Stanley Smith - WW2 Veterans - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

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World War 2

Click on Veteran's photo to see their Ledgend. These American Heros 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
Please email

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.

United States Navy Shipfitter (Repair) Petty Officer 3rd Class (SF3) World War II - Korean War Stanley S. Smith was born in Bellflower, California, on December 4, 1925. He graduated from high school in 1943 and was inducted into the Navy on April 7 of that year. After Bootcamp, Stanly attended the Shipfitter Instruction Apprentice School at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia. A ship fitter is an enlisted Sailor or civilian who works with high-tensile, high-yield-strength steel. The Navy rating badge for this rating features two crossed hammers. Shipfitters fabricate, assemble, and erect all structural parts of a ship and coordinate fixed-tank work on submarines and ships. They use heavy machinery, including plate planners, shears, punches, drill presses, bending rolls, bending slabs, plate bevelers, saws, presses, and angle rolls. These craftsmen perform grinding, drilling, and fit-up operations on submarines and surface ships. For most shipfitting, men crouched and sprawled on their hands and knees to fix leaking pipes and re-fit various plating across the ship, lifting heavy objects and generally maintaining the soundness of both the exterior and interior hulls. As the vessel sustained damage, shipfitters became increasingly in demand and valuable aboard the ship. Often, these varied jobs took shipfitters across multiple decks and levels of the ship. During his Naval service, Stanly served aboard three ships, including USS Rocky Mountain (AGC-3), the command ship of Commander, 5th Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. He also worked aboard USS Vulcan (AR-5), a repair ship operating in the Mediterranean Sea, providing support for the repair of damaged vessels. SF3 Smith also served aboard USS Harris (APA-2), an attack transport ship. Shipfitter (Repair) Petty Officer 3rd Class (SF3) Stanley S. Smith was honorably discharged on December 23, 1945, following two years of active-duty service. He received the Philippine Liberation Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. After his service, Stanley became a firefighter in Riverside, California. He was married to Roberta M. Smith, and they had four children. Stanley also worked as a welder for Union Carbide and Masonite, owned a motel in Laytonville, CA, and operated a laundromat and a walnut grove in Chico, California.
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Stanley Smith - WW2 Veterans - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
United States Navy Shipfitter (Repair) Petty Officer 3rd Class (SF3) World War II - Korean War Stanley S. Smith was born in Bellflower, California, on December 4, 1925. He graduated from high school in 1943 and was inducted into the Navy on April 7 of that year. After Bootcamp, Stanly attended the Shipfitter Instruction Apprentice School at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia. A ship fitter is an enlisted Sailor or civilian who works with high-tensile, high-yield-strength steel. The Navy rating badge for this rating features two crossed hammers. Shipfitters fabricate, assemble, and erect all structural parts of a ship and coordinate fixed-tank work on submarines and ships. They use heavy machinery, including plate planners, shears, punches, drill presses, bending rolls, bending slabs, plate bevelers, saws, presses, and angle rolls. These craftsmen perform grinding, drilling, and fit-up operations on submarines and surface ships. For most shipfitting, men crouched and sprawled on their hands and knees to fix leaking pipes and re-fit various plating across the ship, lifting heavy objects and generally maintaining the soundness of both the exterior and interior hulls. As the vessel sustained damage, shipfitters became increasingly in demand and valuable aboard the ship. Often, these varied jobs took shipfitters across multiple decks and levels of the ship. During his Naval service, Stanly served aboard three ships, including USS Rocky Mountain (AGC-3), the command ship of Commander, 5th Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet. He also worked aboard USS Vulcan (AR-5), a repair ship operating in the Mediterranean Sea, providing support for the repair of damaged vessels. SF3 Smith also served aboard USS Harris (APA-2), an attack transport ship. Shipfitter (Repair) Petty Officer 3rd Class (SF3) Stanley S. Smith was honorably discharged on December 23, 1945, following two years of active-duty service. He received the Philippine Liberation Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. After his service, Stanley became a firefighter in Riverside, California. He was married to Roberta M. Smith, and they had four children. Stanley also worked as a welder for Union Carbide and Masonite, owned a motel in Laytonville, CA, and operated a laundromat and a walnut grove in Chico, California.