FL FL - Fort Lauderdale, WhtMale 1176UMFL, 21-30, 'US Paratrooper' tattoo, May'84

[apearn]

bump

 

[scangel1987]

Hey all! Some thoughts I have tried research but don’t have the right resources. Maybe my thoughts will help.

If.. he was a paratrooper in the US he had to have gone to training school. Only one that keeps coming up in the time frame is Fort Benning in GA. If he graduated there should be a list of grads and even some schools had yearbooks.
If he was found in 1984 and about 21-30 YOA he would have had to have graduated between 1972-1981 due to the fact that there was a minimum 18yr age requirement to enlist.
I don’t know with this info if it is possible to narrow him down to a specific division, battalion, company with what was running in that time frame. Maybe some vet sites for those divisions might remember him or be able to narrow it down from there.
It may be a reach but maybe another avenue to look at. Hope it helps!

 

[apearn]

bumping for attention

 

[HopeRains]

Newspapers.com, Miami Herald, 27 May 84, pg 97

 

[apearn]

I sent his info to Army CID so my fingers are crossed that they will compare him to deserters from 1984. If he was active duty then he should be on that list.

 

[HopeRains]

My apologies if this has already been mentioned, but it appears to me the Namus tattoo info is incorrect - descriptions in the parens.

Namus case indicates the following:



Again, if already mentioned I apologize - I've been pondering this a bit, and am just kind of typing out loud here ... please excuse any rambling.

* I find it odd/unusual that US is included in the Paratrooper tattoo. I don't see that descriptor on any other paratrooper tattoo images that I have seen (google images). And I wonder if in fact it is unusual, why the young man would include such - perhaps he was part of/would be part of a joint force (multi country)? Perhaps he was from another country's military and going through the program?
* Skull with "red" beret. Likely maroon I'd say given the tat. His tattoo shows jump wings (basic parachutist) and traditional airborne beret. And what is the yellow thing on the beret? That is where the unit badge usually goes and totally identifies "who" you belong to.
* The "born to fly free" tattoo may be symbolic in multiple ways. The 75th Ranger Regiment has a red lightning bolt in it's patch. Pegasus units have already been mentioned. Maybe this tattoo is a conglomeration of units/deployments? It is not uncommon at all after a deployment to get a tattoo that symbolizes such and could include many components. Maybe he was "done" with it all, acknowledged it and said I'm really "born to fly free".
* I'm certain it has been referenced in the thread, the fact there are prints available on this young man. The fire of St. Louis was in 1973. These prints should be somewhere, and most likely are. Perhaps the issue here, like with so many unidentified, is you have to have someone to compare it to.

 

[apearn]

bump

 

[subaw0067]

bump

I've sent the depictions of the tattoos to a friend who is a paratrooper, and he said the tattoos are pretty basic "flash" tattoos that a tattoo artist would have. Unfortunately not traceable to any specific unit.

 

[apearn]

bump

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Paratrooper "John Doe" - Who Is He?

An unidentified John Doe was found in the canal near Bayshore over Memorial Day week 1984. Unique tattoos suggest he might have been a US Paratrooper.

thesuitcasedetective.com

https://i0.wp.com/thesuitcasedetective.com/wp-content/uploads/participants-database/2021/06/flpd-84-73082-tattoo-pegasus_orig.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1

https://i0.wp.com/thesuitcasedetective.com/wp-content/uploads/participants-database/2021/06/flpd-84-73082-tattoo-paratrooper_orig.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1

Single Record Page — The Suitcase Detective

Find attached the relevant case file hosted by "Never Quit Looking" - a database of missing persons, unsolved homicides, and unidentified remains.

thesuitcasedetective.com

 

[carbuff]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

1176UMFL

No updates. Still no visible list of men who have been excluded.

I don't think I noticed before that the text descriptions of the tats don't match the sketches that supposedly illustrate them.

 

[Alleykins]

I never noticed, either, until it was pointed out.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Broward County John Doe on The Doe Network:

1176UMFL

 

[John/Jane Doe]

US Paratroopers Unidentified Person Florida

Unidentified person with United States Army Airborne / Paratrooper tattoos found in Florida on Memorial Day Weekend 1984. Veteran Doe Top Case #2 - Missing Person Case

www.veterandoe.com

 

[apearn]

No response from Army CID Tips - cant even get on that site at the moment

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Unique tattoos suggest he may have been a US Paratrooper. Given his age (20s – mid 30s), that would put him serving sometime between 1970 and 1984.

Some have observed that the U.S. is spelled with commas instead of periods (Link), which might mean he got the tattoo abroad.

There is also some resemblance with the 330th Troop Carrier Squadron from Tennessee (Link)

Paratrooper "John Doe" - Who Is He?

An unidentified John Doe was found in the canal near Bayshore over Memorial Day week 1984. Unique tattoos suggest he might have been a US Paratrooper.

thesuitcasedetective.com

 

[apearn]

bump

 

[apearn]

I emailed the contact for Howard Shizue Takanaka Jr to see what tattoo he had. Howard is a US Army veteran 25TH Infantry in Hawaii (Tropical Lightning) and his physical description is lining up.
There is a family tree in Ancestry that says that Howard Takenaka Birth Date: 8 Sep 1957 "disappeared with no trace while driving from Wisconsin to Florida" but in 1980.

 

[Alleykins]

I see a resemblance @apearn

 

[carbuff]

I emailed the contact for Howard Shizue Takanaka Jr to see what tattoo he had. Howard is a US Army veteran 25TH Infantry in Hawaii (Tropical Lightning) and his physical description is lining up.
There is a family tree in Ancestry that says that Howard Takenaka Birth Date: 8 Sep 1957 "disappeared with no trace while driving from Wisconsin to Florida" but in 1980.

Disappearing in 1980 doesn't preclude him hanging around Florida for several years before he died. The 1984 date listed in his Charley page would be very close.

Howard Shizue Takanaka Jr. – The Charley Project

There's a pretty good resemblance, too. Nice find.