Tom Sherry showcases a photographer's perspective of Vietnam
Time is running out to visit The Long Vietnam War exhibit, including Tom Sherry’s story, at The War Memorial.
Since the spring, some of Sherry’s artifacts and photographs from the Vietnam War have been on display in the Patriot Gallery at The War Memorial as part of The Long Vietnam War exhibit. The exhibit, in partnership with the Grosse Pointe Artists Association, explores the complexities and history of the Vietnam War and aims to educate the community on this conflict and its legacy. For a couple of years, Sherry has been involved with the local art group, which is a War Memorial partner organization.
Sherry, 79, graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1964. Upon graduation, he attended Wayne State University, studying industrial design and sculpture.
He enlisted in the Navy Reserve in 1967 and by September 1968, he was in the active-duty Navy.
“The idea of being drafted was heavy on everybody,” Sherry said. “I knew I couldn’t keep my deferment status. It weighed on all of our decisions, whether to stay in school or what not.”
During the Vietnam War, Sherry was stationed aboard the USS Coral Sea CVA-43. The Midway-class aircraft carrier was nearly 1,000 feet in length.
“It took me a couple of months before I knew my way around it,” Sherry said. “One time we went out for flight operations, and I heard a jet land and it sounded so loud inside the ship. I thought it was an explosion. I realized I would be hearing that for the next two years.”
He served two tours as a Navy journalist from 1968-1970 on Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam from where air strikes over North Vietnam were launched.
“With a combat air carrier, we were doing support bombing missions,” Sherry said. “We did an awful lot of bombing, doing 12-hour shifts. There were two carriers on station at any time. We lived in compartments and there were around 70 of us in the administrative division. Our bunks were three high, it was crowded.”
He explained that Yankee Station was in the Gulf of Tonkin, near North Vietnam.
“We operated about 100 miles off the coast of enemy fire and would launch aircraft there,” he said.
As a member of the creative team, Sherry was responsible for providing updates about the ship to the public and the ship’s 4,000 men using its TV and radio stations, daily newspaper, monthly magazine, and press releases.
“I worked with creative people and I liked that,” Sherry, of St. Clair Shores, said. “They were good writers and graphic artists. We would try to do stories about sailors and what was going on around the ship. We also put together a yearly cruise book, which I became the editor of. Being a journalist allowed me to get familiar with the entire ship because I had to go everywhere on it.”
Photo of Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge by Tom Sherry
After discharge from the Navy with an E-3 rank, Sherry went on to have a career in photography, working in corporate communications, public relations, and more. Recently, Sherry has taken interest in photographing The War Memorial, taking impressive shots of Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge, the Alger House, and more.
“I’ve felt welcome here,” he shared. “The nice thing about The War Memorial is that it’s a public space. This is a great place to photograph. For me, it offers an awful lot of variety. The more I learned about Les Braves, the more meaning it had.”
While you're at The War Memorial for the Veterans Day Breakfast, don’t miss the powerful exhibit on display — it’s a moving tribute you’ll want to see before it’s gone.