Family donating massive WWII photo collection

The Citizen staff

The Library of Congress has scheduled a ceremonial ceremonial adjacent period to judge an Auburn family's donation of hundreds of World War II photographs.

Sgt. Carl Chamberlain, who served a paratrooper successful the war, carried a camera during his tour, and since 2018, his son, Michael, has been moving to scan, probe and archive astir 900 images.

On Sept. 21, Michael volition present the photos to the Library of Congress successful Washington for its Veterans History Project, which is simply a postulation of first-hand accounts from wartime veterans. The project, which is accessible online astatine loc.gov/vet, presently has stories, letters, documents and photos from astir 110,000 veterans.

Michael Chamberlain said his father's photos are 1 of the largest representation donations ever made to the program. He's hoping attraction connected this donation volition animate different veterans and their families to participate.

"It is important that veterans and their families instrumentality clip to sphere their stories," the Chamberlain household wrote successful a property release. "This is particularly existent arsenic a caller procreation of wartime veterans – those who served successful Vietnam – are reaching their ‘golden years.’"

Carl Chamberlain, who would person turned 100 successful July, volunteered with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (82nd Airborne) and was deployed to North Africa successful 1943, according to his son. Carl had combat jumps during the invasions of Sicily and Italy and fought successful the battles astatine Alta Villa, Mount Sammucro and Anzio.

Carl Chamberlain aboriginal served with the 334th Aerial Resupply Battalion of the First Airborne Task Force. He took portion successful the penetration of confederate France successful August 1944 and served successful the the Battle of the Bulge. He settled successful Auburn aft helium was discharged erstwhile the warfare successful Europe ended.

Carl, who died successful 1993 astatine property 73, was calved successful Worcester, New York, and raised successful adjacent Schenevus.

The Chamberlain household donation to the task has been successful the works since 2019, and was primitively scheduled to instrumentality spot successful 2020 but was postponed due to the fact that of the COVID-19 pandemic.