WAKE FOREST, N.C. — John Schweitzer is well beyond his schooling days, but his new photography class brings him back to his youth. 


What You Need To Know

  • Thirty percent of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetimes

  • Operation ART uses different mediums, like painting and photography, to help veterans

  • Learn more here

“I was taking a trip to Alaska, and since I was going there, I wanted a nice camera,” Schweitzer said. “I ended up bartering for a nice camera, and I was interested in photography again.” 

Schweitzer joined the Joel Fund’s Operation ART class, which is a program helping connect veterans with an opportunity to express themselves through several artistic mediums, including photography.

“The camera is the tool you use to do some really cool and interesting things,” Schweitzer said. “Yeah, you learn how to use your camera. You learn a lot about how to use your camera. But you’re learning how to use it for a purpose.” 

Schweitzer has grown an eye for photography, capturing many of the beautiful scenes he sees every day in the world around him.

He has also learned to open up about a tough time in his life with his fellow veterans.

“If I made a list of my five closest friends, you can scratch the top five off the list,” Schweitzer said. “They were all killed in Vietnam. My son is named after one of them. You carry that with you all your life.”

A sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam, Schweitzer saw the devastation the war brought. 

His five best friends from high school that enlisted with him, all taken away.

Schweitzer believes the loss has caused him to develop a form of PTSD, and he’s not alone. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says 30% of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.

The V.A. also says 12% of Gulf War and nearly 20% of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom veterans will also be diagnosed with PTSD.

“Especially if you’ve been in a war era, or if you felt that personal loss associated with that,” Schweitzer said. “That’s always part of your life, and it’s kind of there to overcome that, and make the best of it.” 

Schweitzer has made the most of his post-retirement hobby.

He enjoys connecting with his fellow veterans in weekly classes, sharing stories and photos. 

“We often talk about things we don’t talk about with anybody else,” Schweitzer said. “There’s a connection there.”

He says he’s adopted a new philosophy on life through these programs.

“I’m not going to say no to anything when an opportunity comes up,” Schweitzer said. “These are opportunities, and they’re wonderful. None of them have been awful, that’s for sure. I’ve gotten something out of every one of them.”