Still Pictures Aerial Photography in Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine Corps
Black and White Photographs of Marine Corps Activities in Vietnam, 1962 - 1975 (127-GVB)
From the deployment of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 362 (HMM-362) to Vietnam in April of 1962, to the assistance rendered to refugees fleeing the fall of the South in 1975, this series covers the many activities in which the Marine Corps was engaged during the Vietnam War. Photographs include scenes from combat and evacuation operations (Operation Prairie and Operation Eagle Pull, for example); personalities such as President Ngo Dinh Diem (in 1959), Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, Walter Cronkite, Francis Cardinal Spellman, and entertainers such as Martha Raye and Bob Hope. In addition, there are views of interactions between Marine Corps personnel and Vietnamese civilians, ranging from MEDCAP activities (Medical Civilian Action Program) to parties for local children (see under heading "Vietnamese Civilian Life"). Also in this series are photos of Operation Homecoming, the return of American Marine prisoners of war to the United States. At the end of this series are two donated collections from Capt. Edwin W. Besch (the Commanding Officer of the Headquarters Company of the 4th Marines) and from Maj. Robert G. Handrahan. The subjects in these collections are Cam Lo and Dong Ha in 1966, views of Operations Holt, Double Eagle II, and Utah, and of captured Viet Cong weapons. The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room. This series is fully digitized.
General Photograph File of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1927 - 1981 (127-N)
The negatives and transparencies which comprise this series document the many and varied activities which have formed the history of the Marine Corps, from its earliest campaigns in Tripoli to its battles in Vietnam. In addition, the recruitment and training of Marine Corps personnel is documented in this series, as are the many military and civilian personalities who have been involved with the Corps over the years. The result is a comprehensive pictorial record of the Marine Corps' presence in American history. An index to personalities in in RG 127, Series PX. The original logbooks for these images, which provide caption information, are in RG 127, Series PL. This series is partially digitized.
Photographic Prints of Marine Corps Activities and Personnel, ca. 1925 - 1963 (127-M)
The photographs in this series were collected from various sources including the the Marine Corps' Aviation Division and its Historical Section. These photographs consist of albums (all but album 6 were disassembled) and loose prints. Included in the series are aerial views of airfields in Haiti (album 1) and Santo Domingo (albums 2 through 4), taken in 1923; a variety of group portraits of Marine Corps personnel from 1870 to the 1930s, along with a photo of President John F. Kennedy receiving a phonograph record of Marine Corps Band music (folder 5). There also are views of the 3rd Marine Brigade in China from 1927 to 1929, including an exhibit of its weaponry (album 6). Most photographs are captioned, and several have corresponding original negatives in RG 127, Series N "The General Photographic File (Negatives) of the U.S. Marine Corps."
Photographic Reference File, ca. 1940 - ca. 1958 (127-GR)
This series consists of photographs relating to U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) activities, including those specific to World War II and Korea as well as more general subjects. The general subject section consists of images of USMC aircraft, the Marine Corps Band, artillery, atomic bomb testing in Nevada in 1952, communication equipment, commandants, the Cunningham Collection (early aviation photographs), insignia, medical evacuation (medevac), Marines on liberty, Medal of Honor recipients, enlistment posters, the surrender of Japan, and Japanese and Allied prisoners of war (POWs). The World War II subjects include the Battles of Bataan, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Central Solomons, Corregidor, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Japan, Marshall Islands, Midway, New Britain, Okinawa, Philippines, Saipan, Tarawa, Tinian, and Wake Islands. There are also photographs of Navajo Indians and wounded soldiers. The Korea section consists of photographs of various USMC campaigns in Korea, as well as views of aircraft, artillery, bunkers, cemeteries, close air supply and support, communications, engineering activities, captured weapons and equipment. In addition, there are views of Marines in combat, medical and surgical hospitals, Korean civilians, USMC personalities in Korea, North Korean and Communist Chinese POWs, operations in the Punch Bowl Area, Marines at recreation, religious services conducted in the field, Marines from the Republic of Korea, and other United Nations soldiers in Korea. The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room. This series is fully digitized.
Photographs of World War II and Post World War II Marine Corps Activities, ca. 1939 - ca. 1958 (127-GW)
This series contains photographs of Marine Corps activities in various locations and taken mostly during WWII. The series is divided into two main groups of images taken in different geographical locations. The photographs in the first group depict the combat and non-combat activities of the Marine Corps in the following locations: Australia, Caroline Islands, China, Goodenough Islands, Iwo Jima, New Britain, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Okinawa, Peleliu, Samoa, and Tinian. At some point in the lifecycle of the records, the Marine Corps assigned to each location a set of code numbers for the subject categories which existed beginning with code number 1 and repeating for each new country. The codes correspond to a rough alphabetical list of subjects for each country. However, the same code number (number 1 for example) for each country may not necessarily correspond to the same subject. The second group consists of images taken in Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, New Georgia, Bougainville, Russell Island (Pavuvu), Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, Saipan, Guam, and Japan. All of the photographs for these countries are contained in the same code system, beginning with code number 1 and ending with number 791. Based on a History of Marine Corps activities prepared by Headquarters, G-3 Division, Historical Branch of the U.S.M.C. in 1964, it appears the reason that all the countries listed above are in the same "code system" relates to WW II military strategy. In 1943 a 2 pronged strategy was designed to achieve victory against Japan in the Pacific. General MacArthur, the U.S. Army and other allied forces were to proceed from New Guinea to the Philippines and beyond. The Marines were to protect MacArthur's flank and proceed as the second "prong" toward Japan by way of islands in the Solomons, the Gilberts, the Marshalls and the Marianas. Each of the locations listed in the two groups described above are further sub-divided into a variety of subjects including: ammunition, artillery, ceremonies, communications, equipment, entertainment, inspections, officers, and vehicles. Divider numbers have been assigned by NARA's Still Picture Branch, to provide easier access. For reproduction purposes, original negatives in RG 127, Series N should be used. The finding aid for the series is available in the Still Pictures Research Room. This series is partially digitized.
