Patricia Vaught - Home Page Slide Show - 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 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. Today we continue to capture the Ledgends of service of great American heros. 

Featured Veteran

Edward_Kicklighter

Celebrating the life of - 

Edward Kicklighter
United States NAVY
Commander
Korean War - Vietnam War

Born on January 20th, 1925, Edward Kicklighter became an ordained minister at the young age of 18. He joined the U.S. Navy in August 1953 to become a Navy Chaplain. Edward received a commission as an Ensign at the end of the Korean War after attending Chaplain school in Newport, Rhode Island. There, all faith chaplains learned to support the needs of various service members’ faith groups. After graduation, he was assigned to the Navy's Chaplain offices in San Francisco. Ens Kicklighter deployed as a Ship's Chaplain aboard a troop transport ship, moving Marines and Sailors across the Pacific.

Edward later served during the Vietnam War with the Headquarters, 1st Division U.S. Marine Corps, as an assistant Chaplain in Chu Lai and Da Nang. There, he provided church and other services but spent most of his time counseling and listening to his troops. Edward fondly remembers baptizing two Marines on a beach of the South China Sea.

Edward later worked in the Philippines when his ship, the USS Tripoli (LPH-10), helped provide electricity to the Negrito people. In 1963, Edward, then stationed on Midway Island, held a unique memorial service after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy for all of the base personnel. He served from 1953 to 1982, supporting countless Sailors and Marines worldwide throughout his 30 years of service. Edward retired as a Commander from the Navy in June 1982.

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
Please email

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 and the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2025 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
US Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Corporal World War II Patricia (Ruff) Vaught was born on April 29th, 1924, in New York, New York. She served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve as a Clerk Typist. Patricia was one of the 20,000 women who joined the Women’s Reserve during World War II. Patricia was working in Manhattan when, in March, during her lunch break, she and a girlfriend passed the recruiting office and went in to inquire about serving; she enlisted right then and there. The Women’s Marine Association posters, “Free a man to Fight,” and her brothers who were serving, inspired her to sign up and do her part. She reported for boot camp, riding the train from Grand Central Station to Camp Lejeune in April. She really enjoyed meeting and serving with all the ladies from all over the country. PVT Patricia Ruff was stationed at Headquarters Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California. She served primarily in the Guard Battalion's Sgt Majors' Office. The Base has always been the home of making Marines, and Patricia did her part to produce Marines during the waning days of World War II. While stationed in San Diego, Patricia typed up the daily muster reports, worked on the payroll, and handled Mail for the battalion. She recalled hours re-routing mail to service members who had moved to other units or returned to the states. She typed all of the correspondence for her office's Captain and remembers typing up tomorrow’s Plan of the Day every day. Before leaving the Corps, she met her husband, Dewey F. Vaught, who served as a Rifleman and Corporal in the USMC on Guam and Iwo Jima in the Pacific during World War II. Dewey had just returned to the States when they met in February at the base theater, where Pat was working nights as an usher for a dollar a night. Dewey brought her a box of candy, and she decided to go out with him. They dated every night for months and were married in May, just after she was discharged. Pat and Dewey had 11 children and shared 48 years together. Pat was Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve on May 15, 1946, with the drawdown of military forces after the end of World War II. She was awarded the USMC Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Corporal Patricia Vaught shared a photo replica of her Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial plaque honoring her and her husband's service during our visit. Like all Marines, Patricia will tell you, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful.
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Patricia Vaught - Home Page Slide Show - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Corporal World War II Patricia (Ruff) Vaught was born on April 29th, 1924, in New York, New York. She served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve as a Clerk Typist. Patricia was one of the 20,000 women who joined the Women’s Reserve during World War II. Patricia was working in Manhattan when, in March, during her lunch break, she and a girlfriend passed the recruiting office and went in to inquire about serving; she enlisted right then and there. The Women’s Marine Association posters, “Free a man to Fight,” and her brothers who were serving, inspired her to sign up and do her part. She reported for boot camp, riding the train from Grand Central Station to Camp Lejeune in April. She really enjoyed meeting and serving with all the ladies from all over the country. PVT Patricia Ruff was stationed at Headquarters Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California. She served primarily in the Guard Battalion's Sgt Majors' Office. The Base has always been the home of making Marines, and Patricia did her part to produce Marines during the waning days of World War II. While stationed in San Diego, Patricia typed up the daily muster reports, worked on the payroll, and handled Mail for the battalion. She recalled hours re-routing mail to service members who had moved to other units or returned to the states. She typed all of the correspondence for her office's Captain and remembers typing up tomorrow’s Plan of the Day every day. Before leaving the Corps, she met her husband, Dewey F. Vaught, who served as a Rifleman and Corporal in the USMC on Guam and Iwo Jima in the Pacific during World War II. Dewey had just returned to the States when they met in February at the base theater, where Pat was working nights as an usher for a dollar a night. Dewey brought her a box of candy, and she decided to go out with him. They dated every night for months and were married in May, just after she was discharged. Pat and Dewey had 11 children and shared 48 years together. Pat was Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve on May 15, 1946, with the drawdown of military forces after the end of World War II. She was awarded the USMC Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Corporal Patricia Vaught shared a photo replica of her Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial plaque honoring her and her husband's service during our visit. Like all Marines, Patricia will tell you, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful.