Westminster Vietnam Vet's War Photos Go Viral
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - A Vietnam veteran from Westminster has dusted off his combat photos after 43 years. Now never-before-seen photos of the Vietnam War are stirring up old memories all across the world.
They are vivid images of firefights in Vietnam, but perhaps some of the memories they bring back are too vivid for the man behind the lens -- Jim Hensinger.
Many have seen the old TV footage of Vietnam, but few have seen Hensinger's photos. It has been 43 years since Hensinger snapped them as a soldier in Vietnam. The pictures were taken during his time on night patrol in a small Vietnamese village.
"We were attacked by sniper fire from a large rocky mountain behind our compound," Hensinger said.
The pictures have gone viral. People around the world are fascinated by the spectacularly beautiful images of horrible scenes of war.
"I think that may be the attraction," Hensinger said.
The mission and the memories bring back some painful emotions for Hensinger.
"A little regret, a little remorse … you lose friends," he said. "There are not many good memories about Vietnam."
Nearly half a century later, Hensinger wonders most about what happened to the Vietnamese who he knew from a distance and only through a lens.
