Because of the unpopularity of the Vietnam War, Chip Osborn, who served as a combat photographer during the deadliest year of the war, never spoke of his time overseas.
"When I came back, I pushed it all aside. I never talked about it," said Osborn, who lives now in Overland Park. "It was a very unhappy thing... didn't want to say I was in Vietnam."
Osborn and his team had a unique perspective of the war. Rather than being attached to one unit, Osborn's assignment allowed him to command helicopters to take his five-man detail in and out of combat zones, and to travel with various units throughout the region.
More than half a century later, with prodding from friends, Osborn is sharing photos from his team and stories that depict what he called "a thin line" between being in the right place and the wrong place during the war.
Vietnam: A Combat Photographer's View of the War 1967-1968 1p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at The National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Dr., Kansas City, Missouri 64108.
- Chip Osborn, combat photographer, United States Army veteran
