Would anyone care to comment about GI Glasses? I learned about this the other day at the 36th Combat Engineers Reunion. Someone brought up GI Glasses and I wasn't familiar with it. They said they were always happy with theirs.
Thanks
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
Marion: Yes. Had a school friend who served in a Infantry Div. as a rifleman . On entering he had 20-200 vision and glasses were always needed. Met with him in Germany at wars end through keeping in touch all the time when possible. I believe he
always kept a copy of his prescription with him and if one pair got dammaged or lost it
would take a bit to get a second pair. He cursed them in the winter specially. But he made do and survived as a Infantry rifleman. God only knows how with his eyesight he became a Infantry rifleman. He was the one I met on getting on the La Crosse Victory
ship in Le Harve France by accident as neither of us knew when we would return home.
Was one hell of a surprise to both of us as only about 750 of us were on this ship. Although he is now in CA and I am in NJ he still comes here about once a year or so.
He lived only about 10 houses from where I still live. Still awaiting his next years visit.
I always wondered about glasses during the war. I thought, what the hell do you do if you jump in your foxhole and your glasses fly the other way? Man, that would be tough. It's something I bet that most people don't think about.
Glad you still get to see your friend from time to time. That is wonderful. Hope to continue to do so for long time.
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
He told me that 2 pair were in the initial issue so that he always had a spare pair.. If one pair became broken or lost , his medics reported it and had that replaced. What I
often wonder is how the guys with "store bought teeth" made out if lost or damaged??
While C and K rations could be "gummed" those damn D bars needed teeth for knawing
Are you talkong about what my boys call BCG's? Thats the term they use it stands for birth control glasses....This is Tay in basic wearing the loveley eyewear
I won't forget that one - BCG's! Not exactly a fashion statement, but tell him I can still see his beauty beneath!
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
yep Marion they are called that because as the boys who will be boys say you aint gettin any wearing your bcgs This one was in Iraq and I am embarrassed to say I didnt even know it was Tay. When I copied the photos to a cd I put this picture at the end vecasue I had no idea who the dork was...little did I know it was my dork and speaking of the spare pair , Dusty put his on a dummy and shot them before he got discharged the last time...
I've heard of GI glasses for the modern soldier. But I never heard of them for WW2. I'm trying to recall where I have seen photos of Infantrymen wearing glasses and can't think of any.
Also, I thought that you would flunk the physical if you didn't have the required number of teeth. But then there were some who lost their teeth after they enlisted.
Quote: " I've heard of GI glasses for the modern soldier. But I never heard of them for WW2." Do you think we were any different than todays soldiers? With over of 12,000,000 of us serving they werent that "picky" about eyesight or teeth. Their were
even glasses for use with gas masks. If I remember correctly the glasses were metal
framed.. Granted, most of us were young, but not all of us.
