"Everyday Duty: Veterans in our Communities"

It is with great pleasure that we present Everyday Duty: Veterans in our Communities in honor of Veterans Day. The exhibition displays the everyday life during and after service. Spanning generations between World War II and Vietnam, to Iraq/Afghanistan, the service members featured in these photographs relive memories of their time on tour, as well as the their life after retirement or discharge. From visiting memorials to building sustainable farms within their communities, these veterans build on the memories, skills, and talents they achieved while in the military.

Mark Mitchell's portrait series reveals the spirit and gumption of many World War II vets hold onto today. The young, attractive soldiers and nurses take on an air of glamour in their youthful pictures, reminding viewers that the retired vets in front of them have lived a full life of honor, service, and adventure. Mark Mitchell began working on the project after visiting retirement communities and realizing that many veterans still kept many mementos and items from their time in service, including pictures. Recording their stories of their duty, Mark was able to pick up on defining pieces and memories that had a long-term influence on the rest of their life, adding an additional layer of significance to their portraits. "When I am on my way to sleep, I often think of a mission, the crew, or the squad," divulges Jim Phipps, who performed over forty missions in World War II. Seventy years after the fact, Phipps's everyday life is still impacted by his time in the military.

Dominic R. Sondy exposes a different aspect of life in the military: the everyday processes while actually out in the field, and then directly after service. After volunteering in 1968, Sondy began his military career as an M 60 machine gunner, and was later transferred to the Public Information Office as a photo correspondent. His portraits of active duty soldiers in Vietnam and the direct years after their service discloses the humanity within active duty service, the communities that are built between soldiers and civilians around service camps, and the friendships that remain after discharge.

Ron Testa's work on Air Force operations bring to light the high tech machinery that the military builds and utilizes everyday. These powerful instruments of war have a lifespan as well, as technology and priorities change throughout the decades. Their capabilities are a fascinating and remarkable facet of the every-changing and everdeveloping responsibilities the military plays in a global sphere. Getting a behind the scenes look allows the viewer to see the massive infrastructure that has been built since World War II.

Lauren DeCicca's body of work takes on a new generation's service post-tour. Focusing her photo essay on the lives of former military members who have founded the Veterans Sanctuary in Trumansburg, NY, she unearths a group that, in addition to serving their country, have decided to serve their local communities through agriculture, craft, and holistic practices upon their return to civilian life. In addition to growing vegetables and cultivating the land, vets involved in the Sanctuary create paper art projects that allow them to use a different method of telling their individual stories of battle and service. Therein many vets find both a trade that keeps them active, busy, and productive, much as their military training required of them, and an outlet to create dialogue and perspective on their wartime careers. Her beautifully rich photographs show the external and internal hard work these vets are willing to put forth to cultivate a sustainable, and healthy, society.

With this gallery, viewers will be able to experience personal stories of triumph, dayto-day toils, and new perspectives that the courageous service the featured vets have put forth both in history and towards their own communities. In these personal histories lie the fundamental and important role that veterans play in our lives and civic pursuits.

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