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.)

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I am commenting on all your art. Steve, they are great!!!!!!! You have sent me some before but these and the others you mentioned in your last email are so great. Keep up the good work. Maybe you will show us all your new church in a drawing

Bill Hayes

Don Karlin said...

Steve,

AWESOME!! What a great site!

I don't know how you were able to be so creative with a war going on!

Also, your reunion story brought some "rain" to Tennessee too!

Don Karlin

alicatsthe1 said...

oh my gosh. these pics are amazzzzzzzzzing. you are extremly talented. keep up the good work!!!

SuzanneCrainMiller said...

dad, I don't think I ever saw this one. I love the blue mountains. It must seem like yesterday to you.

Jeannelle said...

Thank you for the link to your art on this blog.

I enlarged the View from Ft. Lewis.....I like the trees that way. I once visited the base at Ft. Lewis....my dad took us there years ago.

And, wow....your drawings from Vietnam are so interesting....the faces are fascinating. You mean, you haven't had them out since 1971!? Thanks for posting them!

Anonymous said...

Here is Mr Benjamin contact Email details, 247officedept@gmail.com. / Or Whatsapp +1 989-394-3740 that helped me with loan of 90,000.00 Euros to startup my business and I'm very grateful,It was really hard on me here trying to make a way as a single mother things hasn't be easy with me but with the help of Mr Benjamin put smile on my face as i watch my business growing stronger and expanding as well.I know you may be surprised why I put things like this here but I really have to express my gratitude so anyone seeking financial help or going through hardship with their business or want to start a business project can see this and have hope of getting out of the hardship..Thank You.