Looking for Yank magazine, July 2 1944
Does anyone have a complete issue of Yank 7/2/44 and can you check if it identifies the paratrooper on the cover?
Charlie Jump has been searching info on his cousin, Ernest Jump, who was a paratrooper in WW2. Frequently this photo shows up with no info. but he was finally able to link it to this issue of Yank magazine. A family story says his picture appeared in a magazine during the war.
Ernest (Johnny or Buzz, nick names) Jump (that’s his real family name, so he was destined to become a paratrooper…) was born in Rice Lake, WI. 2/1/1922 and died at Winthrop Harbor, IL. 10/1/1976. Using cryptic short local newspaper accounts, it appears he was in the National Guard at the start of the war and joined the 503 Parachute Infantry Regiment. The local newspaper says he jumped at Nadzab, New Guinea. When he returned home after the war, a short article says he spent 32 months in the war zone and made about 30 combat jumps his last on Corregidor. 30 seems a lot, but that is what the paper says. Family stories say he would volunteer and fought in both Europe and the Pacific. Those stories say he jumped on D-Day. Other than that, little is known and those who could fill in blanks are dead.
In September 2020, a reader sent me a link to a copy of this magazine on sale. It was outrageously expensive, but the description cleared up our question about who it was on the cover: it was Sgt. Joseph Goseme of 1st Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne getting on board of a C-47 on the evening of June 5th, 1944. I haven’t been able to find any further background information on Joseph Goseme, so if anyone knows more about him, please send me an e-mail.
After updating this post, the same reader brought to my attention that the identity of the paratrooper on the cover photo is apparently disputed. Mark Bando on his website Trigger Time explains that veterans told him that the trooper is T/4 Joseph F. Gorenc, ASN:16131251, of HQ/3, 506th PIR. Before D-Day, Joe worked in 3rd Bn S-3, doing training related functions like map making and constructing sand tables of the Drop Zone in cooperation with S-2. But…. after publishing this on his website, Mark Bando received further claims from other veterans and relatives also claiming to know for sure it was their buddy or relative in that famous photo. The names are listed here: https://www.101airborneww2.com/warstories4.html. I guess we’ll never know for sure.
View full article on magazine covers with paratroopers
This photograph in the cover of Yank Magazine is Not “Ernest Jump”. It is another Wisconsinite by the name of Sgt. Joseph Gorenc from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It has been very well documented that Sgt, Gorenc is the trooper in this photo.
Joseph Gorenc survived WWII despite being captured near St. Come du Mont. He escaped along with “Doc” Dwyer.
On October 30, 1957 Joesph Gorenc passed due to injuries he sustained in an industrial accident back in Sheboygan.
he has just a few distant relatives still residing in the Green bay area…
Thanks for sharing that! Glad to have received a reply so quickly. I’m sure Charlie will be happy too, even though it turns out it’s not his cousin in the photo.
I got an email from Kenneth Benteyn who confirms this, and he adds that Joseph Gorenc was with the 3rd Bn 506th PIR.
I think i got a m1 helmed from 3bt from 506 can somone help?
My Dad Sgt. Sydney lee McCallum , Was in the 3rd Bn 506th PIR Dad left a written account about his experiences on DDay. He was captured on June 6, 1944(which was also his birthday) with Joseph Gorenc. He also escaped from the prisoner of war train at the same time Gorenc did. After a short time he was picked up by the French Freedom Fighters which were called the Marque and stayed with them for a number of months until he was able to get back to the American lines. Dad always talked about the worst experience he had was when he and William (Bill) Atlee were sent forward to scout for the small group of paratroopers he had gotten with after the DDay jump. He and Atlee came under intense machine gun fire and Bill Atlee was hit in the head lying next to Dad. Dad always said Atlee’s last words were the bravest he had ever heard in his entire life. They were “I am dying Sgt Mickey (dad’s nickname) but we are going to win this damn war aren’t we, you damn well A we are”.
Thanky you for sharing this story Ronald! It’s very moving.
My dad William A.Roth, a paratrooper of the 101st Airborne , 82nd Division remembered when this picture was taken and actually put “guess who” on it for my mom. It certainly looks like him.