4. An Attack Pilot standing in front of his A-4 Skyhawk prior to launching an Alpha Strike over North Vietnam. He was my roommate, an Annapolis graduate, and this was the last photo taken prior to his capture. He was held as a prisoner of war for five and one half years. The year - 1967. The overlay of the Red Cross is my artistic interpretation of not only medical assistance but, additionally, a symbol of crisis, of emergency, and of the Rules of the Geneva Convention as they apply to war.

5. Aviators of Attack Squadron 152 on liberty in Sasebo, Japan. Tokiwa Stand Bar was favorite spot for this squadron’s personnel. The women are prostitutes under the watchful eye of mamasan who is inside managing the store! The overlay is our squadron insignia for VA 152. Our call sign is Lockett. Our slogan is “Non Hankus Pankus.”

6. Cindy McNutt is one of four young ladies sharing a flat in San Francisco who I knew during the Summer of Love, 1967. She is sitting in my MG-B. The scene behind her is of a mission I flew over Route Package 6 just North of the DMZ – North Vietnam. On that day, we supported the Air Force aircraft flying strikes out of Da Nang. Cindy wrote me a letter every single day for seven months. Not a day went by that I didn’t have at least one from her to read, and appreciate, with the news from home along with the love displayed in her written words.

7. Flight Deck officers serving aboard USS Oriskany and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 16 during the 1967 Cruise to Southeast Asia. Both men were not only co-workers but also close friends. Theirs was a most dangerous job- launching and recovering combat aircraft 24/7, in rain, fog, and pitching decks. The aircraft landing behind them is an A3 Skywarrior – the largest aircraft based aboard a United States Naval aircraft carrier. We nicknamed it “The Whale”. It was used mainly for inflight refueling of the fighter and attack aircraft.

8. Sue Slusher, wearing my flight jacket, is staring into space. A Berkeley graduate, we met in 1966 at the 39 Main, a bar in Tiburon, and remain close friends today. The aircraft behind her is the A1 H/J Skyraider, better known as the Spad. It is being catapulted off USS Oriskany for a mission over the coast of North Vietnam. Most Spads were utilized in close air support with helicopters to rescue downed aviators on station. The Spad remains the most formidable attack aircraft used over both South and North Vietnam.

9. This is an image of children taken during Vacation Bible School, Opp, Alabama, circa 1950. Opp is my home town. My cousin and I shared many a wonderful summer with our maternal grandparents and friends, in south Alabama. The superimposed image is one of the cemetery at the Presidio, a former Army installation, near the Golden Gate Bridge. If you look closely you will notice a ghost image walking between the headstones.

10. LCDR Jack (no name) Baker, my wingman and section flight leader, pre-flighting his Spad prior to launching for a mission over North Vietnam. We made a pact the day we departed Alameda for Vietnam – to get out of the war alive. We both succeeded. The overlay is a photo I took on the day we returned to our homeport of Alameda just as we passed under the most beautiful sight in the world - the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was cold, the sky was clear, the wind was howling. The sailors, in their winter blue uniforms and white hats, were on the flightdeck in anticipation of greeting their loved ones after seven months absence. A day I’ll never forget – 31 January 1968.

11. Cher Mole, a TWA flight attendant and the roommate of Cindy McNutt, and I were visiting the Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park. I found her gazing into space with a wonderful expression. This was four days prior to being deployed with my squadron and air wing - June, 1967. Those fun filled days will never be repeated. The image of the pilot is one of his rescue shortly after being shot down over North Vietnam. The helicopter crew returned him safely to USS Oriskany. The ship’s Commanding Officer is the first to shake his hand and welcome him back to the safety of the ship, if for only one or two days. He returned to fly more dangerous missions.

