One of my favorite avenues of collecting has to be Marine or Navy photographs related to aviation. The Corsair pilots of the Pacific were certainly some of the toughest pilots of the war! I’ve read numerous articles, books, and publications related to the VF-17 and finally had the opportunity to purchase some original snapshots from the unit. Although they were a bit expensive, they now have a solid place in my collection. These were taken on Bougainville, likely at Torokina airfield. Identified pilots include Lemuel D. Cooke, Doug Gutenkunst, Windy Hill, John Orrin Ellsworth (Fatso) and Robert R. Hogan.
VF-17 Mechanics
VF-17 Unit Insignia
Inscription on Reverse
Doug Gutenkunst, Bob Hogan, and Lem Cooke
Windy Hill and Fatso
Windy Hill Bougainville (Source)
The above photo shows Corsair pilot Robert “Windy” Hill posing near the Bougainville scoreboard and was taken by U.S Navy photographer Charles Fenno Jacobs (1904-1975). Jacobs was known for capturing the melancholy side of the war in the Pacific. For more info on Jacobs and his wartime work, please check out the National Archives website. 
Portraits of War 
Any information on John Smith pilot from Owatonna, Mn. Was a war ace that flew a Corsair. He was my uncle. Tom McGreevey
hello, my father Harry Brislin jr. Was an armorer in VMF 215 ground echelon. According to this article they serviced VF17 at some point during the war. We have no pictures of the ground crew and was wondering whether some may have been taken by VF 17. If so would love to hear from you.