History Searching 4 clues, '33 Ford coupe, USMC, El Toro, CA, Chicago...

Yep, the power of the HAMB never ceases to amaze me.

 

Wow, crazy story... happy ending, wheeeeee.

Man, my 34 roadster came from a Ca. base as well. I too am trying to get all of it's history. I was in the marines, and dig that it was on base its whole life. My car as well only had a few hot rod mods, like hydraulic brackes and clutch, swinging pedals, newer flatty, 16 inch wheels, etc.

Great story, keep us clued in! Good luck.

 

Angela,

Thanks for posting this and I'm amazed at the connection. I've sent you an e-mail and look forward to corresponding with details to piece together the story for both of us.

Being that your grandfather served in the Army in all the places you listed, it sounds like the end of WWII or just after, which would jive with the 1943 letter you found from Farragut High School. The picture that I have, of Cpl. Richard Boudnek, is in a Marine Corps yearbook for 1953 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, CA. I don't think his outfit or his picture would be in the book if he were'nt a Marine at that time.

You say he did basic at an Army Air Force base and the clues I have point to an airplane crash crew on a Marine base, maybe he changed branches of service?

Maybe someone with experience can answer, was that common to do, change branches of service or complete an enlistment with the Army and then enlist in the Marines? Could a crash crew at a MCAS have been an AAF outfit? What other possibilities?

Thanks again for chiming in, to you and everyone else on here. It's fun tracing down the clues and I hope we can put together some more pieces of the puzzle.

Randy

 

From my Marine Corp experience , yes... it was common to change service branches. Not that it did you any good!
Once a Marine drill instructor heard of your prior Army enlistment, you got abused extra!!! I saw it alot. A guy would do 4 years in the Army, then enlist again in the Marines.

 

awesome story. thanks for sharing

 

This is just awesome!! Chasing the history must be just as much, if not more fun than driving and owning the car! Great story!

 

Here are some pics Angela sent me from her Grandfather's stuff.

1943 Farragut High School jacket letter:



A picture of her grandfather, uniform and truck are very generic with no markings. Maybe something will be familiar to someone, please chime in:



Here's a picture of her Grandfather in front of a Christmas tree, can anyone recognize anything about the uniform, branch of service, timeframe, etc.:



Thanks Angela, and thanks for any help anyone else can provide from clues in the pics.

 

You nailed the timeframe Mike, see the above post with the Farragut High School jacket letter, 1943. Also, the heritage, Angela said she found an English/Czech dictionary in his stuff.

 

The car belonged to my uncle for many years . You certainly are a good detective. There were two Richard Boudnek's . I will notify my cousin , it was her fathers car. Leslie

 

wow!,this justkeeps gettin better

 

The only connections I can make of the Army, a Naval Air Station, and a crash crew. Is that he was a firefighter in the Army? The shoulder sleeve insignia on his uniform I am unfamiliar with!

I hope you find out some information!

 

WOW. This is the best thread I have seen so far. RAD.

 

Every car on the HAMB has a story, this is one of the coolest!!

 

That is an Army uniform for sure. Marines don't where much brass.
In the field, it's all black obivously. He for sure was on a special team or unit with that patch. Too hard for me to make it out. Very cool pics indeed!

 

Hi Kimb & Dirtyest Devil, the patch on my grandfather's upper arm is a snake wrapped around a machete. It is the regimental insignia for the 158th R.C.T Bushmaster's that fought in WWII in the Pacific.

The other patch that is on his left pocket (oval shape) is a patch of a red seahorse with a blue ring around it and a white center. The design of the insignia is for the Amphibious Training Command.

Richard J Boudnek
158th R.C.T. (Bushmster's)
Amphibious Brigade

 

Dear Jalopies,
So, I found out there were two Richard Boudenk's that were cousins. Both grew up in Chicago, and went to Farragot High School and were stationed in California. I hope my cousins (We're 6th cousins and we haven't met. I found LSkud on Facebook) can fill in the blanks for you, and fill you in on the car and what the 'other' Richard Boudnek was like.

LateModel34, I found your link to Jalopy.com, because I was missing my grandpa and wanted to know if I Googled his name if I would be able to learn anything more about him. And sure enough, I found your link and I did all kinds of research on my grandpa and discovered so many things about him I never knew about him, or was too young to comprehend at the time it was told to me. Thank you for sending your request out into the world for me to find.

All the best to you,
A

 

Great story and what the internet and the HAMB can do in detective work and bringing people of common interest together. If there was a car that truely deserved to be kept original and enoyed and driven, this is it. keeping the history alive is a great way to be the custodian of your ford coupe, The can be restored over and over again but they are only original once,,,,,,

 

What wonderful story. This board is like a time machine - it brings the past alive again.

