Sunday, November 30, 2008

View many drawings done in Vietnam in 1971.

U.S. Army "Jungle Boots"

 Most of these drawings were printed in "The Sketches of an American GI in Vietnam," a book self-published in 1972 by Larry Steve Crain, who lived in Greenville, S.C.

After viewing many drawings on this blog, see photographs made in South Vietnam by Crain in 1971. Continue clicking on "older posts" to go through the drawings and photographs. Click one time on each drawing or photo to see an enlarged view of each. 

Saturday, November 1, 2008

View from Fort Lewis, Washington, U.S.A.

To enlarge each drawing, left-click your mouse on each drawing.

Dear Viewer:

I spent two weeks in December 1970 at Fort Lewis, Washington, waiting to "do" a year in South Vietnam. During those two weeks, I drew Mt. Ranier (shown in the above watercolor) as viewed from some Fort Lewis' barracks. This watercolor is the only drawing posted on this blog that was done in the U.S. All other pieces shown were done in 1971 in South Vietnam.

On Christmas Day 1970, I slept on the floor of an airport in South Vietnam, ready to begin my year as a regular GI. I worked first as a draftsman at the U.S. Army Inventory Control Center at Long Binh and then at that same post as an illustrator for "The Army Reporter" newspaper. Almost weekly, I spent six to twelve hours on guard duty along the perimeter of Long Binh, the largest U.S. Army post in South Vietnam. The post was located not far from Saigon ("The 'Paris' of the Orient"), now called Ho Chi Minh City. I saw no combat during my tour.

Drawings shown on this blog were done from real life, from photographs made by friends or from images captured by Army photographers.

In November 2008, I pulled a folder of my 1971 drawings from under a bed in the home where my wife Carol and I live in Southern Pines, N.C. I photographed many of those drawings and placed them on this blog. 

Thank you for viewing these drawings.
Larry Steve Crain
(View my "complete profile" to locate more art and writing.)

Mr. Cool

Poor but Proud




In the Field




M-60 at Rest




Peaceful Mamasan