CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan – After giving up hours, days and even months of free time painting a mural on the wall of the Camp Phoenix gym, artist Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Williams and many others stationed here gathered to take part in a dedication ceremony on Dec. 1 for his painting called “Freedom Over Tyranny.”
As counterinsurgency continues to be the mission for troops serving throughout the country, Williams, a member of the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Dakota Army National Guard, decided to paint a mural that would symbolize the relationship between U.S., coalition and Afghan forces serving together in order to help the Afghan people.
“We use this mural as a reminder for what we are here for now, that we are helping the Afghans build up their country again and partner not only with coalition forces, but the people of Afghanistan,” said Vice Adm.Robert Harward, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 commander, during the ceremony.
“The world will soon see that this collective effort that we’ve all done together is going to rid this country of the tyranny that it’s been under and the war that is has suffered for years,” added Brig. Gen. Ted Johnson, 196th commander. “You will see as we unveil this, we stand shoulder to shoulder for freedom over tyranny so this great country can move on with its history.”
Williams, who studied art in San Francisco, said he was heavily influenced by the great American illustrator, Norman Rockwell to come up with the idea of the drawing.
“His ‘Four Freedoms’ paintings from 1943 really inspired me and I think it wasn’t until we were in a conflict of our own that the Four Freedoms really spoke to me,” said Williams, of Moorhead, Minn. “Given our fight along the side of our Afghan and coalition counterparts, it only seemed natural that this idea of ‘Freedom over Tyranny’ applied so well here.”
“In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt made a speech before congress before going to war talking about the four pillars of freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of fear and freedom of want,” said Harward. “Today, in that same spirit, we salute Sgt. 1st Class Williams for his motivation and inspiration.”
Using his artistic abilities, Williams, who has been painting since he was 14, now 32, used four soldiers to model for the painting, which represents the Bulgarian, American, French and Afghan forces, who were also there for the ceremony.
“It’s been an honor to be able to help Sgt. 1st Class Williams in his endeavor to communicate the ideals that the coalition forces bring to Afghanistan,” said Sgt. Matthew Wells, 196th soldier who helped pose for the mural.
“This idea is why we are here, it is why we stand together,” added Williams. “Even though the struggle for freedom is a more difficult path, it is unquestionably the difficult path worth fighting for.”
| Date Taken: | 12.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.03.2010 05:02 |
| Story ID: | 61264 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, SD Soldier paints mural representing “Freedom Over Tyranny”, by 2LT Rebecca Linder, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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