Juan Montano - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

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The Veterans Portrait Series

Mickey is a retired Navy Photographers Mate, Chief Petty Officer, and was the Leading Chief of the Navy's elite Combat Camera Group Pacific. Mickey's current focus is the Veterans Portrait Series, which documents veterans' stories of service. He is focused on our Worlds' Greatest Generation. The veterans of World War II. 

Mickey interviews each Veteran, collecting and writing their service stories, archiving these notable historic figures and their stories for generations to come. Mickey has collected and displayed images and stories from over 100 warriors that at one point, signed the dotted line when our country needed their sacrifice of service most.  Mickey continues to collect Veterans from all services for the Veterans Portrait Series. In 2019 this body of work was displayed at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre Museum from Nov 11, 2019 — to March 1, 2020.

Mickey and the project were in the national spotlight, featured on the Sunday Today Show with Harry Smith Today Show Link to YouTube.  See the Google 360 Virtual walk through from the Palm Beach Museum Exhibit. Enjoy, and thank you for your help with this project. In 2022 Mickey has photographed over 25 more WW2 Veterans and will be hosting a print show in San Diego in November with an open house on Veterans Day.

Featured Veteran

Richard H. Wehmeyer
US Army Air Corps
First Lieutenant
World War II

 Richard H. Wehmeyer was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, on February 3, 1923. After graduating from Beaumont High School in January of 1941, he attended Columbia University in New York. Richard hoped to join the Army Air Corp (AAC) and enter the pilot training pipeline. He finished two years of credits at Columbia by attending classes full time, including summer and breaks, accelerating his completion the minimum requirements to qualify for the Flying/Aviation Cadet Pilot Training Program.
 In March 1943, he reported to Grand Central Station in New York City for induction to begin pilot training. He passed his medical screening and boarded a Pullman car bound for Kessler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, to attend Army Boot Camp. Now a Cadet, he was paid $50 base pay & $25 flight pay, the same as a Private. Cadet Wehmeyer reported to Elon College in North Carolina for 30 training days. He continued to Nashville for the Pilot Program, followed by Montgomery, Alabama, for classroom training, followed by Basic Flight at Clarksdale, Mississippi, flying two-seat training single-engine PT-23 Fairchilds, with his first flight on Sep 4, 1943.
 Richard reported to Basic Flying School at Greenville Army Airfield, Mississippi. His first flight was on November 9th, 1943, training in the BTa-13 Valiant. He flew many missions, planning and filing flight plans for the first time. In the 90-day course, they learned acrobatics, instruments, and how to fly with other aircraft in groups. Richard was then selected for multi-engine flight training at George Field, Illinois, flying the Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita. On April 15th, Richard graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He married his wife, Dorthy, on April 19th, whom he had met at Columbia University.
 They reported to Maxwell Field, Alabama, where he learned to fly the B-24 Liberator for a few months. After that, he reported to crew assignment and trained with his flight crew. In November, Richard and his crew sailed to England for 12 days, reporting to England for combat operations, but they were reassigned to a B-17 Flying Fortress squadron with the 92d Bomb Group.
 Being reassigned to a new aircraft type, Richard flew his first combat mission as a co-pilot on Jan 8th over France, assigned to hit a road junction. Richard still reads from his flight mission logs, cataloging his 30 combat missions, including targets in Berlin. He was assigned to the pilot seat and reunited with his crew for his 9th mission, targeting the rail yards at Fulda. On the sixth mission, the enemy fire took out two engines, forcing them to land the wounded B-17 north of Paris.
 Richard and his crew flew 30 combat missions, their last on April 25th, as the lead low element of the squadron. They made four runs through intense enemy fire and targeted an armament plant in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. The plane was heavily damaged with holes all through it and the loss of the #3 engine, as well as wounding the radio operator. This was the last combat mission for the 92nd Bomb Group. Richards’s 30 combat missions totaled over 640 flying hours.
 Richard finished his time in Europe after VE day, flying for the green project. This project included installing benches in B-17s to transport soldiers to Casablanca to board ships bringing them home. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series
  Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last 1 hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some photographs for the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question.  Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

