Monday, August 11, 2014

A Military Mystery For Monday...!

War time is filled with many mysteries, most of which we never hear about. This one struck me as strange.

So many questions surround this particular event that it certainly qualifies as a true mystery, I think.

The Mysterious Souvenir

In August 1943, a fierce battle on the island of Bougainville, off the coast of New Guinea, left many soldiers dead. After the fighting was over, a US marine happened upon the body of a Japanese soldier and decided to search it to see if he could find any “souvenirs.” To his great surprise, he discovered a newspaper clipping and a photograph of an American girl. The clipping revealed that the girl was 18 years old, from St. Petersburg, Florida, and about the take part in a beauty pageant. Being from St. Petersburg himself, he took the clipping and photo with him when he left the island.

Two years later, a young girl by the name of Wanda Wilson was visited by a stranger at her parents’ home in St. Petersburg. At the time, Wanda had a job at Florida Power, a part-time modeling career, and was in love with a colleague.

Marine corporal Robert Goddard was about to throw a spanner in the works, producing the photograph he had found in the dead Japanese soldier’s pocket. Wanda gasped as she recognized herself in the picture, which had originally appeared in the St. Petersburg Times in March 1942. No one knew how the picture and clipping could have ended up in a Japanese soldier’s pocket on the other side of the world, a year and a half after it was published.

Even if the Japanese soldier did what Goddard did, and took the picture from an American soldier’s corpse, who was the American soldier? Wanda did not recognize the names or pictures of any American soldiers who died on the island.

Thanks to the folks over at Listverse for digging up stories like this for all to read. Sure does make some handy reference material.

Coffee out on the hot patio this morning. No critters around that I can see!

8 comments:

Mamahen said...

A sadly beautiful story!

Sixbears said...

Real life has so many random and unexplained things that a fiction book editor would reject the script.

Chickenmom said...

That is a good mystery. He might have found an old newspaper. I'll bring some fresh, cold watermelon to cool off the morning.

texasann said...

Bubba -
Maybe the cats brought in the possum from Mama's house - her fuzzy visitor. Just kidding ~
Good story today - lots of heart-tugging strings out there if we only knew to follow the ends. Have you seen the tv show "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"? Takes place in a dead-letter office, and is very heartwarming.
Big hugs - with no possums in the pockets, please.

linda m said...

That is really weird - good mystery for today. It is hot and muggy here also this morning, but I'll still join you on the patio.

JO said...

I guess no one will ever know ow he got the paper clipping. Mysteries like these are rarely figured out.

Hot and humid here too. Pass the pot please.

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamahen...
Really makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Sixbears...
I would imagine that you are right about that.

Thanks for the visit today!



Hey Phyllis...
I do like watermelon for breakfast! Or anytime, really!

Thanks for the visit this morning!



Hey Sis...
I don't think this one is the furry critter that Mom keeps seeing.

I haven't see the show you mentioned, but it sounds interesting.

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Linda M...
I'm glad that you liked the story today!

Thanks for dropping by today!



Hey Jo...
Just another mystery we'll never know the answer to.

Thanks, sweetie, for coming over today!

Unknown said...

My question is.. who was this Robert Goddard? Was he the one from Rocketry Fame?