion forces. Bill, armed with his M1 Garand, loaded onto a Higgins barge to reach the beach. During this operation, the BAR operator in front of him was injured, and Bill’s sergeant instructed him to take up the BAR, thus making Bill a machine gunner.
His unit was later combined with the American Division for the Battle of Cebu City, which lasted from March to April of 1945. On the 15th of that Month, Bill received orders that they would be part of the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland. They loaded onto an LSD and were sailing north of the invasion when the surrender was announced. Consequently, his ship was in Tokyo Bay to witness the signing of the surrender. After the war, Bill served with the occupational forces at the Yokohama Naval base in Japan until winter. He then loaded onto a troop transport bound for San Pedro, California. In February, he was discharged from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and returned to Iowa to reunite with his nine-month-old son.
US Army
PFC
World War 2
Bill, originally from Muscatine, Iowa, was raised on a farm during the Great Depression. To help support his family during those challenging times, he took on various jobs, including working as a milkman. At 17, Bill eloped with Ms. Elizabeth Knox Ridenour, and their marriage lasted for over 75 years. He also contributed to the war effort by working in the warehouse at the Rock Island Arsenal. On May 29, 1943, Bill was drafted into the Army and inducted in Davenport, Iowa, before being sent to California.
Bill completed his 13-week Army Bootcamp at Camp Callan, which is now located on the Torrey Pines golf course site. This boot camp focused on training soldiers to operate anti-aircraft gun systems. Following basic training, Bill was assigned to Headquarters, 19th Coast Artillery, Coastal Defense, San Diego. Their primary responsibility was harbor defense, which included overseeing the batteries at Fort Rosecrans. Bill was designated as a driver and worked at the motor pool located on Sassafras Street near the San Diego airport.
Bill’s assignment involved operating a Studebaker US6 2½-ton 6×6 truck, specifically designed for towing 40mm artillery weapons or transporting crew members. Bill distinctly recalls that his truck had the identification number #23. Their duties often took them to Fort Irwin for training sessions on the artillery ranges, and on other occasions, he would transport troops and equipment to the battery locations at Point Loma, Fort Rosecrans. For approximately one year, Bill’s unit was accommodated in the tents on the Marine Base.
Bills unit received orders reassigned to duties in Europe. They began their training at Fort Livingston, Louisiana, focused on advanced infantry training. After completing this phase, they traveled by train to Louisiana and then reported to Fort Meade, Maryland. However, their orders were modified to shift their deployment to the Pacific, and they were relocated to Fort Stoneman in Pittsburg, California, in the Bay Area, in preparation for transport to the Pacific area of responsibility. In the spring, Bill and his new unit, the 182nd Infantry Regiment, boarded the USS General Weigel (AP-119), a troop ship carrying approximately 5,000 service members.
The USS General William Weigel anchored off the beach of the Philippine Island of Leyte as part of the invasion forces. Bill, armed with his M1 Garand, loaded onto a Higgins barge to reach the beach. During this operation, the BAR operator in front of him was injured, and Bill’s sergeant instructed him to take up the BAR, thus making Bill a machine gunner.
His unit was later combined with the American Division for the Battle of Cebu City, which lasted from March to April of 1945. On the 15th of that Month, Bill received orders that they would be part of the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland. They loaded onto an LSD and were sailing north of the invasion when the surrender was announced. Consequently, his ship was in Tokyo Bay to witness the signing of the surrender. After the war, Bill served with the occupational forces at the Yokohama Naval base in Japan until winter. He then loaded onto a troop transport bound for San Pedro, California. In February, he was discharged from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and returned to Iowa to reunite with his nine-month-old son.
