May 11, 1942: Five months into World War II, a young Coast Guardsman from Iowa was shown in a photo feature exhibiting the “typical actions and reactions of the thousands of service men from small towns who, since the war began, have made their maiden journey to the ”˜big city.’”
Five months into WW2 for the U.S. but two and a half years into the war for Britain and the Dominions.
That was my reaction my first time in New York City in 1987. From one of the Twin Towers, though; didn’t get to the Empire State Building until this year.
The photo reminds me of something Twain wrote about two men seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. One said, “I’ll be damned!” The other man fell to his knees in prayer. Twain maintained that these reactions were in substance identical.
Wonderful photo, but isn’t this man in a US Navy uniform?