Biss, Bles and a Sentry Dog Sculpture

WW II Marine raider painted by Joe Bles

We recently heard from Nancy Lynch, who put together the excellent book, Vietnam Mailbag, Voices From the War: 1968-1972 . As I said in my review in the November-December 2009 issue of The VVA Veteran , that book was based the “Vietnam Mailbag” newspaper column that Lynch wrote in the Wilmington, Delaware, News Journal that  featured letters from those serving in Vietnam

The book is a reader-friendly compilation of those letters, along with scores of in-country photos and other Vietnam War images, as well many pages of text filling in the gaps about many of the veterans’ lives in Vietnam and after coming home.

Lynch told us that in May she took part  in the annual Memorial Day Writers Project that is held near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. “Joe Bles, a Vietnam-era veteran, bought my book then and was very taken with my contemporary interview of Bob Biss, who served with the Army’s 212th Military Police Sentry Dog Company in Long Binh and Vinh Long, ” she said. “To this day, Biss keeps a portrait of King–his life and lifeline in Vietnam–in his home study. “

Bles was so taken that he proceeded to sculpt a 1/6 scale model of King sitting on a sandbag in Vietnam. Joe Bles, who has never met Bob Biss, will present his model of King to Biss at the 49th annual National Capital Model Soldier Society show on Sept. 11 at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia.

The show is open to the public. For more info, go to the NCMSS website.


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