MILFORD, PA — An exhibit of the photographs by John Hudanish, taken in the late 1960s during his war-time tour in South Vietnam, opens at the Columns Museum, 608 Broad St., on Friday, November 6, with a lecture and reception starting at 6 p.m.

Hudanish, then a 27-year old intelligence analyst and linguistics expert, was fascinated by everything new he encountered in Vietnam. He learned to speak Vietnamese, and his efforts were met with the opening of Vietnamese hearts and homes, proving everyday that compassion, generosity, loyalty and humor are not exclusively western or Christian virtues.

Hudanish took his camera with him during off-duty hours and photographed his Vietnam. He never thought to capture the ugliness of war, the broken and torn bodies, the destruction and suffering. He said, “We should not forget that destruction and suffering, especially the next time our leaders contemplate sending our young people away to an unnecessary war. But let us keep those ugly images in our hearts, not in our albums. Instead I was attracted to the beauty that surrounded me in abundance on all sides, including the beauty of the human spirit.”

Call 570/296-8126 for more information.