Mr. Ivan G. Van Meter

Naval Photo School Pensacola, FL       Graduate of 1944

 photos of Mr. Ivan Van Meter

This is the fun part of doing this blog; getting an email from someone who knows a person or persons that attended the Photo School and served in the Navy as a Photomate. I received this email from Mr. Jack LaPeer. Read below.

Naval Photography School at Pensacola

Jack LaPeer

 To: sarj@sarjbloom.com

Sarj,

Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 9:12 PM

My name is Jack LaPeer and I came across a link to your blog on the Naval Photography School at Pensacola, FL. I think we may share a mutual interest regarding this school, you being a graduate in 1959 (hope this correct) and I having some scanned photos taken by Mr. Ivan G. Van Meter who graduated September 30, 1944. I've attached a copy of his graduation certificates for your information. Mr. Van Meter was assigned to a photo recon unit until the end of WWII, then returned to his home near the Grand Rapids, MI area. As I understand it from his daughter, who was my source of the photos, etc that I scanned, Ivan ran a successful potrait studio until his death several years ago.

I've scanned most of the remaining photos taken during his Navy service that his daughter obtained

 Naval Photography School at Pensacola

after his death with the understanding that I will share them with websites, etc, that share a common interest with Ivan's naval service. For instance, his aerial photo unit was on the USS Bogue and I have shared some USS Bogue related photos with the relevant websites. There are a few, however, that he took, I think around Pensacola or perhaps the other school at Anacostia, DC he graduated from. I am wondering whether or not, Sarj, you could look at some of these and perhaps identify their location. I'm pretty sure they would have been taken after his graduation from Pensacola and probably Anacostia, too. Thank you very much and I'm looking forward to hearing back from you.

Jack LaPeer Orleans, MI

Along with this first letter the above certificates were attached as well as the photo below taken in 1944.

I think that this pier was near the main Admin building. Anyone have another idea?
After looking more carefully at this photo , I realized they are not fishing but crabbing. Having lived in MD for a long time I recognized the strings, which you tire chicken necks on to and also the wire net to grab the crabs with. 

More of Ivan's photos 

Looks like the old C-20 or was it K-20 ?  

I used one of these once out the door of a Beachcraft to photograph Andrews AF Base. I was warned to buckle the camera to the plane not myself. They could lose me but not the camera. 

More of Pensacola

Vintage Post Cards of Pensacola

Thanks again Jack for sharing these historic photos. This is why I started this blog.
Sarj

PENSACOLA FLORIDA 

MJ's classmate Haberlig shot this during the parade of 5 Flags, Pensacola, Sheriff's Posse.

Here are some beach shots sent in by MJ.

These are photos of the Gulf of Mexico from Barrancas Beach July 1959. 

One of MJ's classmates shot this and labeled it Alabama 7/59

This is a very nice soft looking photo taken by an enlisted Marine of two marines . Set-up for an assignment location / mood shot. 

Sherman Cove NAS Pensacola.

Aelcorn & Bauer models.

A school 1959

U. S. NAVY  PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION  CENTER SUITLAND, MD 1959 / 1961

Recently a friend, MJ, brought up the notion of giving credit to all the people and especially the young men and women of the U.S. Navy that served at NPIC in the early days. I left in Sept. 1961 but while there I never worked so hard in my life. Like everyone else we worked everyday and then at days end we went back to work again as a duty section. We had 3 section duty and there was talk of going to Port and Starboard duty which would have been every other day and every other weekend. That may have just broke us.

As it was we worked well over 80 hours a week and we did most of it in the darkroom. Lunch time was so valuable to us. We would go out in the courtyard and soak up the rays from the sun. 

It was therefore quite appropriate that our Christmas Card had a prison there with everyone in stripped uniforms. It felt like we were in a prison workshop.  Here's a photo of me and Michaels holding up the NPIC seal in our jail house clothes.

 To see the full card with names etc. follow this link.

http://navy-photo.blogspot.com/2009/07/naval-photographic-interpretation.html#links

All this aside it was still a great time of growth and character building and I regret none of it. I think it helps knowing that we were all in the same boat, so to speak.

Well my friend MJ also alerted me to the fact that some of the hard work did not go unnoticed. For the work done during the Cuban Missile Crisis the Command got a Unit Commendation Award / Citation.

Here is Citation 

To all those who served. Thank you for all your sacrifice and good hard work.