war paint

 

Anthony Vigna
United States Navy,
1951-1953

This is a swabbie. He's got a mop and a bucket. A lot of people who have tattoos today, it's body art. This isn't body art, it's identification. I got the swabbie and my name, Tony, done by Sailor Jerry in San Diego right before I left for Korea, it was in April -- I went with a buddy named John Julliatto -- he died a few years back. I got it in memory of my brother who was killed when the USS Franklin was hit by a Kamakazi on October 27, 1944. My mother had four kids, a soldier, two sailors, and a Marine. Not bad for a first generation immigrant from Italy.

[closeup]

 
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