Photo By Capt. Richard Ybarra | Spc. Andrea Chapel of 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st...... read more read more
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By 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FOB WARHORSE, Iraq - Like most Soldiers in Iraq, Spc. Andrea Chapel has more than one job. However, her latest assignment is a large undertaking, involving more than 100 tons of concrete, 250 gallons of paint and seemingly endless hours of dedication.
Chapel, the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare NCO for Echo Company, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division is painting a mural for a new miniature golf course located at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, just north of Baqouba, Iraq.
3rd BCT, 1st Cav. Command Sgt. Maj Donald Felt commissioned the project. "The t-walls make the area look bleak," said Felt, "I wanted an area where the Soldier's could get away and escape."
"Sgt. Maj. Felt said he wanted the Soldiers to feel like they were back home, give them a little taste of back home, so I worked with it," said Chapel, her hands stained green from long hours of working on the project. "I am from the Northwest, I grew up in Spokane, Washington, where it looks a lot like this."
As Iraqi Security Forces and their Coalition partners have significantly improved security in Baqouba, the benefits have extended not only to local citizens but CF stationed at FOB Warhorse. The miniature golf course is adjacent to a new food court that features a Pizza Hut and a Green Bean Café coffee house, in addition to a tailor, gift shop, barber shop, MWR facility and of course, the ever-present PX.
The mural, which is over 100-feet long and 10-feet tall, is painted on t-barriers which encompass the north end of the food court. It features Tiger Woods teeing off into a valley fairway surrounded by pine trees. Additionally, full-length portraits of employees of each respective shop are painted below signs designating the shop's location.
Luckily, Chapel is not at work on this alone. She has an able assistant in Pvt. Stuart Middleton of Long Island, N.Y., who has assisted her by filling in backgrounds and mixing paint.
Chapel, on her third deployment to Iraq, having previously served during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and III, stated that she does not have any formal training in art.
"It is just something that I have always liked to do," she said.
This mural is the fourth she has done on her combined tours.
"In 2003, I painted our battalion crest over Saddam's face, I got a lot of cheering for that," Chapel stated, unsuccessfully attempting to conceal a grin.
Not deterred by the long hours involved in the supreme-sized artwork, Chapel stated, "I am glad to do it, because I think it is going to cheer this place up a little bit."
She is not the only person who thinks so either. Multi-national Corps Iraq Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola, by chance, crossed paths with Chapel while she was painting the mural. He complimented her on her work and presented her with a MNC-I coin for working to improve the morale of the troops.
Chapel in turn, gave the coin to Middleton in thanks for his help. "I told him he better put that one in shadow box," Chapel said.
"That is something a staff sergeant or sergeant first class would do for one of their own Soldiers, for a specialist to do that is very hooah," said Felt. "That is selfless service."
As good leaders have been known to do, Felt went one better by presenting Chapel with a brigade coin, telling her with a smile, "I appreciate why you did what you did, but keep this one, it's the last one I have."
| Date Taken: | 11.02.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 11.02.2007 15:03 |
| Story ID: | 13588 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 529 |
| Downloads: | 454 |
This work, 215th BSB Soldier mixes paint with selfless service, by CPT Richard Ybarra, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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