Clarence W. Almquist served  in the Coast Guard during WWII, Oct.1942- Oct. 1945. He was 20 years old when he enlisted.  Almost all of the pictures I have of him in uniform are of him serving as a “CPO Mess Boy”.  In honor of Veteran’s day I’ll limit myself to making only one Swedish Chef reference.

Swede Almquist did make a mean garlic lambchop, I wonder if this is where he learned the recipe? CPO stands for Chief Petty Officer, a higher ranking group who would have had their own separate dining area.

I’m not sure if these photographs were of his Treasure Island time or if it was a prior post.  It was my impression he also served as a prison-guard on Treasure Island, where over 1000 Germans were held.  His time in the Mess could have been served in several Bay area Coast Guard outposts other than Treasure Island, including Mills Field and the Presidio in San Francisco and Governors Island in Alameda.

This picture of a crew digging on a beach is not Treasure Island but could be Yerba Buena Island (directly next to Treasure Island) or the ocean side of San Francisco.  This may be a different year than the Mess pictures.  Three of the crew members are wearing “P”s on their clothes, which could be for prisoner. The fellow bending over in the dark uniform has a sidearm.

I’ve ordered Clarence’s service records from the National Archives, so in one to three months I should have more info to share on his time in the Coast Guard.

Honor your Veterans today!