Born: Charleston, West Virginia, 1948
Served in Vietnam, U.S. Army
3d Battalion 503d Infantry Regiment
173d Airborne Brigade, II Corps
Bong Son, Bao Loc, and the jungles of northern South Vietnam
Grunt, 1968-69

From the Artist:

I used to dream about Vietnam. I would play back what had actually happened, but many times my mind changed the endings. For many years, at night I was visited by an evil spirit. I would wake to find the spirit standing by my bed or walking towards me. It was absolutely terrifying. Usually, I would begin fighting the spirit in uncontrolled panic. I would become fully awake with my heart pounding and bruises or cuts on my feet from where I had kicked whatever was close at hand. Sometimes, it was the girlfriend that had gotten up to go to the bathroom. I had to tell them all to wake me before they tried to get back into bed. I have a sixth sense now...honed from nights of waking to battle...and I will hurt you...because I am not asleep...I am just waiting for battle. I theorized that the spirit came for my soul because of what I had done in Vietnam. The Army had trained me to do it and told me to do it...or go to jail. And, I did it very well. I knew that if I didn't awake to fight the spirit, I would never awake. I have not seen the spirit in 10 years. Maybe I have finally been forgiven.