Photo By Master Sgt. Duff E. Mcfadden | Applying the traditional Spartan red, white, and blue pigment to a T-wall with...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Whether it's an M-4 rifle, night vision goggles, or even a pair of combat boots, deploying U.S. forces must be familiar with all the equipment needed to successfully complete their mission.
However, one Burke, Va., native has found himself as much at home in Iraq with brushes and paint, as he does in a M-109A6 Paladin armored vehicle.
Pfc. Charles "Matt" Gildon, 20, a fire support specialist with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd "Spartan" Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, is currently deployed to Mosul, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
When his unit arrived in Kuwait for their final stage of mission training, their first sergeant asked for Soldiers who could draw. After being "volunteered," he embellished a T-wall barrier with the brigade crest representing the unit at Camp Buehring, Kuwait.
Since then, his Mosul artwork has included the 2nd HBCT logos on the T-wall just outside the entrance to the Tactical Operations Center, the Spartan mural in Conference Room #1 and the Rock of the Marne monument located in the TOC compound.
According to Pfc. Gildon, it took him and graphic artist Spc. Gregory Gieske, HHC, 2HBCT, 3rd ID, four- to five-days to complete the Spartan mural in the Brigade Conference Room #1.
"Originally, they gave us the main part they wanted drawn. They told us to fill in the excess areas with something. Gieske went through his computer and found some images and we filled it up," he said.
According to Gieske, a 28-year old Sioux Falls, S.D., native, since the Brigade was known as the "Spartans," Frank Miller's "300" graphic novel images immediately came to mind.
"As we worked on the large wall mural, Pfc. Gildon displayed a lot of passion and I could see the results, from start to finish, of the progress he was making as an artist. Showing him the different types of brushes and how to correctly use them was just one area he grew in.
"I've seen the other murals he's painted since then and he continues to impress me with his willingness to learn," Gieske said.
His latest project was the Rock of the Marne monument located in the center of the TOC compound, representing all the military conflicts the 2HBCT has taken part in.
"The rock is a monument which everyone sees every day as they go to work," said Pfc Gildon. "It's something I take pride in.
"I just put my head phones on and let my mind go blank as I draw. If I get more worried about screwing something up, then I'm more likely to get nervous and screw something up. So I like to be good and relaxed as I work," he said.
Whether he's listening to rock or heavy metal, the Rolling Stones or Slayer, once he begins the painting process, he's very deliberate.
"I'll take the initial design and then measure everything out. I'll detail it in a rough sketch using a pencil to make sure it all fits. Once I know it fits, I'll write down the measurements and then go for it.
"I wish I had a head full of ideas," he said. "If someone gives me something they want done, it'll turn out pretty good. Unless it's something related to work or the military, I can't think of anything specific I'd draw."
It was while serving as an office mechanic for a civilian firm where Pfc. Gildon gained painting experience. He said one of the ladies taught him how to do edging, which is applying detail with a brush, and cutting, which is trying to make lines as straight as possible.
A 2007 graduate of Woodson High School in Fairfax, Va., he joined the Army in August 2008. He established his work ethic at the age of 14 while working for his father's construction firm. After working as a mechanic, waiter, bus boy and shelf stocker, he sought out the military because he didn't want a job "just sitting behind a desk."
Gildon recently re-enlisted for another six years and plans to retire after 20 years of service. Upon his return to the States, he wants to become an Explosive Ordinance Disposal specialist and upon retirement, looks to become a teacher.
He's currently engaged and looks forward to his pending marriage following this deployment. His fiancée, a Temecula, Calif., resident, is studying to become a registered nurse at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga.
"We're trying to save up enough money to have kids. There are a lot of ups and downs with having kids in the military. At least one of the parents is deployed and spends lots of time away from home. But by being in the military, its' also more likely for the kids to be better disciplined and to gain more experiences," he said.
A self-professed adrenaline junkie and master scuba diver, Pfc Gildon said "I'll do anything I can to get the adrenaline flowing – whether it's skateboarding, snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, or even paint ball."
In the meantime, he'll be ready if another opportunity to paint arises.
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2010 07:56 |
| Story ID: | 50157 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, IQ |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 163 |
This work, Portrait of an artist as a young Soldier, by MSG Duff E. Mcfadden, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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