"Kilroy Was Here" Sightings page 4

Some time in the early 1940's, someone first scribbled these famous words. We don't know how many millions of times this simple graffiti appeared during WWII or the Korean War but we do know that Kilroy Was Here is still finding it's way on to any vertical surface. These are the sightings from then and that continue now.

"The Monday Night Fiesta was formed by a group of players that were looking for a balanced team format and an enjoyable atmosphere. With those two concepts in mind, the club created a structure within the organization that promotes inclusion of every member in the decision process."	Each image leads to site when clicked Kilroy spotted in an ice hockey club and a restaurant. Spotted by Trent de Grez	In 1981 Philip Thomas, Stephen Thomas and Waren Barry opened a 20 table bar/restaurant named “Uncle Sam’s” in Springfield, VA. It was one of the first restaurant/bars in Northern Virginia and quickly became the most popular. Three years later the name changed from “Uncle Sam’s” to “Kilroy’s.” When the drinking age changed from 18 to 21, the owners chose to change the bar image to a more family oriented restaurant/bar atmosphere.

Kilroy Spotted in a Barber Shop Not much of a story behind this one, I'm afraid. My son and I found this "Kilroy" hanging out in a local barber shop today. When I saw it, I thought of you immediately. So, I took a pic and put it on your wall. I thought you would like it. I asked the owner about it, and he told me that a friend	Click image for a larger view
of his painted it years ago, and I told him about your website. We spoke for a few minutes about the Legend of Kilroy, and he knew all about it. Small world we live in. Ha ha. Todd Wise

Photo by Dick Bastasch, from http://b29saipan.com/ Click the image for a larger view

Kilroy on Saipan! I ran into the picture looking at the B-29s for a pict of a Z-square. When I saw it...I sent it. Dwight Rider Editor's Note: This is another important Sighting. There are people and even a site that suggests that Kilroy Was Here was a post-war phenominan. This is more proof that he was with out GIs thoughout the war. From B-29Saipan.com. This site is an amazing source of fantastic images of B-29s. It is operated by the photographer's son.

“Dick Bastasch was assigned to the 73rd Wing, 497th Bomb Group, 871st Squadron, where he was a B-29 remote control turret mechanic. He returned to Portland, Oregon after the War, married Betty in 1948, had two sons, and worked for Franz Bakery until his retirement in 1971. He died in 1974.”

Kilroy in Video! Young entrepreneurs find success combining a good idea with humor . . . and Kilroy! Spotted by Trent A. de Grez Follow the humor at There are more Click the image for a larger view

Cabochon found and prepared by Ray L. Bray of Phoenix Arizona Click image for a larger view	A Naturally occurring Kilroy Thought you might be interested in the attached photo of a cabochon stone. My 86 year old father, Ray L. Bray, took up jewelry making about 4 years ago. A couple months ago he was faceting a stone slab he bought at a rock & mineral show in Arizona. He was told that the stone was spiderweb jasper. As he shaped and polished the rough stone into a cabochon, he was surprised by the image that developed. Being a WWII veteran, he immediately recognized Kilroy in the polished stone. He was so excited that asked me to see if I could get a photo of it published on the	Cabochon found and prepared by Ray L. Bray of Phoenix Arizona Click image for a larger view
Internet. Hope that you can showcase his discovery. Thanks, Judy Zaldo A cabochon or cabachon, from the Middle French caboche (head), is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. WIKIPEDIA

Kilroy in Popular Flash Show They selected our copyrighted version of Kilroy Was Here to represent Kilroy in the 40s. This a well done Flash show about the 1940s from http://oldfortyfives.com! Suggested by John Hopkins Click the image for a larger view
The Rest of the Story. This pinup of Betty Grable was a GI favorite throughout the war but there is more to the story. In those days the "experts" considered the back of a woman's knees the least attractive part of a pinup's anatomy and thus were never shown. Betty Grable disregarded this to the delight of millions of GIs (including this adolescent fan.)

