Found Collection of VN Combat Art, Negatives, Contact Sheets

[noexpert]

We moved into our home in 1987 and a bunch of boxes got stacked in the basement and forgotten. My kid sister also put her stuff in "temporarily" and then moved to Europe, where she's stayed since. So a couple of months ago I finally go sick of looking at everything and decided to start dumping...since, in the meantime, we had a few flooded basements, pipe bursts, etc. Way in the back...and on the bottom, found this scrungy box, and when I opened it, I found a bunch of what was left of old sketch books from when I was in VN, along with a bunch of loose sketches, some negatives, some slides, contact sheets and a jungle jacket, and - to me at least - most precious of all, a letter from one of my best friends over there that I got from him after I got home.

 

A lot had to be deep-sixed it was so rotted, and some is so fragile, it's probably going to disappear on it's own. Some negs, in fact surprisingly many of them, are in good shape. Some slides are good, some are horrible.

The one "good" sketch book I had was stolen in a house break a few years ago. Technically, all of these belonged to Uncle, but I don't think they were ever missed. I've since learned that none of the combat art done by the Division combat art teams were preserved by the Pentagon, so where all of that stuff wound up anyway, at least for the divisions that were disbanded is probably a mystery (though landfill does come to mind.)

 

At any rate, here's a few examples of what I saved for what it's worth. Hope this is the right thread.

[noexpert]

This was done after Cholon / 2nd Tet 1968.

[noexpert]

Done with the Queen's Cobra's (this obviously post action...as most sketches were...cameras were the sketchbooks of the 20th century for the most part, certainly for combat.)

[316th FS 324th FG]

Those are very powerful...

[noexpert]

3/5th Cav Track Commander, done on site in Wunder Beach AO in '68.

[noexpert]

Pen & ink and colored inks. I had just gotten out of HS when I joined up, so the crudeness of a lot of this stuff has to have to be given some slack. There was a reason I was the team's photographer instead of one of the prime artist's. Most of the guys on the team had backgrounds and were really good. It would be a shame if all of their really fine work was just gone.

[Misanthropic_Gods]

These are very interesting. Im glad to see at least some of these survived, they are something that cant be replaced. Thank you for putting these up, im sure plenty of people here will also appreciate it!

[noexpert]

Technically, all of these belonged to Uncle, but I don't think they were ever missed.

 

Actually, now that I think about this, I'm not so sure. Most of the sketch pads I used were sent to me by my HS art teacher, as was all of the Koh-i-nor ink. The Rapid-o-graph pen I used was the one I brought with me from home, I bought almost all of the film I used, and usually wound up paying for the processing (since Signal didn't "recognize" us, but they gave PIO almost as hard a time too.) So, frankly, technically...they're just as much mine as my letters.

[DSchlagan]

Thank you for posting these.

Some intense history.

 

Regards,

Don.

[paul_bish]

you have some talent there! great style you have, was this a hobby or did you make a career of this?

[noexpert]

another loose sketch

[noexpert]

KP

[noexpert]

ASPB crewman, sketched when I was w/ the MRF on the Benawah

[noexpert]

Hatchway on the USS Benawah

[noexpert]

this is the CAT for most of the time I was there...Sp 4 Ray Patlan (w/ glasses), Sp 4 Johann Schumacher (beside Patlan), Sgt Tom Sherwood (next to Johann). This was taken on the day we were hosting an "art show" for the Division commander MG Ewell.

[noexpert]

From the exhibit for Gen Ewell. The drawings on the right are mine, the old man doing calligraphy is Ray Patlan's work. You can get a sense of the low quality of materials we had to work with from the pictures.

[noexpert]

These are just contact sheets that were taken to record some of the art of the (then) current and previous (original) combat art team. Sorry about the size, condition, and the fact that they go in every direction (and that they're black and white.) Guess I just want to put them up somewhere. As noted, I have no idea where the originals are.

[noexpert]

These are contacts of pics I took for the CAT. One of the rare sets of negatives processed by the Army.

[noexpert]

More of the same roll...

[noexpert]

Photo of a drawing I did of VC POW's...

[noexpert]

How at least some of the photographs were marked. Contact sheets were not. Some photos were marked CAT, others PIO, and others hand only dates but no point of origin (again, on the rare occasions that Sig. processed for pictures.) This is the reverse of the photo of the VC prisoners.

[noexpert]

How at least some of the photographs were marked. Contact sheets were not. Some photos were marked CAT, others PIO, and others hand only dates but no point of origin (again, on the rare occasions that Sig. processed for pictures.) This is the reverse of the photo of the VC prisoners.

 

 

I do have some grasp of the language...the above should read:

 

This is the reverse of the photo of the VC prisoners and is the way at least some of the photographs were marked. Contact sheets were not. Some photos were marked CAT, others PIO, and others had only dates but no point of origin (again, on the rare occasions that Sig. processed our pictures.)

[MasonK]

Stunning artwork, and I do mean artwork. For me, seeing these drawings tells the story more than photos as you get the sense of how you felt at the time (not to sound all artsy fartsy like). I'm glad they're up here for all to view. Thanks, Noexpert!

[aips]

wow nice work there

got any pics of your jungle jacket

i collect 9th stuff heres a few publication iteams i have

thanks jack

[aips]

orignal leaflet for the opening of the chapel in dong tam

this was found inside one of the 9th photo album magazines