Southwest
Texas man tracks down grandfather's WWII military jacket riddled with shrapnel holes
A paramedic with the Houston Fire Department eager to learn more about his late grandfather’s military service had a stroke of luck after he began his research.
Mark Holmes of Pearland, Texas, told Fox News Digital that a simple Google search not only taught him about his paternal grandfather, William Watson Holmes, and his service to America, but it led him to a physical piece of history.
William Watson Holmes served as a Marine during World War II and was a Purple Heart recipient.
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“I had always kind of wondered what my grandpa did in the war. I talked to my dad about it a few times, and my dad, all he knew was one of the islands he went to, was called Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands. Beyond that, I didn’t know anything other than he got a Purple Heart,” Mark Holmes said, adding that when he was 3 months old, his grandfather died.
Mark Holmes, a Texas resident, was 3 months old when his grandfather, World War II veteran William Watson Holmes, died. (Mark Holmes)
As luck would have it, Mark Holmes came across a collector’s website, U.S. Militaria Forum. He signed up and shared his grandfather’s story on the page to connect with other users, and it appeared one collector had an interesting discovery to offer.
The collector, Austin Wideman, spent years collecting World War II memorabilia, having close to 40 named pieces in his Marine collection.
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Mark Holmes, a Texas resident, located his grandfather’s military jacket on a collector’s website. ( U.S. Militaria Forum)
Wideman posted photos of William Watson Holmes’ uniform jacket after purchasing the coat from a seller in Gloucester, Virginia.
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The tattered green jacket dons a “UNIS” mark on the back reading “322.”
Mark Holmes (left) stands beside Austin Wideman (right) displaying William Holmes’ military jacket. (Austin Wideman)
“UNIS marked items are my main focus with Marines. Marines would put these numbers on equipment so other Marines could tell which unit they were a part of. The number 322 tells me that William Holmes was [part] of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Division. By knowing that I was able to positively identify the uniform to William [Watson Holmes],” Wideman told Fox News Digital via email.
Mark Holmes and Wideman began conversing online, and the two men eventually met up in person.
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“William was wounded when a Japanese land mine blew up riddling him with shrapnel in the back. This is why the jacket has burn holes all throughout the back. William Holmes was taken back to [the] states where he underwent emergency surgery on his spine to remove the shrapnel,” Wideman said.
William Watson Holmes served in World War II as a Marine with Company E. Seen here is Holmes’ Marine identification card and the jacket he wore during combat. (Austin Wideman)
By chance, the hospital where William Watson Holmes was sent in Lee Hall, Virginia, was 30 minutes from where Wideman purchased the uniform.
Mark Holmes and his father, Randall Holmes, son of William Watson Holmes, flew to Missouri to meet up with Wideman to see the historic family piece himself.
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Mark Holmes tried on his grandfather’s jacket, which fit him well.
Mark Holmes of Texas was surprised to find that his grandfather’s military jacket fit him. (Austin Wideman)
Wideman said meeting Mark Holmes and his father, Randall Holmes, was a true honor.
“Watching Randall [Holmes] touch the jacket his dad was wounded in was extremely rewarding for me as a collector. We spoke about the jacket for hours and really enjoyed each other’s company. I’m already looking forward to seeing them again,” Wideman said.
Randall Holmes of Texas also joined the visit to Missouri to see his own father’s military jacket. (Austin Wideman)
Wideman shared the history of the jacket with the Holmes family while they revealed personal stories of what it was like growing up with the veteran and hearing his stories about the war.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
The Holmes family donated additional wartime pieces to Wideman so he could add them to his collection.
The Holmes family donated additional pieces to go along with the jacket to Wideman’s collection. (Austin Wideman)
In return, Wideman had a replica of William Watson Holmes’ jacket made for the family.
“My goal has always been to share history and to keep these stories alive. If anything were to happen, everything including the jacket will go back to family,” Wideman side.
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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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