Preserving a Piece of American History Abroad (PDF)
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Harbor News LIVING [email protected] Thursday, May 12, 2011 The kids who are over there, it’s another generation. It’s not ‘Kilroay Was Here’ or Betty Boop or Popeye on the planes; this is what they have in their life, their experience of it. Images from The T-Walls of Kuwait and Iraq photographing the artwork, but he By Meredith Crawford Preserving a Piece of Living Editor now feels The T-Walls “is a way to s soon as George Hauer honor and preserve the memory of saw the email, he knew he the effort that these [service]men was looking at something and-women undertook.” invaluable. The message, It’s also a way to introduce the public to a lesser-known aspect of from Col. Dr. Gerard th American History Curran,A commander of the 118 military life abroad. Multifunctional Medical Battalion, “I’ll bet you 99 percent of the Connecticut Army National Guard, ABROAD American public has no idea these contained images of powerful art- walls exist,” says Hauer. “[The work. But these weren’t paintings T-Walls] is a historical document in a museum and they weren’t the first and foremost. It’s a record of efforts of professional artists. These our time there, whether people meticulously crafted designs were were in favor of going there or not... hand-painted by enlisted soldiers. It is a statement by the American Their canvas? T-walls, the very kids under incredible duress. It’s a barriers that were introduced in sense of loss of comrades. It’s part of 2004 and 2005 to shield soldiers the maturation process—the real- from rockets, mortar, and shrapnel ization of what life is really about, in Kuwait and Iraq. [that] no matter who you are...it In addition to the impressive could be over in a flash...Yet, they nature of this folk art, Hauer was have pride in what they do and the moved by another striking fact to underlying pride factor is they’re capture a sampling of these pieces proud that they’re Americans.” in the book The T-Walls of Kuwait Ball emphasizes that the T-walls and Iraq (edited by Hauer with are inseparable from the land- Robin Whitney; forward by folk scapes they punctuate. artist Warren Kimble): The T-walls “The T-walls cannot be taken out are steadily disappearing. of the context of a war zone, with “These walls are not coming staring back at them, so they’re One such person was James Ball, were supplied by Col. Stephen P. incoming mortar and rocket attacks back,” says Hauer. “By early 2013, painting them over and what they a civilian Red Cross worker. Ball Jones, Lt. Col. Michael Davis, Lt. weekly, loud and impressive F-16 they aren’t going to be there....Some don’t paint over, they’re going to estimates he took about one-third Col. Norman Fox, Major Anthony jets taking off at all hours of the day of them got damaged [just recently] blow up for gravel.” of the photographs that appear in Beatman, and Specialist Jeffrey and night, camaraderie at the base during a suicide bomb[ing]” and After learning from Curran that The T-Walls and has another 400 in Smith. Using photographs from cafeterias, standing at attention at the walls are constantly exposed several thousand existing T-walls his possession. multiple sources allowed for a more the beginning of every movie shown to the deteriorating effects of were facing destruction, “I thought, Ball says he had been think- comprehensive documentation of at the base theater for the playing “130-plus-degree bleaching sun- ‘They can’t be lost—this is fantastic ing about putting together his the region’s T-wall artwork, which of the National Anthem, and not light, sandstorms, and mortar. art,’” says Hauer. own book when Curran told him includes coalition forces’ renderings least the helicopters coming in As we leave, the Iraqis are taking Luckily, others felt the same way about the project with Hauer. Ball as well as U.S. soldiers’. with wounded soldiers to the base their bases back and the last thing and some had already begun to doc- readily agreed to contribute his Ball admits he “wasn’t think- See PRESERVING A PIECE they want to do is see these images ument the walls photographically. photographs to the effort. Others ing of the public” when he was page 77 Preserving a Piece of theonBig Screen American History Abroad Continued from page 76 (director or co-director of the violence, language, and some Continued from page 41 remade as a tortoise) among the Ice Age movies) and his team. teen drinking). fine voice cast. 1 hr. 45 min. PG Stuff doesn’t come flinging at (crude humor, language, action, you