Click image for a larger view

Found! Another Image of Kilroy Was Here dating from WWII Button found on eBay and confirmed but cannot find any history of the button. If you remember it or know about it or the Kilroy Club, please contact the editor. Editor@KilroyWasHere.org

"Kilroy Club of NY '43" Click image for a larger view

Critter from outer space Click image for a larger view	Kilroy spotted by another Kilroy Kilroy in Sci Fi!
Not sure if anyone saw this. It's from the movie Zone Troopers (1985) I saw and took a picture of the "Kilroy was here" logo, one of the soldiers put on the space ship towards the end of the movie. Not a great movie but was about WW2 so I checked it out. John Kilroy From IMDB: "In Italy during WW II, a patrol of American soldiers discover a space ship that has crash-landed in the woods, and they come across its alien crew. A nearby Nazi unit also finds out about the alien craft, and sends a patrol to capture it and the Americans. " Spaceship

Kilroy at U-Tapao! During the Vietnam War U-Tapao was a military base for the United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers (Buffs.) It is located on the beautiful Gulf of Siam south of Bangkok. Another sighting by GySgt/USMC Eldar Krueger. He stopped on his return from Afghanistan, Thanks Gunny! Semper fi! Click the image for a larger view

Kilroy in Tallahassee, FL newspaper! Tallahassee Democrat dated Sunday, October 31, 2010 Click the image for a larger vie

Click Image for a larger view

Kilroy on MADTV promo In a promo for Cartoon Network's new show "MAD TV" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2WfUr5Zth4&feature=related (Around the :14 second mark) Its is a little faded but you can see it. Jeremy Cardoza

Kilroy in Brothers in Arms Click image for a larger view	Found! Kilroy is well repesented in Video Games! Found by an eagle eyed gamer, Nikolas Reese I'm sorry for the low quality picture for the Brother's in Arms Kilroy. The picture of Kilroy on the large stone wall with someone standing near it is from Halo 3.	Kilroy in Halo 3 Click image for a larger view
Nik Response I especially like the one in Brothers at Arms, Nik. It is a copy of my Kilroy. I love to see it travelling around the world again! See The Image.

Click image for a larger view

Found! Another Image of KWH dating from WWII Button found on eBay and confirmed but cannot find any history of the button. If you remember or know about it, please contact the editor. Editor@KilroyWasHere.org

Click image for a larger view

and that's only half of the story Found! Image of KWH dating from WWII As nose art but that's only part of the story! Click here!

Click Image for a Full view

Kilroy on American Dad A little hard to see, but kilroy was spotted on the white board in an episode of "American Dad" http://www.slashcontrol.com/free-tv-shows/american-dad/3710276237-intervention About 30 seconds into it. Jeremy Cardoza

Click Image for a larger view

Kilroy on Total Drama Island Saw this kilroy on a show called "Total Drama Island" Its scrawled on the back of the "Confessional" of the show. Love the website! Keep up the good work, and I'll keep my eye out for anymore sightings! Jeremy Cardoza

Kilroy Sighted on R. Lee Ermey's Mail Call . . . Again! And Another Search for a KWH Dated During the War.
Click the image for a larger view The USS Yancey, AKA-93, was an attack cargo ship operating in the Pacific during World War II. This photo may have been taken after the war at Bay of Whales, Antarctic, in 1947. (The History Channel DVD Mail Call: The Best of Season Three)	Click the image for a larger view Kilroy sign at an unknown location during World War II. (The History Channel DVD Mail Call: The Best of Season Three)
Greetings; I've been researching a magazine piece on wartime cartoonists that will include GI graffiti such as "Kilroy Was Here". Of course, there are many contemporary images on the Internet but the one thing I have not been able to find is a real documented "Kilroy Was Here" by James J. Kilroy. Have you seen such an image? Is it possible that I just have not explored your great Website sufficiently? It seems that, given the number of accounts that suggest James Kilroy marked many ships at the Fore River shipyard, it would be easy to find an image of the original graffiti but I have had no luck. Can you give me any help or point me in the right direction? Many thanks, Jerry Cleveland Boulder, Colorado I contacted the museum staffs for the existing ships James J. Kilroy is believed to have inspected during construction but they had never seen a "Kilroy" slogan anywhere on their ships. I'm attaching two actual "Kilroy" images, both from the "Mail Call: Best Of Season 3 DVD" with R. Lee Ermey, that I do not believe are on your Website.

