 1941 was a memorable year in the annals of the United States Navy, and it also marked the beginning of the Navy's Combat Artist Corps, a program that now has its own traditions, its own history. Some of its pioneers, Commander Standish Bacchus, Hugh Cabot, and Commander Griffith Bailey Kowale, the first official Navy artist on active duty. And since there have been many others that through their creative dexterity have truthfully recorded those vivid points in time that make history. Because of this effort, millions of people in America's towns and cities have had the advantage of viewing the full spectrum of Navy history over the past quarter-century. Reminders from the past. Midway. Coral Sea. Tarawa. Salerno and Omaha Beach. Seoul. The Yalu River. And today, the strange names of Southeast Asia. Chulai. Danang. Nabe. In 1964, the program added a new dimension by utilizing the talents of non-military artists. And this is how one combat artist tells his story. The point in time, May 1967, on the flight deck of the veteran carrier USS Hancock off the coast of Vietnam. To me, the most unforgettable feature of carrier operation is the fantastic number of men required behind the scenes. With 900 men directly engaged in air operations, many hundreds more below deck seldom see this hustling deck activity. Undoubtedly, the most spectacular items of the ship's equipment are her catapults. These giant slingshots can hurl 24 tons of airplane into the air in just over 200 feet. Everything in flight operations is in a high key. They have screams of jet engines exploding after burners, the kerosene-centered wind, the accelerated actions of the men, the many brilliant colors. They all compete for attention in a picture of precision and teamwork. With each launch, mission responsibility is focused on a handful of men with the job of disrupting southward flow of enemy war supplies. And when they return, there's an air of homecoming, stirring about it, like a flag passing in a parade. Whatever it is, you can't watch it sitting down. Point in time, 800 feet over the rungsat, one of the nastiest jungles in the world. This 400-square-mile area, lying between Saigon and the sea, is a treacherous network of dense jungle and waterways and the site of extensive Viet Cong activity. My first glimpse of the rungsat told me, I can't paint this, no one would believe it. Because from the air, this twisting maze of waterways looks more like a medical illustration than Thailand's geography. The principal waterway, the Long Tau River, is a 45-mile lifeline to Saigon and to South Vietnam itself. In this terrain, the enemy can easily hide himself in his supplies as well as manufacture a crewed assortment of weapons to harass river traffic. The job of controlling the Delta region's waterways is shared by the U.S. Navy and the Vietnamese National Police and Custom Service in an operation called Game Warden. And from this riverbank office, the senior American advisor directs the rungsat activities of our river patrol boats and minesweepers, the mainstays of Operation Game Warden. Point in time with the Sea Wolves, the Navy's first and only light helicopter attack squadron, as unique and deadly as their environment. Here at the Nga Bay Naval Base on the fringe of the rungsat, as well as from ships deployed throughout the Delta, these small gunships give Operation Game Warden the quick reaction firepower to counter Viet Cong activity. In a typical helicopter airstrike, a forward air control aircraft discovers and marks a VC bunker with a smoke grenade. Now the helicopter moves in and sprays the target area with all six machine guns to suppress enemy fire. This allows the pilot to aim and launch the Hilo's primary firepower, a total of 14 devastating 2.75 rockets. But this isn't all the Sea Wolves do. They are frequently called upon to pick up VC prisoners. As you see here, they often serve as artillery spotters. And as daylight fades, Sea Wolf action reaches its peak when the legitimate river traffic is halted by a nightly curfew. This is the signal for the nocturnal VC to take over the waterways. But it's also the signal for the Sea Wolves to strike the enemy one more time before night falls. Point in time, a penetration mission deep in Viet Cong held territory with the Navy Seals. An organization considered to be the most deadly combat team in military history. This is a new breed of Navy man. And as a highly specialized countermeasure against enemy Delta operations, their harrowing storybook tactics are becoming legendary examples of fighting quality and discipline. Nighttime in the rungsat is no longer the uncontested domain of the VC. The Seals are there too. Their ability, stealth, highly developed self-control, and refined covert tactics are their fighting tools, by which they gather the vital information necessary to counter daily enemy activity. Guided by the Seals intelligence reports, another specialized organization, the Joint Army Navy Mobile Riverine Force, furnaces a muscle to neutralize trouble spots throughout the Delta, operating from barric ships near the coast, and armored troop carriers, along with heavily armed river gun boats, represent our first full-scale riverine force since the Civil War. Point in time, the Marine Corps Air Station, July, with one of the Air Force tactical air control units. These small, highly maneuverable O1C aircraft are fittingly called bird dogs, in the sense that they seek out and pinpoint targets with smoke rockets as a guide to attack aircraft. Forward air control is an essential ingredient in performing close air support for ground forces, since today's high-velocity aircraft does not permit the pilot adequate time for target identification. Once the target is marked, the bird dog must quickly make an exit to make way for the phantom jets attacking with 750-pound bombs. Following the airstrike, the bird dogs must then conduct close-at-hand assessment of the damage inflicted. Dozens of pads of bullet holes on these small aircraft attest to the danger of this phase of the air controller's job. Point in time, with our combat artist at Marine Air Group 13, July, the staging area for supersonic phantom jets that perform the important role of close air support for marine ground troops throughout Vietnam's northern provinces. You don't simply climb into the world's fastest, most high-performance military jet and go for a joy ride. Before you can get close to the airplane, it takes days of indoctrination, ejection seat drills, decompression chamber and physical qualification clearance, and jungle survival training. But at 18,000 feet at 200 miles from the target, it's difficult to believe you're in the center of a military conflict with the stillness and sheer beauty that surrounds you. Even the familiar demilitarized zone, the center of bitter fighting looks peaceful below. Once the target is hit and you're on your way home, another anxious moment may be in store for you. Phantom jets absorb fuel at a startling rate and often require fueling in-flight by Marine C-130 flying gas stations, a delicate and precise maneuver. Point in time, with a Medevac crew in Vietnam's rugged central highlands, where heavy-duty UH-34 helicopters serve as a vital lifeline by supplying beleaguered Marines with food, water and ammunition. And equally important, Medevac's quick reaction in battlefield rescue of the wounded is responsible for saving countless American lives. The UH-34, the Marine's workhorse, is basically unarmed and stripped for action to get in and out of emergency conditions on the ground. Working in pairs, one armed helicopter remains aloft to suppress enemy ground fire as a protection for the vulnerable over-or-landing phases during emergency Medevac or resupply. Also, Medevac's military missions are frequently interrupted to alleviate civilian emergencies in the numerous villages beneath their flight path. A war under any conditions is an awesome and tragic event. But one is there, it's fertile ground for the artist. For when bravery and deeds are commonplace, it bears the full spectrum of human emotions and brings the quality of the human spirit to the surface. And I, for one, feel privileged to have the opportunity to participate as a combat artist. And so, with the brush and palette as his working tools, this man joins the growing list of military and civilian artists that will continue to enrich our understanding of these points in time that make history.