Photo exhibit pays tribute to Vietnam Veterans

November 30, 2018

TALLAHASSEE (WCTV) -- A Tallahassee photographer is honoring Vietnam Veterans with personal portraits as a way of saying thank you for their service.

Mike Wewerka is a photographer whose father served in Vietnam.

He says he was always fascinated by a photo of his father in uniform holding a gun. He says that photo inspired him to take these photos of other vets in uniform.

20 Vietnam veterans gathered at the Hootch at Lake Ella recently for a very special photo shoot.

The photos are about to go on display at the Southern Exposure Art Gallery in Tallahassee's Railroad Square. The exhibit opens Saturday, December 1st from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Wewerka says the $5 admission fee will be donated to the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America.

Wewerka is taking the photos for free and giving them to the veterans as gifts after the exhibit.

"We've lost a lot of World War II soldiers and I want to do something for these gentlemen before we lose them," Wewerka said.

Wewerka is planning to take photos of more Vietnam veterans in Orlando in the spring and would love to compile them all in a book one day.