The graffiti Click the image for a larger view Kilroy Was Here in 1937 . . . Well, not really The consensus is the "Kilroy was here" originated in World War II. I have seen a fascinating bit of counter evidence. The History Channel has broadcast more than once a story about Fort Knox. In it, they describe how local young Missouri men were employed in 1937 to move the heavy gold bricks into the vaults, which were afterwards closed to all but a few workers. The narrator mentions that a number of the young men left graffiti. In one brief moment, the camera catches "Kilroy was here. 5/13/37." It is, as I say, a brief but a very clear appearance. The program is "Fort Knox, secrets revealed." If I remember correctly, the actual sighting occurs when the film is describing how in 1974 visitors were allowed into the vaults and saw graffiti left in 1937. I am old enough to remember WWII. I was a boy in England. Americans combined "Kilroy was here" with an English cartoon figure called "Chad" that had been created by a cartoonist named something like Chatterfield. This was the face looking over a wall, with an enormous nose in front of the wall, with the message "Wot no ----." It spoke to the frustration of living in wartime England with its rationing and its chronic shortages, so the full message would be something like "Wot no cigarettes" or "Wot no whiskey." But it became popular and was the source of many whimsical graffiti. I remember visiting a museum in which someone had written on the skeleton of some prehistoric creature, "Wot no meat." (See Wot no Engines? and The graffiti date Click the image for a larger view KILROY AND CHAD WERE EVERYWHERE. John Cooper Aerial view of Ft. Knox. Thanks to Google Earth. Click the image for a larger view Response Wow, John, you really have my attention! This could be a historic find. I immediately got a copy of the show and sure enough at 21:33 minutes into into a 2:02 video, while emptying a room the narrator said: "on the job, they come across some unexpected traces of history. While emptying each room, they discover something the workers who unloaded the gold in 1937 left behind." They then panned the wall where there was a "Help I'm trapped in a gold vault." Then the narrator talks about them leaving the graffiti never to be seen again. Here is shown the "Kilroy Was Here 5/13/37" at 21:52. I contacted the noted historian Paul Urbahns who is did the show. Paul responded: "I suspect you have been fooled by Hollywood. Yes that was a recreation. Some of the phrases were remembered by former employees but Kilroy was probably not one of them. No filming was allowed in the Gold Vault. The scenes of the young man with long hair stacking gold are recreations. You might let your group know about the upcoming air dates so they can have a laugh and realize how much the phrase has become so common." Paul Urbahns       Aerial view of Ft. Knox. Thanks to Google Earth. Click the image for a larger view You can buy the DVD at: http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-Secrets-Revealed-History/dp/B000P6R5OS The show Will be on again Monday, November 09 10:00 PM and Tuesday, November 10 02:00 AM http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=299528

More on Kilroy During WWII but still no image "Still, it is doubtful whether any army of such numbers or such power ever behaved better or, for that matter, was so well received, even among conquered enemies. The GI came and went, in Europe and the Pacific. He took home new notions about the earth, about people who were not American, not rich. not powerful, who. represented a different race or faith. He left behind some of his own ideas and a great many deâd comrades. He also left behind a curious marking that was chalked on rocks, on city walls, on lavatories: "Kilroy was here.'' No one ever found out for sure who Kilroy was, where he came from, or why anyone would care enough about him to scrawl his name across half the globe. But that Kilroy was there was absolutely certain; and if he had not made the world safe for democracy, he had at least helped to rid it of an inhuman despotism."

The American Heritage Picture History of World War Two, by C. L. Sulzberger Page 401 Suggested by Fr. Hugh Hall, Pensacola But we still need an image dating from WWII!

A moving gift from a Friend and a moving story I am an amputee (right leg below knee) and a qualified amputee peer visitor. I was asked to call upon Gerry by a mutual friend. He had bone cancer in his right foot and doctors agreed amputation was the only way to purge the disease from his body. Gerry had other issues, clinical depression among them. I was unsuccessful in convincing him there was good life after amputation. He declined to 'mutilate' himself as he chose to call it and the cancer spread, ultimately taking his life.

Click image for a larger view

Gerry loved to 'throw' pottery, and turned out some rather good stuff. Though an avowed atheist, he turned out many pieces for the chapel at a local hospital. As is often the case with care receivers, Gerry and I became good friends. He made me the Kilroy piece bout twelve years ago. Gerry Gardiner, Kilroy Potterer Gerry, a teenager in the middle forties, became intrigued with Kilroy during the latter part of World War II. Youngsters who remained behind idolized those who went off to fight. Emulation being the best form of adulation, Gerry, like so many of his peers, caught the Kilroy passion from America's warriors. Artistic by nature, Gerry soon discovered his flair for pottery and embellished on that throughout life. He attended Casper Union College in New York where he met his future wife, Ruth. Gerry served a short stint in the US Army in the pay grade of Private. He eventually settled in the Seattle, Washington area, taking employment with the Boeing Company's Defense and Space Division. Pottery remained a passion as did his obsession with Kilroy. Clay coffee mugs with Kilroy peering over the edge became a natural product of these two interests. Barely sixty, Gerry contracted cancer in his right lower leg. Unfortunately, he suffered also from clinical depression. In the final analysis he could not bring himself to accept his only option for preventing spread of the disease to vital organs; amputation. And so, the world lost a vital person well before his time. Gerry alleged himself to be an atheist despite his practice of the golden rule being better than most Christians. He spent many of his final days at Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Bellevue, Washington. There, various members of the Pastoral Care Department showed him believers do not have a monopoly on the need for compassion. As a consequence, Gerry donated some of his finest pottery as appointments for the hospital chapel that remain on display there today. Best, Don Ulmer

