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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - David Parker (30), an aircraft mechanic
residing in Bloomington, Illinois, and a long-time collector
of Indiana aviation history memorabilia, stumbled upon a
historical gold mine on May 30, 2015 ... when his interest
led to him acquiring a stockpile of photographs, newspaper
clippings, and several miscellaneous personal documents that
belonged to photojournalist Sgt. Fred Mangold. Mangold was a
soldier who enlisted in the Indiana National Guard in 1928
and served in the 113th Observation Squadron, photo section
for more than a decade.
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A group of soldiers take a short break while on a training
exercise in Wisconsin, 1940s. (Indiana Army National Guard Air Corps
photo by Sgt. Fred Mangold)
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Parker purchased the photos three years ago online from an
anonymous seller who had inherited them from a family
member. The collection he purchased consists of a box
containing approximately 400 vintage photographs dated from
the 1920s to the 1940s, all taken by Mangold during his time
in service as a photographer with the U.S. military. At the
time of his enlistment, the U.S. Air Force did not yet
exist, so Mangold belonged to the Indiana Army Air Corps.
“To a history nerd like me, this is like a treasure
trove,” Parker said. “About 90 of the pictures were taken in
Indiana, mostly at Stout field in Indianapolis, and all of
the rest of them were taken on assignments in various other
parts of the country.”
Many of the photographs in Parker's collection tell a story
all by themselves. Flipping through one of Mangold's
scrapbooks, Parker displayed a few of his favorite photos
within the collection, including multiple shots of Maj.
Richard Taylor of the 38th Division Air Corps, who was in a
fatal plane crash during a training exercise at Fort Knox,
Kentucky. Also featured in Parker's collection is a
photograph—presumably taken by one of Mangold's
colleagues—of Mangold posing with famous Hoosier and
namesake of the Indianapolis International Airport H. “Weir”
Cook, a World War 1 American Fighter Ace and recipient of
the Distinguished Service Cross.
“I've looked through
these photos several times, and I still find new things,”
Parker said. “Sometimes it feels like overload when you're
looking at them all, and you'll see a detail in the
background that you didn't notice before, or you'll see how
one picture correlates to another, and it just adds to the
story.”
Beyond just photographs, the collection also
includes a number of personal documents and other items that
used to belong to Mangold, including his driver's license,
birth certificate, and even a decorated tire flap taken from
Mangold's personal vehicle. Parker's wife Catrina, a
graduate student at Illinois State University, said that
while she is not the history aficionado her husband is, she
does enjoy rummaging through the old photographs with him
while he explains the significance of each picture.
“Sometimes I have no idea what he's talking about,” she
admitted with a grin. “But I do love his enthusiasm for it
all.”
David Parker plans to maintain ownership of
Sgt. Mangold's photograph collection, and he expressed that
he wishes to share the photos and the stories he has
discovered with anyone who wishes to learn.
“I
believe that it's important to preserve all history,” Parker
said. “I don't necessarily want them to just be locked away
in my closet. I'd like people to see this stuff.”
More photos available in frame below
By U.S. Army Spc. Evan Myers
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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