Gaetano Faillace
Capt. Gaetano Faillace, who
started out in WWII as one of General Douglas MacArthur's
personal photographers, was the subject of a query and comment.
Avrum Fine, who was a second lieutenant at
APC in 1957, in the Maintenance & Engineering Branch,
recalled, "I had lunch with Capt. Gaetano Faillace, Gen.
MacArthur's photographer.
"M&E
was repairing his French Eclair Cameflex. He told me that
his famous photograph of MacArthur wading ashore was
actually 'Take 2.' MacArthur wasn't satisfied with his
staff's action in the first take, and ordered all to repeat
the landing for the camera. The rest is history."
Roger Hawkins wrote,
"I don't see Capt. Gaetano Faillace on the APC
roster, but I have a copy of an APC newsletter called "In
Focus" from January 1958 that talks about a six month TDY he
did for MAAG that took him on a filming expedition
throughout the MidEast. He started out in WWII as one of
General MacArthurs's personal photographers. The next thing
you know he is with DASPO (Dept of the Army Special
Photographic Office) as a SSG. The DASPO troops are totally
surprised when he retires in about 1965 as a Major.
Can you shed any light on this? I am trying to write a story
about him, but he was a man of many mysteries." When
he inquired back around 2007, Hawkins provided his web links
to www.azcreative.com, www.combatcamera.org,
and www.daspo.com.
In 2009, D. S.
Ross of Oakland, California, wrote, "Captain
Faillace was at the Army Pictorial Center in Queens, New
York, when
I was there from February 1964 to August 1964. I was a
still cameraman (MOS (Military Occupational Specialty)
841.10) awaiting assignment. In Sepember of 1964 I arrived
in Thailand as batallion photographer assigned to the 809th
Engineers. We were building a military bypass road to the
north. There is info on the internet regarding this project.
I returned stateside in September 1965. I spent many
mornings with Capt. Faillace at the APC. He was very proud
of his career as Gen. MacArthur's personal photographer and
showed many of his photographs from that time. I believe
that he was a staff sergeant at APC." Ross served in
the Army from November 19, 1963, to September 5, 1965.
William Hurst mentions
working with Faillace in the late 1940s.
John H. Beach explained
how Faillace went captain to sergeant and then to major.
(Updated November
21, 2010, October 7, 2020, and June 12, 2021.)
