On September 21, 2024, International Day of Peace, Robert Shetterly unveiled his most recent portrait: Doug Rawlings. The event took place in the Peace and Social Justice tent at the annual Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine.

Rawlings is a Vietnam War Veteran and a co-founder of the national and international organization Veterans for Peace. He is also the president of the Maine chapter of VFP, a long-time professor of Peace Studies at the University of Maine Farmington, and a renowned poet of his war experience. Read more details about Rawlings on his AWTT portrait page.

A large crowd, including many of Doug’s extended family, witnessed the unveiling, as Shetterly and Rawlings removed the cloth from the portrait. Rawlings’s portrait quote:

“I was drafted in 1968 and after 16 weeks of so-called training, I was shipped out for Viet Nam. I felt like a piece of meat . . . to be used  by others to achieve their ends. I don’t remember anyone asking my permission to use me.”

Then Rawlings turned the tables on Shetterly – reading a poem he wrote honoring the AWTT portrait artist and presenting him with a wall-sized version of the poem. Shetterly was totally surprised and deeply moved by Rawlings’s poetic tribute. As they publicly honored each other, their underlying message was clear: Open your hearts to our artistic expression; then go out and do something. Be the peace you want to see in the world.