Tenth Generation

6170. Jack E. Bedwell²¹¹⁵ was born on 17 Sep 1919 in San Bernardino County, California.^1612,2115 In 1948 he was a state marine patrol warden for the Ventura County beach in Oxnard, California.²⁴⁴⁴

• U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Record (ancestry.com) shows: Jack E Bedwell Birth Year: 1918 Race: White, citizen Nativity State or Country: California State: California County or City: Santa Barbara Enlistment Date: 3 Feb 1941 Enlistment State: California Enlistment City: Santa Barbara Branch: Field Artillery Branch Code: Field Artillery Grade Code: Staff Sergeant Component: National Guard (Officers, Warrant Officers, and Enlisted Men) Source: National Guard Education: 3 years of college Civil Occupation: Actor (Motion picture actor. ) or Director, Motion Picture (Motion picture director.) or Entertainer Marital Status: Single, without dependents Height: 72 Weight: 150

• The Oxnard Press Courier (Oxnard, California), 6 Apr 1951, carried a feature article on Jack Bedwell on page 2. The headline reads "Recall to Army Is Boon to Hobby of Battery A's First Sergeant":

It's an ill war that blows no good, and to Jack Bedwell it at least means a shot in the arm for his hobby.
Bedwell, first sergeant of Oxnard's Battery A of the 981st Field Battalion, now on its way to Japan with the 40th Division, has one of the most complete collections of military shoulder patches in the nation, it is believed.
In civilian life, Bedwell lives in Ventura and works as a state fish and game warden. He would just as soon remain a civilian too, but since he's back on active duty, he's on the hunt again for those bright blobs of cloth that adorn the left shoulders of soldiers, marines, and airmen.
But it's not strictly a one-man hunt. Bedwell's wife, Eunice, calls it a "family project."
She met Jack during World War II when she was a Wac with the Air Troop Carrier Command, and has been collecting patches ever since. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Bedwell of Santa Barbara, have also aided in the search.
Mrs. Bedwell said dozens of servicemen have been "talked out of" unusual patches and admits the family is guilty of "snipping some off of uniforms."
Now, since the start of the collection in 1942, Bedwell has gathered more than 500 patches which cover nine four-foot panels in a riot of color. The collection includes almost every division and special organization in the Army, as well as most of the Navy, Marine, Air Force, and National Guard units. With Jack back in the service the collection has been lent to the Sheriff's Office to display.
Aside from Jack's own patch as a Ninth Corps M.P. and Eunice's Air Force patch, the prize of the collection is a "flaming sword patch" received personally from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. With it was a letter from "General Ike" explaining the significance of the patch which he wore during the successful campaign in Europe.

• The Oxnard Press Courier (Oxnard, California), 24 Jun 1952, carried this note: Jack Bedwell is back at his old job as a fish and game warden for the state in this area. Jack served with the 40th division in Korea and now has a new home in Montalvo. Bedwell patrols the western boundary of Ventura County southward to Redondo Beach.

• Jack E. Bedwell is the author of these (and apparently other) articles:
Bedwell, Jack E.

Title Page Issue
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- SHELLING OF GOLETA, CALIF, 23 FEB 1942
Bedwell, Jack E. "Prelude to an Invasion?" Periodical Jrnl 19 (Fall 1992): pp. 71-76.

http://www.formationsinc.com/about/pr/mt-st-helens.html

Here is a sample article from the North Coast Citizen, Tillamook County, Oregon:

Shouting your way to success

By Jack Bedwell
How many of you fellows can remember the days of your youth when you wanted something so bad you could almost taste it? In my case it was a BB gun or a .22. rifle. I wanted the gun but there were few lawns to mow -- only cement sidewalks -- in downtown San Bernardino. So I got to thinking again that I might be big enough to sell newsapers. Why not? I located the offices of the San Bernardino Daily Sun and asked to speak with the circulation manager. Suddenly a big man with a smile on his face walked up and said, "Son, I don't think you are old enough to sell newspapers," he said. "But I'll tell you what. You come back and see me in a couple of years and we will hire you." I was eight years old at the time. I thought that was a bit unfair. I could holler enough to sell newspapers on the street. That's when I began praying for old age to set in so I could get old enough to sell papers. To read the whole story, pick up a copy of The North Coast Citizen.
(http://www.northcoastcitizen.com/021303/feature.html)

Jack E. Bedwell and Eunice M. [--?--] were married.