Emily Washler with her First PLace

And the winner is . . . Miss Emily Washler and Kilroy Was There when she won! Miss Emily Washler of Brown Barge Middle School (6th grade) walked away with NUMBER ONE in the state Junior Individual Exhibit class. She did this in the school and county contests before this. More than 850 middle and High School students from 25 Florida counties participated in the National History Day program in the state fair, May 7-9 at Tallahassee Community College. Number one and number two in each class will represent Florida at The 2009 National Contest at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, June 14-18 .

This year's topic is "The Individual in History: Actions & Legacies." Emily ignored the usual suggestions, i.e., Historic statesmen, first ladies, civil rights heroes, and stepped daintily and firmly outside the box by choosing Kilroy Was Here! Kilroy was certainly not on the Sample Topic List. Attagirl, Emily! Keep us posted on the nationals!             The winning Display Click the Image for a larger view Other winners are listed below in the categories in which they competed. Junior Historical Paper 1st Place—Anna Yannakopoulos, Hillsborough County 2nd Place—David Hager, Duval County Junior Individual Documentary 1st Place—Kayley Erickson, Leon County 2nd Place—Nicholas Contessa, Manatee County Junior Group Documentary 1st Place—Dianelys Barriors, Tisha Saylor, Lee County 2nd Place—Annie Li, Mary Kate Wilson, Alachua County Junior Individual Performance 1st Place—Mackenzie Yaryura, Manatee County 2nd Place—Booker Sexton, Escambia County Junior Group Performance 1st Place—Matthew Boerner, Mitchell Cobb, Ariana Czala, Shelby Carollo, Nicolas Fabre, Manatee County 2nd Place—Austin Travis, Elliott Riches, Daniel Tanchez, Chris Ralph, Kaitlyn Samons, Broward County Junior Individual Exhibit 1st Place—Emily Washler, Escambia County 2nd Place—Jalen Benson, Escambia County Junior Group Exhibit 1st Place—Gabriel Sacco, Hunter Cole, Pinellas County 2nd Place—Megan Lee, Amy Sullivan, Clay County Junior Web Site 1st Place—Alexander Grant, Pinellas County 2nd Place—Annika Mulaney, Polk County Senior Historical Paper 1st Place—Madison Chapman, Manatee County 2nd Place—Patrick Joseph Button, Leon County Senior Individual Documentary 1st Place—Sarah Tedesco, Manatee County 2nd Place—Dana Edwards, Leon County Senior Group Documentary 1st Place—Lauren Davies, Kendall Frankhouser, Palm Beach County 2nd Place—Michael Warren, Zachary Smith, Jason Kiracofe, Daniel Allweiss, Pinellas County Senior Individual Performance 1st Place—Laura Henning, Volusia County 2nd Place—Megan Rasmussen, Volusia County Senior Group Performance 1st Place—Hallie Ableman, Mitch Marois, Rachel Burns, Crawford Hunt, Pinellas County (unable to go to Nationals) 2nd Place—Amanda Patton, Brian Hagerott, Escambia County 3rd Place—Allysen Marks, Kelly Letcher, Garrett Nickell, St. Lucie County (will go to Nationals instead of 1st place winners) Senior Individual Exhibit 1st Place—Nathan Gupta, Escambia County 2nd Place—Meredith Gardner, Manatee County Senior Group Exhibit 1st Place—Karissa Kleinschmidt, Katelynn Scallan, Jesse Adcock, Escambia County 2nd Place—Mary Katheryn Snyder, Kristie Jones, Escambia County Senior Web Site 1st Place—Katelyn Varn, Leon County 2nd Place—Robert Lockard, Carmen Moore, Polk County Ron Heller was awarded the Teacher of Merit Award for his work at the Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Peterburg (Pinellas County). Mr. Heller teaches 9th-grade Western Civilization. He has been involved in National History Day for seven years. Both students and parents praise his work. Heller is also nominated for the NHD's PBS Teacher of Merit Award.

