Rare Vietnam Polaroids 1968-1969 - terryhogan.com

This Polaroid shows my friend and fellow artilleryman Pete proving himself on camera during our service in Vietnam. All the 155mm howitzer crew members were challenged to perform this feat of strength: either you lifted two 98-pound projectiles or risked being thought of as weak. We were all happy to take the test—and glad to have passed! I was reluctant at first, but Pete pushed me into it. A real sense of relief followed once my picture had been taken.

—Hoagie

Unearthing History: The Terrance Charles Hogan Vietnam Polaroid Collection

Original Polaroids from Hogan’s 1968–1969 service document the daily lives, friendships, and working conditions of American artillerymen during the Vietnam War. These two photographs offer a preview of the collection.

A forthcoming picture book will bring together the photographs, historical documents, maps, and Hogan’s recollections. The completed PDF will serve as the collection’s illustrated catalog.

Pete stands holding an artillery projectile in each hand. Behind him are sandbags, upright projectiles, ammunition containers, a helmet, and a sign marked “P.”

Pete Lifting Two Ninety-Eight-Pound Projectiles

Pete holds two approximately 98-pound 155mm artillery projectiles, one in each hand, at an artillery position in Vietnam. Hogan identifies Pete as his friend and fellow member of the Battery B, 1st Battalion, 30th Artillery gun crew. Hogan recalls that lifting two projectiles was a demonstration of strength among the crew.

From the Terrance Charles Hogan Vietnam Polaroid Collection. The exact location and date of the photograph remain unresolved.

Pete wears a gas mask and raises both middle fingers in a narrow bunker entrance beneath stacked sandbags. The surrounding ground is bare, and the Polaroid’s right border reads “FEB 69.”

Pete Pointing the Finger

Wearing a gas mask, Pete raises both middle fingers in the entrance to a fortified underground bunker at a U.S. artillery position in Vietnam.

Hogan recalls that gas from a previous attack and possibly Agent Orange from previous defoliation had settled into the dust at the position. He recalls that firing the 155mm howitzer stirred the contaminated dust into the air, requiring the crew to wear gas masks.

From the Terrance Charles Hogan Vietnam Polaroid Collection, documenting Hogan’s 1968–1969 service.

These photographs illustrate the Vietnam Polaroid collection. The picture book is under construction; the completed PDF will provide the full presentation.

Picture Book / Collection Catalog — Coming Soon

For image permissions and licensing, email Terrance C. Hogan.