SUBJECTS > WAR > WWII > The Heart, Mind and Soul of an Arctic Warrior
Title:
The Heart, Mind and Soul of an Arctic Warrior
Artists:
Ben Bensen
Categories:
AIRCRAFT >> FIGHTERS >> F-22
SUBJECTS >> WAR >> WWII
Catalog Number:
2010.168
Location:
BLDG 5546 ROOM 145 WELCH CR
Description:
This is the painting I have started that represents all that my visit to Elmendorf AFB entails. In a way, it is the culmination of our trip, that is, to take the information and p ics of the 477th Fighter group and depict what the Air Reserve Unit at the base is all about.
The painting depicts the old WWII world of the 302nd and the 477th on the left and the new, high tech world of today's warrior. A laser beam runs from the heart of the airmen to the black bomber crew of the Tuskegee group. Included with the six crew members are the five aircraft the group used for training and battle. The large red empennage represents the squadron's painted red tail so the American bomber crews would recognize them as "little friends" in their -51 fighters. In front of the red tail is an angel's wing with a white glow that surrounds the wing, the pilot and the totem pole wing of Elmendorf. I am hoping this will read as the soul of the warrior.
To the right of the pilot, is a greenish yellow laser beam running from the top of the helmet, housing the human and eskimo eagle head, through and around the totem pole wing, the F-22 empennage with the new squad numbers down and across to the mountainous background of Elmendorf's main runway. The beam stops and sort of surrounds the aircraft as it takes off, representing the mind, human and computerized, needed to perform the task of defending our nation's interest.