Credit : Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tom Arthur
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The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Ybor is now showing ‘The Soldier’s Lens.’ It provides an intimate look at active-duty service members, veterans, and their families.
Tom Arthur kept a Kodak Brownie camera in his left breast pocket while he was serving in the Vietnam War.
“And I kept it there just in case a bullet might find me. Maybe the camera would slow down the bullet, but fortunately, that never happened,” Arthur told WMNF.
Soldiers eating in field// Credit: Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tom Arthur
But what did happen is he captured photos that he now says helped him process the realities of war.
“It’s a great way to capture the people in these difficult environments, and what was going on then, and it is so much easier to see and understand than reading about it,” Arthur said.
Images include soldiers crossing rivers in sampans, combat near a Buddhist pagoda, and patrols through flooded terrain reminiscent of the Florida Everglades.
Arthur said the concept for a veterans’ photography showcase was born after a board member he had worked with on photo projects came to him with the idea.
“[It’s] a great thing to do for veterans and for the civilians that have never served in the military, to go down and see what all these men and women experienced at various times in various parts of the world,” Arthur said.
The exhibit features photos that span from World War II and the Korean War to Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan.
The works of Arthur and others are on display at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Ybor City until December 7th.