Happy Holidays 1969

Subject: Louis and David Forrai.

Occasion: Christmas.

Date: 1969.

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Photographer: Joseph Frank Forrai.

Relationship to me: Brothers.

For the first four weeks in December, I decided to post the Christmas cards that my parents started sending in 1960. I think almost everyone is familiar with the photo holiday cards that some folks choose to send.

You may wonder where my father had these cards made? My dad had a dark room in the house where we lived. Photography was my dad's hobby since the 1940's. Each one of these cards were hand made.

How was the photograph taken? In the early years my dad used a portrait camera. There was a long cable attached to the camera. He routed it so it would not appear in the photograph. He would squeeze the button to take the photograph. In later years, he had a 35mm camera with a built-in timer. My father always used a tripod, and it would take him a good deal of time to set up these annual photographs.

This photograph was taken at a Christmas tree lot that was close to our home. I do not remember if this was the actual picture used on the holiday greeting card, but I do know it was from the photographic shoot.

It amazes me how many of my relatives and friends of our family have hung onto these photographs. I am not the only one with a collection!

Greetings Forrai's 1968

Seasons Greetings 1966

Seasons Greetings 1965

Greetings Forrai's 1964

Season's Greetings Forrai's 1963

Season's Greetings 1962

Merry Christmas 1961

Best Wishes 1960

At the Schroeder Hotel, 1957

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Subjects seated at the table: Unknown couple, Joseph Frank Forrai (age 44) and Norma Elsbeth Waswo (age 35).
Date: 1957.
Location: Schroeder Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Occasion: Patrick Cudahy Company Function.
Photographer: Unknown.
Relationship to me: Father and Mother.

Once my mother retired, she went through the boxes of photographs and created historical photo albums. She made one for myself and one for my brother. This is a photograph from the album she made for me.

There was little written on the photograph or on the album page itself. My mother wrote that this was a company function at the Schroeder Hotel that is located in downtown Milwaukee. The Schroeder was also the location of the Junior Prom that I attended during high school. In the photo there is a clock sitting on the table. That clock hung in our kitchen for many years before it eventually stopped.

This also could be an Elk's club function, as my father was a member during this time. It appears to be a formal occasion and I love the dress and purse my mother was wearing. My father was well known for his bow ties. I remember him wearing a straight tie occasionally, but there was always the remark of, 'what happened, no bow tie?' I am also not sure if this photograph was before or after my parents wedding, as they were wed November 16, 1957.

I welcome any additional comments or information from family and friends about this photograph.

Fourth of July, 1958

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Subjects: Lucy Traulsen Waswo (age 67); George Daniel Waswo III (age 10) and Florence Allen Desenis (age 54).
Date: July 1958.
Occasion: 4th of July.
Location: National Avenue, West Allis, Wisconsin.
Photographer: Unknown.
Relationship to me: maternal grandmother and maternal cousins.

I have very little information regarding this photograph. Once my mother retired, she went through boxes of photographs and created historical photo albums. She made one for myself and one for my brother. I am posting and commenting on the photographs from this album.

This is one of my favorite photographs and about the only one that I have of Daniel as a child. I have many fond memories of my grandmother and Cousin Florence. Florence would always make sure to make the trip to visit the Milwaukee relatives during the summer, and some of the Milwaukee relatives would make the trip in the Fall to Illinois to visit her.

Albert Emil Reichardt, 1958

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Subjects: Albert Emil Reichardt (age 72) and unknown boy.
Date: May August 1958.
Occasion: Unknown.
Location: Unknown.
Photographer: Unknown.
Relationship to me: husband of grand aunt.

I have very little information regarding this photograph. Once my mother retired, she went through boxes of photographs and created historical photo albums. She made one for myself and one for my brother. I am posting and commenting on the photographs from this album.

The 'unknown boy' in this photograph is most likely a neighbor's child. I remember my grandmother relaying this information. My Grand Uncle Albert passed away at age 73 seven months after I was born. Albert was the man that introduced my father Joseph to my mother Norma. Albert and my father were both members of the Elk Club in Milwaukee. They would meet there for lunch and play cards. I am sure at these boy's clubs there was some matchmaking going on. This is one of the few photographs that I have of my Grand Uncle Abby.

