WW2 USMC Driver's License, Marine Corps Assault Battalion, Yokosuka Japan, Occupied Japan 1946, E.E. Hoermam Pfc., Pacific Theater of Operations

Today we'll be looking at a small historical artifact that comes to us from the "cross roads of history", the transition from WW2 to the Post-War era.  

This little piece of paper once belonged to a USMC Private First Class (Pfc.) who served in the 6th Marine Division, USMC Assault Battalion.  This bit of paper is a USMC driver's license issued in Yokosuka, Japan, in January,1946, just months after the surrender of Imperial Japan.

These Marines, serving with the USMC Assault Battalion, were some of the first US soldiers to set foot in mainland Japan and start the occupation, after the surrender, and end of the War in the Pacific.

You can read more about this chapter of history here (and download the .pdf publication as well):


http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/Securing.pdf

This driver's license is a real time capsule of information.  The issue date was January 16th, 1946.  It was issued to the US Marine E.E. Hoermam Pfc., in the newly Occupied Japanese Military Base of Yokosuka, Japan.

The license permits our marine to drive all vehicles from "jeep to 10 ton crane", basically all USMC vehicles that would be operating in the area.  I am guessing that this marine was going to be in Japan for quite awhile, or this license would not have been so carefully filled out and issued.

The issuing officer's signature is on the card, with his tittle abbreviation below it. M.T.O, or Marine Transportation Officer.

I wish I knew Pfc. Hoermam's story, but at least this little bit of his history still survives to give us a hint of his time in japan.

Here is the album of this wonderful bit of WW2 history, and the ending of the War in the Pacific.