 

My eyes actually teared up after reading this thread, by far the best on here. Really made me think of my grandfather. That car is prefect and great story.

 

Wow, I sure wasn't expecting family members to pop up! So cool!!!

 

Cool car and an even cooler story.

 

This week has been out of the ordinary for some HAMB friends and me.

It's amazing how these old sheets of steel and lumps of iron can draw us together.

Fantastic.

 

I'm blown away as well, to have established contact with family members. Thanks so much Angela for registering and posting the info you shared and replying to my inquiries.

I've also been in touch with your cousin, LSkud, thanks to you, who is the granddaughter of the Richard Boudnek who was the owner of my '33. I'll post more when I learn more, just wanted to thank you for the link you provided by wanting to find out more about your grandfather. Best of luck to you in your search.

Randy

 

Wow Angela, so great you could help the new owner with more info and lost history. How did you get here on the Hamb?

You Grandfather sounds like a badd ass, excuse my french. My Grandfather as well is a WW2 veteran. He fought in France and Germany. He was a D-day survivor, horay!!! They wrote a book about my Grandfathers unit called The Mortermen. Wow, what a book... scary stuff.
These men are real men! I'm honored to be here today, thanks to great men like our grandfathers and other young boys quickly stepping up the ladder from hell on earth and barely surviving. The stories my Grandfather tells are out of this world.

I too was in the service, not a lot of fun. In my day and age we heard about men called the infantry whom went in 1st to clear a path for the 2nd wave. I always respected these brave men, still do. I only learned not too long ago while reading this book that before the Infantry roll in, the Mortermen really go in 1st and clear the way for the Infantry. They are all brave and crazy! I don't wish war on any man or country.

Great story! Thanks all for your good reading people! Mel

 

What a great read thank you.

 

i don't know how much of this was done but my grandfather was a navy cb in wwII and he wore a marine uniform, and fought with the marine 6th or 8th div. in the south pacific, so he could have been one branch and wore anothers uniform. i don't know if they got to have their striker badges are not. not trying to steer away from where this thread is going just chiming in. thank you to all our grandfathers for all the things they done, to bad most have gone now. i will be trying to keep up with this.

 

Hi! My name is Carol A Boudnek-Wagner the daughter of Richard J Boudnek. I first want to say how honored and thrilled I was that you took the time to research the history behind the person who once owned this car. My dad was a corporal in the Marines based in El Toro, California in the crash crew. I have some pictures of my dad in his Marine uniform and on the base in El Toro in front of his barracks and in the fire truck he drove. But most importantly I have a picture of my dad with his car that you now own. I was amazed to see that the car looks exactly the same. It brought back a lot of memories. Thank You.

My dad passed away June 6, 1995 at the age of 64. He died of a heart attack, but my sister and I believe he died of a broken heart, because our mother had passed a month before that. He missed her very much.

P.S. The sand in the car could of been put there by me or my sister as little girls. There was a sand box in the garage where my dad kept the car. When my dad went to work on the car we would sometimes tag along and play in the sand box. (I know he didn't sail).
If you have any questions please let me know.

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x467/wagner3485/sc002de89b.jpg

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x467/wagner3485/sc002dc60601.jpg

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x467/wagner3485/sc002dc606.jpg

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x467/wagner3485/sc002da5e401.jpg

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x467/wagner3485/sc002da5e4.jpg

 

WOW!!!! NO THATS THE COOLEST STUFF I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME!!!!! Knuck From Indiana.

 

Wow, is right! Thanks so much for commenting and posting the pictures. I hoped for this but didn't much expect it, you definitely made my day! I'm thrilled to have a picture of the '33 from back in the day and some pictures of your Dad. You're right, it looks exactly like it did, except I put some '41 hubcaps on it. I do have the '46 hubcaps and you can bet they'll be going back on it.

I've inserted your pictures into this post so they're easier to see. Do you have any idea of the year that the picture of the '33 was taken? I can see that the split in the left front fender is already there and appears to have been repaired. The Ford and V8 emblem have been removed from the grille and the grille has been painted. I don't see any of the decals in the windows, not even the 1953 Nascar decal in the back window, so this picture could be prior to 1953? The antenna and probably radio have already been installed, headlights swapped for sealed beams and the rumble seat has been recovered in the red with white piping that still exists. Whenever this picture was taken, it hasn't changed much. I'd love to know what the decal on the right side of the windshield is, maybe a base parking sticker, it's no longer on the car.

 

What an amazing story - to have such comprehensive provenance at the time of buying the car and then end up with so much more within about 4 months is amazing. You have a truly important find here that deserves the preservation you have planned for it.

Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

Steve