Ted Engelmann
As an US Air Force Sergeant, I served in the American War in Viet Nam (1968-’69), assigned to the American and Vietnamese army, helping direct air strikes again the enemy. During my year in Viet Nam (it’s a country, not a war), I photographed and documented daily life. As an International Educator, my primary interest has been to understand the cause of, and process of recovery from emotional (invisible) wounds of war. To that end, for more than 50 years I have lived and traveled throughout the United States, South Korea, and Australia (America’s two major allies in our war), photographing Veteran parades and cultural-related events. Since March 1989, I have traveled throughout Viet Nam, photographing the people, culture, and landscape. Because of the high rate of suicide among American military (one is too high), I became an embed freelance photographer with the US Army in Baghdad, Iraq (2008), and Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan (2009). My hope was to gain some clue as to why a good soldier would kill himself or herself. By interviewing those effected by the emotional wounds of war in various cultures, through classroom, conferences, and civic presentations, I hope to increase awareness of this invisible wound and the potential for recovery; short- and long-term. As my life grows shorter, I am hoping to pass my work on to others who can carry it to a final conclusion; although I think I already have a pretty good idea what that looks like.
