Cartoonist and Army officer Vernon Grant had a unique ability to capture the soldier’s perspective during the Vietnam War. The Stars and Stripes contributor was the latest in a long line of social commentators to grace its pages during times of war, the most notable being Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Mauldin during World War II.
Grant, who died in 2006 at 71, is being honored with an exhibit showcasing his work at The National Stars and Stripes Museum and Library in Bloomfield, Mo. It runs until Nov. 30.
Grant at 23 joined the Army in 1958, with segregation still a dehumanizing force in the United States. Two years in, he was invited to enroll in the Infantry Officer Candidate Course at Fort Benning, Ga., and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He took and passed infantry and airborne training courses.
He arrived in Japan in 1964 and stayed for three years, Betsy Grant wrote.
Grant made captain in 1966 and went to Vietnam a year later, where he commanded the Signal Security Force — 400 men guarding 23 communications sites scattered the length of Vietnam. His tour lasted 13 months.
Between 1966 and 1969, Vernon Grant drew strips for Stars and Stripes, under the titles “Grant’s Heroes,” “A Grant Time in Japan” and “Grant’s Grunts.”
Stars and Stripes pays tribute to one of their own.
(Not to be confused with this Vernon Grant.)