Vietnam veteran captured more than history on film

Steve Robinson took pictures in Vietnam and is using them to help other veterans heal.

Newly revealed war photos help veteran open up
By LES COCKRELL Denton Record-Chronicle © 2010 The Associated Press
Dec. 5, 2010, 12:04AM
DENTON, Texas — Photographs of the Vietnam War that were locked away for more than 40 years are now helping other veterans unlock their own feelings about being under fire.

"It helps them to talk about their experiences," said Steve Robinson, who served as a combat photographer with the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. "A lot of my photographs have brought out situations that they wouldn't talk about otherwise."

Robinson, who recently shared his photos while visiting Denton, understands why veterans are reluctant to talk about their experiences, and that is why about 1,500 personal photos he took during two years in Vietnam were hidden away for so long.

"I never talked about the war," he said. "I was trying to forget the war."

It was a show on History about Medal of Honor winners that helped change his mind, Robinson said. He remembered shooting photographs of a soldier who was later awarded the nation's highest military honor.

It was in June 1968 when Robinson focused his Pentax on Spc. Hector Santiago-Colon and other members of a nearby mortar crew. A short time later, Santiago-Colon threw himself on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers, an action that earned the Puerto Rico native the Medal of Honor.

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Newly revealed war photos help veteran open up