(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

(©Stars and Stripes)

When Shel Silverstein died in 1999, he left behind a lasting legacy as a writer of children's books and hit songs, and much more.

But before he earned his place in popular culture, he made his mark on the U.S. Army as a cartoonist for Pacific Stars and Stripes staff.

"For a guy of my age and with my limited experience to suddenly have to turn out cartoons on a day-to-day deadline deadline, the job was enormous,'' Silverstein recalled in a 1969 interview. "It was a great opportunity for me and I blossomed.''

Here are some of those cartoons.