12. The photo was taken in my grandmother’s backyard, Opp, Alabama. I am on the left, my cousin is in the middle, and our best friend is on the right. We all remain close today. The Vietnam Memorial, better known as The Wall, is an image I took during my trip to Washington for my father’s burial in Arlington, 1993. He was a Navy Admiral, a hero during three wars, and is buried just a few rows behind that of the father of Penne Poole, my high school sweetheart. She and I still reflect today on the meaning of The Wall as millions have since it’s inception.

13. Diane and Fran, two Peace Corps volunteers I met while on liberty in Hong Kong, Christmas, 1967. My roommate and I toured the Oriskany to show them how we lived and worked in contrast to their volunteerism in the barrios of the Philippines. Diane and I are the only two out of our foursome alive today. We remain very close friends. The overlay is an image taken of me while standing in front of the Spad.

14. An F-8 Crusader suspended in space after a failed catapult launch. The pilot ejected but his parachute failed to deploy in time. He landed in the catwalk on the starboard side of the ship. He was killed instantly. The overlay is one of those crewmembers who maintain the aircraft to ensure the safety of the pilots and crew. What a sad moment for them.

15. Two members of our squadron after returning from a failed mission attempting to rescue a downed pilot somewhere over North Vietnam. Our pilots provided close air support for the helicopters who, through sheer bravery of their crew, flew at low altitudes in dangerous territory to bring those downed pilots back to safety. This was one of disappointment and dejection. The overlay is an image I took of my wingman while we attacked a target on the coast of North Vietnam.

16. Sailors on the flight deck starring out towards the San Francisco skyline. Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill can be seen in the background. Dreams of home always a reality while away from loved ones, and the city or farm. The overlay is one of an underway replenishment and the seas are rough. The destroyer’s crew is wearing life vests during the maneuver.

17. An F-8 Crusader is heading towards the bow for a catapult launch to eventually engage the North Vietnamese pilots in aerial combat. His aircraft is armed with 20 mm guns and air-to-air, heat seeking Sidewinder missiles. The overlay is a silhouette image of a lone flight crewman relaxing by the jet he helps to maintain. It is sundown and the feeling is eerie. Night operations will commence only too soon.

18. One of the flight deck officers in a rare moment relaxing between launch and recovery of aircraft. Their work gave an entirely new definition to the term 24/7 - in rain, fog, and pitching decks. The overlay is one of a woman having a picnic at a beach on Pt Reyes, Marin County, California, while toasting someone somewhere!

19. Touch Me – A Soliloquy Touch me. Don't be afraid. I can't hurt you. Go ahead and touch my smooth surface. Feel the cold, glass-like smoothness and the crevices and lines that make me what I am. Use both hands if you wish. We are more similar than you dare to believe. Touch my face. Yes, I have a face like yours. It has weathered the centuries as yours has the years. My face portrays my evolution. Yours, the birth and death of a generation. My face has aged like yours as we have endured together the testimony of earth's elements. I have eyes like yours. My inscriptions stare out at you as I search for the meaning of why we are here. I look into your eyes and see who you are. Who am I? I was formed millions of years past and now you see the results of my evolution. I can feel your hands and the sweat from your palms flow into the countless combination of the letters that make me. I know you. I have known you since I was able to breathe in the air as my smoothness began to take shape and my color matured along with natural flaws. You have known me since the days when you came to take me from my mother. You cannot hear me. I am static and unmoving. But, I can hear your murmurs and your cries of pain and sadness. Your sons and daughters ask why? There are no answers. I am very old. I have seen everything and I am none the wiser for the pain and suffering I have witnessed since I rose from the bowels of the earth. I have witnessed the conflict, the death, the civilizations, and the societies that have come before you. Yet I remain mystified about this day. I feel sad yet alive with a purpose. I have come to know those who are now an integral part of the reason for my being here at this place and time. That purpose has become apparent as I stand before you on this day while your brethren gather to witness my reflections and the changes of light that mirror your soul. I am a reflection of you . . . I am all of you . . . I am your spirit . . . I am The Wall .

20. I am your spirit. I am THE WALL.