This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The Urban Archeologist: The Secret Identity of G.I. Joe

Images of WWII nobody wanted?

Another mystery presented itself to me when I decided to pick up a scrapbook in the basement of a Connecticut antique shop. I won’t tell you which shop, they're all good and all deserving of a visit.


Something about this one made me flip through the pages. I have seen this type of book before, likely kept by the lady of the house and full of wedding invitations and greeting cards from the 1940s-50s.

It wasn’t until I came to the items marking her spouse's entrance into WWII that I started to get to know this couple from Bridgeport, CT. better. Joseph Papini at 37 was drafted in 1943 and left home for more than 2 years to fight for his country.

Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The papers that were preserved tell a story of a soldiers life, from his draft notices to his discharge and some very unique items in between. The real gem was a packet of negatives with a U.S. Censor’s stamp of approval. To see those negative developed and more WWII memorabilia, click this link to view.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?