Born: Waynesboro, Georgia, 1931
Died Greensboro, North Carolina, 1992
Served in Vietnam, U.S. Air Force
37th Suppy Squadron, Phu Cat Air Base
Binh Dinh Province, Central Highlands
NCO in charge of inventory section, 1968-69

From the Artist:

I was in the U.S. Air Force for twenty years. I served in Vietnam in 1968-1969. A very close friend of mine was killed the day before he was to leave Vietnam. He was assigned to a rescue squad and volunteered for a rescue mission. It is painful to live with death constantly surrounding you, knowing that it could grab you just as easily as the other guy. I thank God every day for allowing me to return alive and as a whole person, but the memories are difficult to extinguish.

I started painting in 1978, after a heart attack. At that time I was advised by a doctor to get involved with something that required patience.

This work was not done by the congressman riding to work in his chauffeur-driven limousine, reading the Washington Post, nor was it done by the anchorman on the six o'clock news, but by the man who pulled the trigger on the M-16, dropped the bombs, and threw the hand grenades. This is the war by those who fought it.