PITTSBURGH — The fog of war and haze of more than six decades parted May 18 when a pair of World War II veterans met for the first time since the war to discuss a pin-up girl.

Jack Clifford of Middlesex Township and Mel Zimmerman of St. Louis served on the USS Sangay in the South Pacific at the end of World War II. Clifford was a boatswain and Zimmerman was a pharmacist’s mate.

When the ship was decommissioned in 1945, Clifford learned that the boat’s pin-up girl painting, which featured a topless beauty sitting on a sea mine, would be thrown away.

“I asked if I could have it, and they said, ‘Sure,’” Clifford recalled.

So he sent the 32-by-28-inch plywood square containing the lovely mascot home, and has kept it wrapped up in a closet for all these years.

The painting was signed by Mel Zimmerman.

Knowing how rare the pin-up girl paintings are today, Clifford wondered for many years how he could return it to the artist or his family. He tried to find a record of Zimmerman’s hometown or any information about him in attempt to find his contact information.

“The kids tried to find him on the Internet, but no luck,” Clifford said.

Having exhausted all avenues in trying to reach the Zimmerman family, Clifford decided to donate the painting to Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. He had been nagging the hall’s museum curator since handing over the painting in 2011 to put it in a display.

“They said they were working on a ‘World War II in the Pacific’ display,” Clifford said.

When the display was created, Zimmerman’s daughter saw the painting on the Internet as part of the exhibit at Soldiers and Sailors.

Zimmerman then called the display’s curator, Michael Kraus, who in turn gave Zimmerman Clifford’s phone number.

“We’ve become pretty good friends,” Clifford said. “We get along pretty good, giving each other the business.”

Then, for Zimmerman’s 89th birthday on May 18, his daughter bought him a ticket from St. Louis to Pittsburgh so the two old salts could be reunited over the painting.

Kraus arranged for the shipmates and their families to meet at the museum last Sunday, where they were greeted with a small reception.

“Mr. Zimmerman came in our front door and saw Mr. Clifford and yelled ‘Hey swabby!’” said Kraus. “They hugged and shook hands and exchanged gifts.”

Clifford said the pair spent about three hours at Soldiers and Sailors Hall talking about old times on the Sangay and their lives since the war. He said the men discovered they both had almost the same number of children, both have May birthdays and June wedding anniversaries, and both are ushers at their Catholic churches.

“I said, ‘This is getting scary,’” Clifford said.

He said the pair had a good laugh remembering their naughtier pursuits during their time as sailors on the Sangay, including one instance in Honolulu when a British soldier who was invited aboard to watch movies refused to stand when the Sangay’s sailors retired the colors for the evening.

Clifford said a few days later, he and a group of his shipmates took the Brit out for cocktails, and when he passed out, they proceeded to the nearest tattoo parlor and had the patriotic tattoo artist fashion an enormous version of Old Glory across the Brit’s chest.

“He paid the price,” Clifford said with a chuckle.

He said although he and Zimmerman did not remember each other from their time on the ship, Zimmerman recalled being involved in the tattoo caper.

Zimmerman also remembered taking X-rays of a sailor’s fingers that had been smashed in machinery, then setting them with tongue depressors before wrapping them in bandages.

Those fingers belonged to Clifford.

“He’s the one who reset my broken fingers,” Clifford said.

After leaving Soldiers and Sailors Hall on Sunday, the men and their families had dinner together and attended services at Holy Sepulcher Roman Catholic Church in Middlesex Township.

Following Mass, they proceeded to the home of Clifford’s son, where they had dessert and more discussion about the Sangay and the painting, which is titled “The Angel’s Coffin.”

“The Sangay hauled ammunition, so if we would get hit, that ship would have been our coffin,” Clifford said.

No one was more thrilled with the reunion than Kraus, who has a deep respect for the Greatest Generation.

“I think it was everything we expected,” Kraus said. “We were happy and so honored to host it and bring these two guys back together after 68 years.”

The old sailors, both in their 80s, also exchanged small gifts at the display. Clifford gave Zimmerman a shirt embroidered with the USS Sangay, and Zimmerman gave Clifford a hat of the same theme.

“It was very nostalgic after all these years to see him again,” Clifford said.

“The Angel’s Coffin” and the South Pacific World War II display is at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, 4141 5th Ave.