Alfonso Joe King - Vietnam War - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

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Vietnam War

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during the Vietnam War

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 an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in 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.

Copyright © 2025 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
United States Navy ICFN Vietnam War Alfonso Joe King was born on October 20, 1951, in Columbiana, Alabama. At age three, his family moved to Gary, Indiana, where he grew up. He left high school before graduating and later earned his GED in Nov of 1969 while serving on his first ship. Alfonso joined the service, attended boot camp, and trained on 20 June, 1969 at the age of 17. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, during a very hot summer, and then went straight to his first assignment on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) (CV-42), a Midway-class aircraft carrier based in Mayport, Florida. Seaman Apprentice King was assigned to the Electrical (E) Division and worked toward becoming an Interior Communications (IC) specialist. During his two and a half years on the FDR, he completed two deployments to the Mediterranean in support of Sixth Fleet operations. His daily duties often involved “mess cooking,” housekeeping, and cleaning, though he also worked in the sound power phone room. Alfonzo completed all of the requirements and training for advancement and passed the IC3 rating test, but was never advanced to that rank before transferring off the ship. Seaman King requested a transfer and was assigned to the decommissioning crew of the USS Joseph P. Taussig (DE-1030), a Dealey-class destroyer escort home-ported in Newport, Rhode Island. The ship had a very small crew; he only remembers himself, the commanding officer, and a cook who never cooked. He served on board for one and a half years. ICFN Alfonso King was honorably discharged in May 1972. He received the National Defense Service Medal. Within two weeks of his discharge, he began working in the electrical field at a steel mill in northwest Indiana, Inland Steel, and later worked for US Steel. He married his wife, Henrietta, whom he had met while in the service, and they moved to Los Angeles, California, with their infant daughter.
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Alfonso Joe King - Vietnam War - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
United States Navy ICFN Vietnam War Alfonso Joe King was born on October 20, 1951, in Columbiana, Alabama. At age three, his family moved to Gary, Indiana, where he grew up. He left high school before graduating and later earned his GED in Nov of 1969 while serving on his first ship. Alfonso joined the service, attended boot camp, and trained on 20 June, 1969 at the age of 17. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, during a very hot summer, and then went straight to his first assignment on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) (CV-42), a Midway-class aircraft carrier based in Mayport, Florida. Seaman Apprentice King was assigned to the Electrical (E) Division and worked toward becoming an Interior Communications (IC) specialist. During his two and a half years on the FDR, he completed two deployments to the Mediterranean in support of Sixth Fleet operations. His daily duties often involved “mess cooking,” housekeeping, and cleaning, though he also worked in the sound power phone room. Alfonzo completed all of the requirements and training for advancement and passed the IC3 rating test, but was never advanced to that rank before transferring off the ship. Seaman King requested a transfer and was assigned to the decommissioning crew of the USS Joseph P. Taussig (DE-1030), a Dealey-class destroyer escort home-ported in Newport, Rhode Island. The ship had a very small crew; he only remembers himself, the commanding officer, and a cook who never cooked. He served on board for one and a half years. ICFN Alfonso King was honorably discharged in May 1972. He received the National Defense Service Medal. Within two weeks of his discharge, he began working in the electrical field at a steel mill in northwest Indiana, Inland Steel, and later worked for US Steel. He married his wife, Henrietta, whom he had met while in the service, and they moved to Los Angeles, California, with their infant daughter.