Our ProudVet, Mike "SweetPea" Kinann is an Army Veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam from August 1966 to May 1968 as a Paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, 1st Brigade. He first served as an MP...then volunteered for Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (L.R.R.P.).

Although the Vietnam War was controversial, Mike has always felt a deep pride in serving his country. Many brave and honorable men and women have served our country well. People have been injured...and precious lives have been lost.

Mike conceived the idea of ProudVets to help restore pride to all Veterans, especially the Vietnam Veterans who fought in an unpopular war. Regardless of the politics involved in a war, our brave men and women deserve the utmost respect for their courage...and honor...for putting their lives on the line for our great country!

ProudVets deals with the real aspects of military life and war, the weapons, the perilous situations that soldiers often find themselves in, and the personal...inner conflicts that soldiers have to reconcile within. We invite you to join us in supporting all of our Veterans, men and women worldwide...Our Soldiers...who keep our lives Free!

Bill Olivas is a multi-talented and self-taught artist with a deep passion for his artistic creations. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his surroundings included both Native American and Hispanic cultures. His art is reflective of both. Although Bill is skilled in many mediums, he prefers the challenge of working in Conte'. This gives his work a unique and distinctive touch and allows him to reflect the many moods of his subjects.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, around 1790, a French scientist named Nicolas-Jacques Conte' invented a drawing pencil, which was named conte' crayon after him. The manufacturing process used for this pencil is similar to that used in the production of artificial chalk. The conte' crayon is an especially hard pencil made of varying admixtures of graphite and clay in order to produce different degrees of hardness. It is usually made in black, red or brown and is used as a drawing medium in any combination of these colors.