US Navy BM1 World War 2- Korea - Vietnam Juan Montano was born on June 27, 1926, in Detroit, MI, and ran away from the big city to live on a farm in the Upper Peninsula at 15. Juan joined the Navy at 17, enlisting on July 30, 1943, when his father received his draft notice. Juan volunteered to take his place, keeping his dad at the Ford Motor Company building B-24 Liberators. Juan attended Bootcamp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center and, upon completion, reported with half of his company to the USS Bell Grove LSD-2, an Ashland-class dock landing ship in Pleasanton, Ca. After a shake-down training, the USS Bell Grove sailed to Pearl Harbor Hi. loaded the 7th Infantry and headed for Makin Island. Juan operated a landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP), or Higgins boat for the first time. Juans was in charge of (LCVP2-2) as a new BM3, loading troops and equipment on the beach for the first nine amphibious beach landings he participated in during World War 2. Operating for 18 months, one beach after another. Sometimes, he spends weeks with his three-man crew onboard, sleeping right at their stations. When not landing on the beach, his LCPV served to make smoke, screening ships and landing craft from attacks by Japanese aircraft and ships. Occasionally, When onboard the Bell Grove and not in his LCVP, his General Quarter's GQ station was a 30 Cal Anti Aircraft gun. Juan recounted many attacks and Kamikaze runs on his ship during Pacific Operations. The Bell Grove and her crew participated in Nine different amphibious operations in 18 months, including Makin Island, Battle of Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian (3), Leyte Gulf (4), Luzon, Lingayen Gulf, San Pedro Bay, and Iwo Jima many included multiple resupply trips for the ship and then the beach. Iwo Jima was Juan’s 9th amphibious landing. He was assigned to land troops on Green Beach, the first beach below Mt. Suribachi. “The bullets were coming down like rain,” Juan remembered. His sister boat got stuck on Green Beach, and Juan refused to leave them, knowing how to pull him off to safety. When the two boats were free, they returned to no ships in the bay. The Japanese counterattack forced the slow amphibious ships back to the safety of the sea, leaving both LCVPs and their crews to spend two nights on their boats fending off attacks each night. Juan served for 28 months on the Bell Grove, being one of only 282 ships company to serve during all combat operations during World War 2. The Bell Grove returned to San Diego on Dec 31, 1945, but could not pull in for his first liberty until Jan 1, 1946, because of fog. Juan stayed in the service and served on many commands, including the USS Merrick AKA-97, USS Springfield CL-66, and USS Dixie AD-22. During the Korean War, he served on USS Naifeh DE-352. Other commands included the USS Uhlman DD-687, the USS Southerland DDR-743, USS Ingersoll DD-652, and the USS Boyd DD 544. Petty Officer Montano was a sailor, and sailors go to sea and serve on ships. He retired from active service on 31 May 1963.
Veteran,NIK,WW2
Juan Montano - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy BM1 World War 2- Korea - Vietnam Juan Montano was born on June 27, 1926, in Detroit, MI, and ran away from the big city to live on a farm in the Upper Peninsula at 15. Juan joined the Navy at 17, enlisting on July 30, 1943, when his father received his draft notice. Juan volunteered to take his place, keeping his dad at the Ford Motor Company building B-24 Liberators. Juan attended Bootcamp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center and, upon completion, reported with half of his company to the USS Bell Grove LSD-2, an Ashland-class dock landing ship in Pleasanton, Ca. After a shake-down training, the USS Bell Grove sailed to Pearl Harbor Hi. loaded the 7th Infantry and headed for Makin Island. Juan operated a landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP), or Higgins boat for the first time. Juans was in charge of (LCVP2-2) as a new BM3, loading troops and equipment on the beach for the first nine amphibious beach landings he participated in during World War 2. Operating for 18 months, one beach after another. Sometimes, he spends weeks with his three-man crew onboard, sleeping right at their stations. When not landing on the beach, his LCPV served to make smoke, screening ships and landing craft from attacks by Japanese aircraft and ships. Occasionally, When onboard the Bell Grove and not in his LCVP, his General Quarter's GQ station was a 30 Cal Anti Aircraft gun. Juan recounted many attacks and Kamikaze runs on his ship during Pacific Operations. The Bell Grove and her crew participated in Nine different amphibious operations in 18 months, including Makin Island, Battle of Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian (3), Leyte Gulf (4), Luzon, Lingayen Gulf, San Pedro Bay, and Iwo Jima many included multiple resupply trips for the ship and then the beach. Iwo Jima was Juan’s 9th amphibious landing. He was assigned to land troops on Green Beach, the first beach below Mt. Suribachi. “The bullets were coming down like rain,” Juan remembered. His sister boat got stuck on Green Beach, and Juan refused to leave them, knowing how to pull him off to safety. When the two boats were free, they returned to no ships in the bay. The Japanese counterattack forced the slow amphibious ships back to the safety of the sea, leaving both LCVPs and their crews to spend two nights on their boats fending off attacks each night. Juan served for 28 months on the Bell Grove, being one of only 282 ships company to serve during all combat operations during World War 2. The Bell Grove returned to San Diego on Dec 31, 1945, but could not pull in for his first liberty until Jan 1, 1946, because of fog. Juan stayed in the service and served on many commands, including the USS Merrick AKA-97, USS Springfield CL-66, and USS Dixie AD-22. During the Korean War, he served on USS Naifeh DE-352. Other commands included the USS Uhlman DD-687, the USS Southerland DDR-743, USS Ingersoll DD-652, and the USS Boyd DD 544. Petty Officer Montano was a sailor, and sailors go to sea and serve on ships. He retired from active service on 31 May 1963.