Society of Illustrators visits Air Force Expeditionary Center

Published May 24, 2012
By Mr. Greg Hannon
U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Registrar and Historian

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- "Receiving and looking at a digital photo sent to you electronically today is almost something you do as an afterthought, but there is something timeless and enduring about looking at a painting on canvas," said acclaimed artist Mr. John Witt as he discussed his nearly five decade long involvement with bringing the sacrifice and service of American military members to life on canvas.

Witt led a delegation of six artists from the Society of Illustrators during a visit to the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, May 19.

Mr. Witt is no stranger to the U.S. military. He served as a combat artist starting in 1966 during the Vietnam War, where he came under direct sniper fire on at least two occasions while embedded with U.S. forces. He has personally commissioned over 200 works of art for all branches of the armed forces, including over 50 for the U.S. Air Force alone.

During his tenure as president of the society, the Museum of American Illustration was established in 1981. Today the Society's permanent collection in New York City includes over 2,500 works by such legendary artists as Norman Rockwell, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Rockwell Kent, Bob Peak, Bernie Fuchs and Brad Holland. In recent years, Mr. Witt has traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he has sketched and painted members of the Expeditionary Center and other Air Force personnel who have received training here.

Members of the 421st Combat Training Squadron took time to pose and meet with the delegation for sketches and photographs which will serve as the artists' inspiration for future Air Force art projects. Composition of the new paintings will begin almost immediately, and Mr. Witt plans to have some of the new artwork ready to display this October during the annual Air Force Art showcase attended by the Secretary of the Air Force at the National Museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

The Society of Illustrators began February 1, 1901, with nine artists and one businessman founding the organization with the following credo: "The object of the Society shall be to promote generally the art of illustration and to hold exhibitions from time to time."

For 111 years, the society has held to this simple concept, but their roots in supporting the United States military go much deeper. Charles Dana Gibson, a prominent artist who served for a time as President of the society, was called upon by the U.S. Government during World War I to generate posters to recruit soldiers and generate public support. He enlisted James Montgomery Flagg, N.C. Wyeth and Joseph Pennell; artists who would produce some of the war's most lasting imagery. One of the most famous of these is the "I Want You" poster, commissioned by James Flagg using a modified version of his own face for the likeness of Uncle Sam.

In a time before widespread use of journalistic photography, eight society members were commissioned by the U.S. Army and sent to France to sketch their impressions of the war. Following the armistice of 1918, the artists helped operate the School for Disabled Soldiers. During World War II, the Society's contribution mirrored the intensity of the nation's massive war effort. They participated in morale and recruiting poster campaigns and created illustrations depicting scenes of the war in both Europe and the Pacific. They also participated in a program whereby illustrators visited veterans' hospitals to sketch the wounded. These portraits were then sent on to the subjects' families as morale boosters.

In 1954, as part of the U.S. Air Force Art Program, illustrators were given the opportunity to travel around the world to military facilities and exercises to record these events and donate their works to a grateful nation. Since that time, hundreds of works of art have been produced that immortalize the service of our men and women in uniform.

The USAF Expeditionary Center currently possesses a very large and varied collection of Air Force Art with 80 pieces. The newly commissioned works will go on display at various venues throughout the country, and some of them will make their way back to the Expeditionary Center to be displayed here as their permanent "home." Mr. Witt has painted several of the artworks that are now in the EC collection, including the large work titled "Airpower from the Ground Up" that is currently on display at the entrance to the Center. John Witt also recently completed a new painting depicting Staff Sgts. Peterkins and Miller of the 421st CTS who posed for sketches last November.

The six artists were able to photograph and sketch members of the EC participating in demonstrations showcasing their skills and training. These included a Military Working Dog presentation hosted by Master Sgt. William Gaskins accompanied by his dog "Jumpy." Other 421st CTS participants put on a textbook exposition of the unique training the Expeditionary Center offers. While wearing full combat gear, the members posed next to a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle and demonstrated life saving techniques and perimeter defense. Participants included Staff Sgt. Brandon Koehne, Staff Sgt. Maurice Johnson, Staff Sgt. Quentin Humphries, Master Sgt. Keiph Tartaglia, Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Cadogan, Tech. Sgt. Lallchan Seunarine and Tech Sgt. Stephen Smith. Co-organizer of the event was Tech. Sgt. Erica Boylen, whose tireless efforts were not lost on the contingent of illustrators.

A finale to the day's agenda was marked by a hand-to-hand combat demonstration in the Expeditionary Center's "Redman" room and a tour of the EC armory. The artists were also able to fly on a KC-10 the following Sunday, courtesy of the 514th Air Mobility Wing of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Throughout their visit, the team sketched, photographed, and drew inspiration from the Airman to serve as the basis for future paintings that today only exist within the mind of the artists. Soon, however, that inspiration will be combined with canvas, acrylics and watercolor to become framed artworks that will live on long after the members' assignments, deployments, careers and retirements.

For more information, please contact the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center public affairs office at (609) 754-7013.