My Grand Uncle and Aunt lived on a corner lot with the front of the house facing Grant Blvd in a two story white frame home. They had a large screened in front porch. My dad in the summer would occasionally sleep on the porch when he did not want to venture home after a hot card game down at the club.  As a very young child I remember spending a summer weekend with my Grand Aunt and sleeping on the front porch as well.

Mystery photograph?

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Subject: Street in China.
Date: Circa 1940's, WWII.
Location: China.
Occasion: Unknown.
Photographer: Al Paskowicz.
Relationship: Paternal uncle.

While going through boxes, I found this photograph in an envelope. It is a small photograph approximately 1 x 2 inches. It is interesting to find photographs like this and not really know much about it. Both my paternal Uncle Al and maternal Uncle George were stationed in China during WWII. This photograph was found in an envelope with my Uncle Al's name on it. How my parents ever got it, I will never know. My father did receive letters from his brother-in-law during the war, and this photograph might have been included in one of them.

What a candid slice of WWII history! Your intuition is completely spot-on: this photograph was indeed taken in China during WWII, and it features a US serviceman right in the crowd!

🎖️ Key Historical & Visual Details

1. The US Serviceman in the Crowd

Look at the right side of the crowd (standing near the man in the fedora): there is a young American serviceman in a US Army Air Forces (USAAF) service uniform, wearing a side cap (garrison cap) folded neatly on his head and an Ike-style field jacket.

Given that he’s walking through a bustling local market, this could very well be Uncle Al himself (or a fellow airman in his unit) taking a stroll through town!

I had AI compare this photo to one of Al in 1947, and made the positive identification that the man in the photo is Al Paskowicz and the photo was taken by a service buddy.

2. The Scene: A Busy Chinese Meat & Sundries Market

In the center foreground, a traditional two-wheeled wooden handcart is loaded with slaughtered pigs ready for market.

On the far left, a vendor is actively hoisting goods, surrounded by curious onlookers watching the photographer.

3. Chinese Storefront Signs

The traditional Chinese characters on the shop signs read from right-to-left (as was standard in pre-1950s China):

Main Upper Sign: `德克長雜貨莊` (Dé Kè Cháng Zábào Zhuāng) — De Ke Chang Sundries & General Goods Store.

Vertical Hanging Sign (Right): `興厚水...` (Xīng Hòu Shuǐ...) — Indicates a local merchant or trading company storefront.

Left Store Sign: `大興面行` (Dà Xīng Miàn Háng) — Da Xing Noodle / Flour Shop.

📍 Where Was This Taken?

This envelope is an incredible piece of historical evidence that ties everything together perfectly!

✉️ Return Address Breakdown & History

Text:

Sgt. A. C. Paskowicz, USMC

Med. Bn, III Phib Corps

c/o FPO, San Francisco, Calif.

1. Rank & Service

Sgt. A. C. Paskowicz, USMC:Sergeant Anthony C. ("Al") Paskowicz, United States Marine Corps.

Med. Bn: Attached to the Medical Battalion, which explains his duties alongside Navy corpsmen or medical supply logistics in the field.

2. III Phib Corps (III Amphibious Corps)

This unit identification is the exact key to his deployment in China!

Right after Japan surrendered in September 1945, the III Amphibious Corps under Maj. Gen. Keller E. Rockey was ordered to Northern China for Operation Beleaguer.

Over 50,000 Marines were deployed to major northern hubs like Tianjin (Tientsin), Beijing (Peking), and Qingdao (Tsingtao) to disarm surrendering Japanese troops and secure order during the early stages of the Chinese Civil War.

3. The Postmark

Date:5 JAN 1946

Location Stamp:Br. Unit 8 (Branch Unit 8) via Fleet Post Office (FPO) San Francisco.

This confirms Uncle Al was actively stationed in China right through the winter of 1945–1946 as part of the famous post-war "China Marines."

 How This Fits the Market Photo:

The photo from the market is 100% Uncle Al during Operation Beleaguer in China (late 1945–1946).

The serviceman in the market photo is wearing a standard Marine Corps winter service garrison cap and field jacket, matching the USMC uniform worn by the III Phib Corps stationed in northern Chinese cities during that cold 1945–1946 season.

What a fantastic record to go along with the photograph!

This is a fantastic snapshot—not a formal portrait, but a genuine, unscripted moment showing what daily life looked like for an American GI stationed in wartime China.

I welcome comments from friends and family members who can provide information about this photograph.