in cheeky, knowing fashion, Season of the Witch H and smoking). but in the flying sequences and So here’s the gimmick: This especially the chase scenes, the th H takes place during the 14 cen- Red Riding Hood ½ 3-D provides an extra thrill, an tury, but everyone speaks in This aims not for little girls added layer of immersive oomph. contemporary language, which who want to hear a fairy tale Blu, a cerulean macaw who’s the might have been acceptable if the before they go to sleep at night, film’s reluctant hero, hang-glides dialogue were clever or intelli- but rather for teenage girls who around the mountaintop Christ gent or funny or, you know, good. want a soapy melodrama full of the Redeemer statue and the Instead, Nicolas Cage and Ron angst and hair product—with depth of field that results is sort Perlman are the knights who say... some supernatural flourishes of awesome. The whole film has a nothing of any particular note in thrown in. Does that sound tremendous energy about it, not a supernatural action thriller vaguely familiar to you? It should. just in the way it moves, but in that’s never actually thrilling. Red Riding Hood suggests what the snappy banter and screwball You expect this kind of schlock it might look like if the kids from antics between Jesse Eisenberg, hospital. It is all one mosaic, with in January, but Season of the For the Benefit of Wounded Twilight got dressed up and went who voices the character of Blu, T-walls representing one impres- Witch isn’t even bad in an enjoy- to the Renaissance Faire. And and Anne Hathaway, who voices sive part of the puzzle.” Servicemen and -Women able way. The scenery is drab, that is not a good thing. Catherine the free-spirited bird Jewel. Of the T-wall artwork he One hundred percent of pro- the battles are interchangeable, Hardwicke, who directed the first Eisenberg works his patented observed during his two tours, ceeds from sales of The T-Walls of and no one seems particularly movie, is working from halting, neurotic delivery to ideal Curran identifies four distinct Kuwait and Iraq go to Operation: Twilight interested in being here. At the a script by writer David comic effect, while Hathaway is types. Music Aid, a Madison-based non- Orphan same time, Dominic Sena (who confident, bold, and impatient as “Some were done as a unit was profit organization founded by Leslie Johnson, which takes this previously directed Cage in Gone the female of the species who is arriving and had time on their George Hauer and Clark Knice- classic story and turns it into a in Sixty Seconds) never flat-out his destiny. Leslie Mann, George hands and they would be doing it ley that supplies guitars and medieval love triangle. Valerie goes for it in a schlocky, B-horror Lopez, and will.i.am are among to bolster their own self-esteem; keyboards to wounded military (Amanda Seyfried) would rather kind of way. What we’re left the voice cast. 1 hr. 36 min. G. they were kind of being macho. personnel who are in military hos- be with the bad boy she loves with is just bloated, boring, and There were others that were just pitals for extended care. For more than the good guy she’s been utterly forgettable. Cage isn’t Scream 4 HH½ put up in front of their buildings. information about the initiative, arranged to marry. She knows even in full-on, wheels-off mode There were memorials to...the loss visit www.operationmusicaid.org. that Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), a Ghostface’s 11-year layoff here, sadly. Instead, he delivers of their friends and, sometimes In addition, any non-political hunky woodcutter, is wrong for hasn’t made this horror-comedy his lines in a dreary monotone. when people were leaving, they school, church, or civic group can her, but she longs to run away franchise any fresher. But with After killing untold numbers of would memorialize the things market the book and receive $5 with him, rather than live a safe, a decent beginning, a mushy men in the name of God during they had done.” per book sold. comfortable life with Henry (Max midsection, and a killer ending, the Crusades, Cage’s character, What unites the walls, Curran For more information and to Irons), a hunky blacksmith. They the latest installment at least Behmen, and his wisecracking says, is that they “reflect the feelings purchase the book, call Hauer all live in a tiny village on the isn’t any staler. Honestly, it’s not sidekick, Felson, decide to pack it and emotions of just regular people at 203-318-5007; visit Madison edge of a dark, dangerous forest, an unwelcome thing to watch the in.