Staff Sgt. Richard Zacamy shows off his EFD expert medic badge tattoo in War Paint/Kyle Cassidy
WASHINGTON — Walter Dudycz went drinking with a friend on the night he received orders for Vietnam after his Advanced Individual Training in 1968.
The uncertainty of surviving the war filled his 18-year-old mind: “We don’t know if we’re going to make it out of that place,” said Dudycz, who spent most of his time as a perimeter guard in Vietnam.
After rounds of beer, the two friends decided to get meat tags, or tattoos that would identify their bodies in case they were killed.
“We figured, ‘Wait, if something happens to us at least they’d be able to identify us with our tattoos,’” said Dudycz.
Dudycz got a crucifix with a heart and a crown of thorns tattooed onto his left upper arm for $10. With his last $3, he added his nickname, “Wally,” to his right arm.
“This is part of my life story and those tattoos at $13 has followed me and reminded me of that moment for all these decades,” he said.
Dudycz’ story, accompanied by photos of his tattoos, is one of the 78 tales of tatted military veterans and service members in Kyle Cassidy’s new book, War Paint: Tattoo Culture & the Armed Forces.
Cassidy spent more than four years meeting with current and former members of the armed forces throughout the country who were willing to share the intimate stories behind their tattoos.
He photographed everything from small anchors on the arms of WWII vets to elaborate designs of demons pouring from an outstretched hand on the forearm of an Army Sgt. of the 28th Combat Aviation Battalion in Iraq.
“I think the artistry of tattoos have definitely changed,” said Cassidy, who began working on War Paint in 2007.
“There’s a lot of conformity in the tattoos of the WWII veterans. Many of them were getting flash, which is a pre-made drawing that was on the wall of the tattoo parlor,” he said.
Think back to Popeye the Sailor Man and his infamous anchor tattoos on each arm. His markings, similar to those of many WWII veterans, didn’t require much needle labor.
The early ‘90s brought change to the military tattoo culture, however.
“I’ve noticed that folks getting tattoos are spending more time thinking about it beforehand and they want something unique,” said Cassidy.
After the success of his previous book, Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes, Cassidy met an 84-year-old veteran with a paratrooper tattooed on his arm.
They talked for two hours about the tattoo.
“I realized that no one had ever asked him [about his tattoo] before and that nobody was writing these stories down,” said Cassidy.
Staff Sgt. Richard Zacamy, Jr., a 68W30 Combat Medic, saw one of Cassidy’s flyers about the project last year. He jumped at the chance of showing off the EFD expert medic badge tattoo on his back.
“[The tattoo] is more of a pride thing,” said Zacamy, who has been doing medical work for 29 years.
“We had 40 people start out and when we finished, only six of us graduated from the class,” said Zacamy.
Though Cassidy released War Paint on Memorial Day, his quest for hearing more tattoo stories is not over.
The photographer launched a Flickr page as a forum for more military veterans and service members to bond over the stories of their tattoos.
“I’d like to be able to see the tattoos that I missed on the road and hear their stories,” said Cassidy.
The Flickr page is accessible on Cassidy’s official website, kylecassidy.com/warpaint.
Flustered when War Paint is out-of-stock on Amazon, Cassidy encourages everyone to go to their local bookstores to order a copy of the book.
“It’s frustrating when you hear from people who try to order a book and they can’t get it… but then there’s a little self satisfaction that you did something that so many people are interested in,” he said.
(The book is available on the publisher’s website, www.schifferbooks.com.)