Last fall,  I had the honor of supporting an amazing project for the Virginia War Memorial, where a team of us traveled the state photographing and interviewing 50 Virginia Vietnam Veterans.  The "50 Years Beyond: The Vietnam Veteran Experience" exhibit that is currently on display in the War Memorial in Richmond, VA, until 2024.

During a recent return visit to the exhibit I was saddened by the news that we lost one of our 50 Vietnam Veterans, Mr. Mark Smith, he passed away in mid April.

The Director of the War Memorial, Dr. Mountcastle, mentioned that Mrs. Smith relayed how grateful Mark was for being included in our Vietnam Veteran exhibit.

With this blog post I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my brief encounter with Mr. Smith, through the images I captured during our session last August.  Mr. Smith was such a bundle of positive energy when he arrived with his wife. I had no problems getting an authentic smile because he never stopped smiling!

Each portrait I took during this project resulted in a "sea story" (and in some cases many stories) or some memorable moment for me.  I remember Mr. Smith, in particular, because I captured a touching moment behind the scenes of Mrs. Smith holding up my hand mirror so her Veteran could ensure his green beret was positioned correctly.

Thank you for your service Mr. Smith, Rest in Peace Sir. We have the Watch.