Kilroy with the Marines in Afghanistan
Kandahar Air Field Click the image for a larger view	Kandahar Air Field Click the image for a larger view
GySgt Eldar Krueger Stationed at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan UNIT: SPMAGTF-A It stands for: Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan SPMAGTF-A's mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations, and to train and mentor Afghanistan national forces. Click the star for more pictures with the Marines in Afghanistan Response Thanks Gunny for the first Sighting of Kilroy in Afghanistan and thank you and your buddies for your service. You make an old Jarhead very proud!

Click image for a larger view	........Kilroy on Mars?..... See the image (right) and the key (below right) enlarged and side by side. Click the star	Click image for a larger view
Here is an image (a natural form?) taken three times by the Mars Global Surveyor (which is very unusual) which orbited and snapped pictures of Mars between 1998 and 2006. It was then imaged again by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just recently. I'm attaching reduced images but if you want the full blown (430kb) MRO image let me know. The Air Force Brass running NASA probably noticed this and that's why they imaged the same coordinates an unprecedented 4 times. My interest in the theory that there may be geoglyphs and other artifacts (left by an ancient race?) on Mars stems from the discovery of the famous "Face on (Cydonia) Mars" discovered in 1976 from the old Viking Orbiter images. The "Face" was referenced in the movie, Mission to Mars, starring Gary Sinise and Tim Robbins. Since then, many other faces and artifacts have been found by myself and others. The way my brother (who believes they are all pareidolia [like faces in clouds]) puts it: If NASA doesn't believe the faces are real, they sure act as if they did. They have imaged the Cydonia face over 10 times that I know of, and now Kilroy 4 times. This shows extreme interest since there is so much terrain to cover and so little time and resources to do it in. (In terms of dry land surface area, Mars is as large as the earth). Of course they'd say they are just imaging interesting landforms. Hundreds of thousands of pictures have been taken of the surface of Mars by the various orbiters NASA has sent up. These images are available to the general public at various websites. Cheers, Neil DeRosa P.S. The lower resolution images are about 1.5 meters / pixel and the higher resolution MRO (HiRISE) image is about .5 m/p. the object (Kilroy) is about 65 meters wide.

Click image for a larger view
Spotted this morning, in Brownsville (a part of Pensacola, FL). Tom Kercher

Click image for a larger view	On their cover of Beggars Banquet Kilroy with The ..Rolling Stones...	Click image for a larger view
Dear Editor, OK so I was listening to the Rolling Stones CD Beggars Banquet' and I always loved looking at all the grafitti on the front cover. But what really caught my eye was the little Kilroy you can see on the top right of the front cover David Machacek

Click image for a larger view	TWO NEW SIGHTINGS	Click image for a larger view
Pat, While looking up WWII Troop Transport ships, I ran a Google search on the subject. Among the topics listed was, Railroad Troop Carriers. As a train fan, I clicked to see what it had to offer. The Lego toy train came up. Upon close examination, there "he" was on the side of the car. Interesting what's found when you're not looking for it. This looks like your Kilroy drawing, is it? Apparently the toy train, WWII Troop Cars are made by (or of) Lego. Here's the web site I found it on. Brickshelf Gallery Bill Lewis WOF Productions Hi, Iwas watching the TV show Spongebob Squarepants and saw this. Ithought it kinda looked like kilroy, im not sure if it was on purpose or not. Craig.Cowden.................................................

Dutch Killroy courtesy www.RateYourMusic.com

Killroy important for Dutch culture Dutch Killroy

Dear Editor, When looking for the origin of the kilroy I know of (which is spelled killroy), I came upon your site and found this missing. It is a Dutch music-label, actually it was (1972-1980). It was owned by a Dutch singer/producer (Johnny Hoes) which was and still is the greatest producer of folk music, in a sense of people's music. Better to say, very corny, BUT quite important for Dutch culture. A lot of very famous Dutch singers, not to be mentioned due to obscurity, were made famous by this man. The Killroy label was a sublabel of the main thing (Telstar) and was for the better bands, more rock 'n roll, folk, American inspired, etc. I especially like the logo, you guess what it looks like. http://rateyourmusic.com/label/killroy/ With kind regards, Ronald Nijhof, The Netherlands