a bit of war history from my town.

[jasonc]

View attachment 5252

My grandfather used to walk the beach at night with a Stevens double barrel shotgun as part of the volunteers that did exactly what you're talking about. They stayed at it 24/7 with no pay and only family and county by county support.some mini jap subs were retrieved not 5 or so mikes from the UDT-SEAL museum in the Ft. Pierce inlet. A German sub elsewhere, but that's another story bro.

this is from a man that I know on fb that is named Rocky Spear. he lived where I do. the time frame of that is here in this pic till the end of the war(the pic is dated in 1943) and the base was built in 1940

 

[jeff77]

What did they do at that base? I notice that your friend mentions that his grandfather carried a Stevens double barrel. That's interesting because my grandfather gave me his before he died. He enlisted in the Navy during WW2 but the war ended while he was in boot camp. His is a 20 gauge/side by side. However...I don't know if he got that from the Navy or if he bought it sometime later.

 

[Via Cassian]

Thanks for posting, this is interesting. It is good to remember their actions with a grateful heart.

 

[jasonc]

What did they do at that base? I notice that your friend mentions that his grandfather carried a Stevens double barrel. That's interesting because my grandfather gave me his before he died. He enlisted in the Navy during WW2 but the war ended while he was in boot camp. His is a 20 gauge/side by side. However...I don't know if he got that from the Navy or if he bought it sometime later.

I will post the full history of that but it was a training base and its now our airport and it hasn't changed that much. I can show that with google earth. the lsa training occurred on the beach to the south and the germans and jap subs did patrol our coasts and we had also enemy birds over our town as well. people were told to look and report any sighting of them.
I just have the time to go the web page and down load all the info.

 

[jasonc]

I will post the full history of that but it was a training base and its now our airport and it hasn't changed that much. I can show that with google earth. the lsa training occurred on the beach to the south and the germans and jap subs did patrol our coasts and we had also enemy birds over our town as well. people were told to look and report any sighting of them.
I just have the time to go the web page and down load all the info.

sadly the web page where I got the photo doesn't have the info, but there is another.

 

[jasonc]

http://www.airfieldsdatabase.com/WW2/WW2 R27b CO-HA.htm
scroll to the vero beach, nas that will put you at the pic I have. this is the site where I got the photo. all other info will come by oral passing and other links. most of the locals that are daugthers and sons to those that lived during this time have passed their recolations and their parents. some were stationed here and moved here after the war. many of the structures still remained unto my day as a kid. the ammo bunkers did up to two decades ago. the barracks did as well and other hotels(which I have a pic of) were used as barracks for the waves and officers. I also have the old officer club which is still around and an icon albeit expensive restaurant.
.

 

[jasonc]

View attachment 5256

 

[jasonc]

zoom in on the roads from the first pic then look at this dated google image and see that the roads haven't changed too much. some of the others things are still there. the wharehouse still is, the rr might have been in this image and its gone now.

 

[jasonc]

http://insidevero.com/2014/11/07/hi...ed-as-a-florida-heritage-landmark/#more-28449

the area is where the barracks were in the 43 image and to the west. the dodgers used the barracks for few decades. I think they made a hotel for them on sight near where the barracks where. I can post a topo from 1971 to see and I do know that it wont be there in the 81 topo.