My grandfather was very private/secretive about his military history and according to my grandmother and father, destroyed most of the evidence of his military career.
This is literally the only piece of history I have on the matter. The only information I have is that the photo was taken in Asia. Definitely pre-Vietnam, so possibly Korea?
Can any historians tell me what branch of US military this is? Rank? Location? Is it a ship he's on? Machinery?
I know the photo doesn't provide a lot of info but I would be very appreciative of any info that could be gleaned from this photo.
Definitely shipboard. The chevrons are blurred and it's difficult to tell just based on the insignia if it's marines or army, but most likely marine corporal based on being shipboard. The folks at usmilitariaforum.com would probably be able to help you identify more based on the picture.
The rigging appears to be either on a resupply section of the ship, or it is some sort supply ship itself, possibly an oil supply. (Pre-1970s naval regulations were notoriously lax on fire safety). The funnel in the background at right indicates a much larger ship, but I'm curious if the blocky structure further back and to the left of that is a gun.
If your grandmother or parents are willing to, it's possible to request your grandfather's service record. You can find the instructions at www.archives.gov. The process is very simple, and will tell you the basic information about his time in. You won't get stories of derring-do, but you will at least get a sense of when and where he served.