Virginia War Memorial seeks photos of Vietnam veterans taken during service

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The Virginia War Memorial is seeking personal photos of Vietnam War veterans taken during their time of service.

The photos will be reviewed by staff and may be used as part of an upcoming exhibit entitled “50 Years Beyond: The Vietnam War Experience.”

“We plan to feature photos of fifty Vietnam veterans from Virginia in the exhibit which will open January 27, 2023 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords which officially ended the Vietnam War,” said Dr. Clay Mountcastle, director of the Virginia War Memorial. “These photos will be used alongside professional photo portraits of the selected veterans taken today.”

The photos and stories of these Virginia Vietnam veterans will illustrate the journey in the 50 years beyond the war, sharing untold stories.

“This is our attempt to try and bring people’s attention back to the Vietnam veteran because we’re losing them every day, unfortunately,” Mountcastle said. “We want to make sure that their stories are known and honored.”

The war memorial is working with award-winning photographer and US Navy veteran Laura Hatcher to take recent photos of veterans selected.

So far, the Virginia War Memorial has received several submissions filled with tales.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to just start looking through the various faces, the various places, and really understand that the Vietnam veteran experience is just about as varied as Virginians themselves, from all different backgrounds and all different parts of the state,” Mountcastle said.

“The memorial staff is currently collecting “in-country” photos from the Vietnam War, personal correspondence, mementos and oral histories of veterans who served,” a release said.

Veterans should submit their digital photos in jpg, tiff or PDF formats to the war memorial by April 30 for consideration. Submissions can be sent here.

Photos and materials can also be mailed to:

Fifty Years Beyond: The Vietnam War Experience

c/o The Virginia War Memorial

621 South Belvedere Street

Richmond, VA 23220

Send it to 12 here.

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