Fort Wayne Museum of Art exhibit brings the conflict to life

For more than a decade, Larry Burrows was the lens for much of what  America viewed the war in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.Embedded with soldiers and Marines, Burrows’ photos captured the human face of war.

Through February 28, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art is featuring the work of the LIFE magazine photojournalist.

Before news channels, live coverage, social media and streaming video, Burrows brought the war to the living room.  He went into the battle and returned with images in living color, black and white that still grip the soul. 

Quoting John Saar, Life’s Far East Bureau Chief – Burrows’ boss, said, “He ran terrible risks because he was a perfectionist and he had to take the risks to get perfect pictures-the only kind he found satisfactory.” 

Larry Burrows: Life in Vietnam was built and curated by Brian Williamson, the museum’s technical director. A veteran of the Indiana National Guard and a self-described amateur historian, Williamson explained,”When planning this show,my intent was to include artifacts that appeared in Burrow’s photos.”

The first visual is unmistakable. Many tragic, some ironic, but all stark reminders of the price so many paid.

The stark reality is introduced to the viewer quickly.

A young marine, Phillip Wilson, with a bazooka flung over one shoulder, a rocket shell in the other hand just above the muddy water line.

‘We have an enlargement of the photograph, the combat dressed mannequin is complete with flack jacket and rocket launcher, a startling entrance to an art museum exhibit. As the visitor reads about Wilson, they find Burrows had photographed him early in October of 1966; Wilson lost his life in an attack on October 20th.’

The exhibit is complete with artifacts and vintage magazines from the Museum of the Soldier in Portland, Indiana.

Set against the marvel of modern weaponry, Williamson said there were souls. The photos,displays, and personal artifacts the gallery has on display, puts visitors face to face with the people who were forever changed by the bullets and bombs.

Following the crew of helicopter Yankee Papa 13, Burrows captures a failed rescue mission where a pilot is mortally wounded in an ambush as he climbs on the rescue craft. This while another trooper rushes to unsuccessfully remove another pilot trapped inside the downed bird in the midst of heavy fire. The photos follow the soldier away from the fight, showing the agony of his guilt and loss. 

Both stories are shared in the gallery, while in the corner, the story of Lawrence Tuttle is repeated. Just 20 years old, the Army infantryman from Fort Wayne died less than a month after arriving in Vietnam.

Sgt. Butch Gibson a member of the US Army’s elite special forces is also featured. The Pennville, Ind. native was fatally wounded in 1967 protecting his unit from a Vietcong attack.

Underlying it all, the demise of  Burrows. Like so many he photographed, Burrows was killed in action,armed only with cameras and equipment in a helicopter crash in Laos in 1972.

Williamson said the exhibit runs counter to the notion that art is only reserved for the elite or there is a special talent to enjoying art.

“The museum seeks ways to offer shows that are interesting to a wide audience. We offer a great many different shows every year that appeal to many interests. The Larry Burrows show appeals to the historian, photographer, journalists, militaria collector, as well as an art connoisseur.