Rome 1944

sent in by Al Goodman (596th)
(received December 2001)

Clockwise from top, Tommy Tanaka (442nd), Ernie Coffelt (596), Hirosie (442), and Howie Jaynes (596).

Swim meet won by Jaynes.  Tanaka, Hawaiian champ second.  Coffelt third.  Hirosie fourth.  Diving competition.

Ben: Picture is of Jaynes, Coffelt, and the two fellows from the 442 at the 5th Army meet at the facility in Rome, prepared for the 1940 Olympics. They were all divers and Howie as a freshman at Northwestern had competed in the NCAA meet in '42 and was on the way to winning the nationals when he tried a dive that no one else had ever done in competition and flubbed it. Howie could do pushups from a hand stand and could do one from a one handed handstand! He and Ernie and Leonard Mathis were killed in the Var River Valley as recounted in Battling Buzzards. I hope the picture got thru OK  See you in a couple of weeks.  Al

This picture came to me via a scrap book that had my name on it but was probably Dick Bramley's. Hal Roberts, who was one of our supply personnel, found it a couple of years ago and sent it to me. Howie was my closest friend in the service and entered with me from Chicago. Al

Ben,  This is Howie Jaynes and Ernie Coffelt at the swim meet in Rome in July 44. I wrote about them previously and sent another picture. Al

new copy of photo received July 2006 from Steve Markle,
son of Eugene C. (Gene) Markle

(Received April 2002)