Portraits of Honor

04/11/2026

SEVEN YEARS ago today!! I interviewed and photographed Col. Carl Cooper, my first of now almost 400 WWII veterans!
🇺🇸🫡

02/06/2026

12/05/2025

I learned yesterday that 1st Army medic and D-Day veteran Charles Shay passed away at age 101. I was fortunate to meet and photograph him, and see him a few times, from Pearl Harbor to Normandy. I always called him the best dressed veteran as he looked like this every time I saw him. RIP, sir.

11/11/2025

Every WWII veteran I've met and photographed, right here. www.PortraitsofHonor.US

11/11/2025

Thank you, veterans! Honoring all who served, from the 385+ WWII veterans I've met to countless others I have met through my Portraits of Honor project. 🇺🇸🫡

10/10/2025

My fourth WWII veteran I met on my Fall '25 Great American Road Trip to Texas was 98-year-old Navy veteran Ralph Sidberry in San Antonio. He served aboard the Destroyer USS Cone (DD-866) as a Cook and traveled the east coast and Caribbean, and all around Europe in 1946-47.

10/06/2025

My second stop of my Fall '25 Great American Road Trip, after meeting James Bollich in Lafayette, LA, was in Austin, TX to meet 102-year-old retired Air Force Brigadier General Richard Baughn. Amazing that he still plays tennis a few times a week! We had a great visit at his home in west Austin where he has lived the past 50 years, and I was in awe of the photos, plaques, aircraft models, awards, and decorations. I did have to smile at the bookcase in his living room that holds a complete set of the World Book Encyclopedia. He is at least the 3rd Brigadier General veteran I've met, and though I feel a bit intimidated at first, they always make me feel at home right away. Dick was no exception to that.

Dick Baughn had a long career in the Air Force, beginning in the Army Air Corps as a P-51 fighter pilot in WWII. As we talked I discovered that he knew ace pilot Bud Anderson as far back as WWII. He also knew another P-51 veteran pilot I had met in Austin a couple years ago, Huie Lamb, Jr., whom I had hoped to visit again on this trip and get them together, but I learned that Huie had passed away just 3 weeks ago.

Here is a synopsis of Dick's career: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/107750/richard-m-baughn/

A good audio interview: https://www.kslm.news/podcast/brig-gen-richard-baughn-usaf-world-war-ii-vietnam-2/

Dick's book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-Baughn/author/B004BAZNO8?ref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

09/27/2025

Hello everyone! I haven't had much time to travel to WWII veterans in other states in the last couple of years. Just a few here and there on short road trips. That is fine, and I do what I can. And I haven't reached out much to raise funds for travel expenses since life events have kept me close to home. But, now I want to make a couple of short road trips—Great American Road Trips as I call them. First up, to Texas and Louisiana! I've got potentially 4 WWII veterans I want to meet and make awesome portraits for them. I would love to take you along on the ride with me. I will share these stories and portraits with you all as I meet them. So, I need your help. Please share this with all your friends, and consider giving to help me with travel expense as I drive to Texas and back to Alabama (see link below). Let's all share the stories of these wonderful veterans of The Greatest Generation! They and their families will love that! And they deserve that!
https://gofund.me/33b9df139

09/26/2025

Meet 96-year-old Army veteran Alvin Williams. He was born just a few miles away from where he lives now, and in my home town. His family moved soon to Montgomery, Alabama, where he was raised. At about 16 he wanted to become the second Miles Davis, the famous trumpet player who was just a couple years older. He went to New York to pursue that, but began to run out of money. In 1946 on Times Square was a recruiting office for the Army. He joined up and went to Fort Bragg for 4 months, building obstacle courses for the white recruits. Then they got on a train to Fort Knox, KY. They were instructed to keep the blinds closed on the train. At Fort Knox, they became part of the 758th Tank Battalion training to go to Europe. A Colonel was interested in starting a post orchestra, and Alvin became a part of that orchestra. He was a musician for the rest of his tour. He later went to Chicago, worked for the Post Office, and then soon became one of the first black police officers in Chicago. He did that for 10 years and then went into the life insurance business. He never left the U.S. while in the service and it was all after fighting in WWII came to a close, but since he served on active duty in 1946, he is considered a veteran of WWII.

09/25/2025

A couple of days ago I met 100-year-old Army veteran William Morrow who lives about 70 miles from me. I had a great visit at the farm home where he lives with his daughter and son-in-law. He served as an infantryman/machine gunner in B Company of the 324th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division, 6th Army fighting through France and Germany from September 1944 to spring of 1945. He was wounded by German artillery shelling, and suffered hypothermia and frostbite on his feet. Thank you for your service, my friend!