Photo By Jeremy Larlee | Warren Neary (left), Air Force Reserve Command Office of Historical Services Combat...... read more read more
A combat artist returned to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Sept. 12-14, 2026, to unveil a piece of art that was inspired by the base’s mission of returning the fallen.
Warren Neary, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel with the Air Force Reserve Command Office of Historical Services Combat Art and Outreach Section, hosted four showings of the 5-by-8-foot oil painting “A Solemn Promise,” which depicts a scene of 512th Memorial Affairs Squadron reservists participating in a dignified transfer in 2017.
A dignified transfer is the process by which, upon the return from the theater of operations to the United States, the remains of fallen military members are transferred from the aircraft to an awaitingvehicle. The remains are then transferred to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations facility at Dover AFB.The dignified transfer is not a ceremony; rather, it is a solemn movement of the transfer case by a carry team composed of military personnel from the fallen member's respective service.
The artist said he was grateful to have the opportunity to highlight the dignified transfer.
“The painting covers a very important topic of honoring our fallen, and it was a challenging and emotional subject,” he said. “It’s a vital mission that the Air Force Reserve supports.”
The 512th MAS is the only memorial affairs squadron in the Air Force that directly supports the Department of War’s mortuary operations and dignified transfers.
To honor this sacred mission, Neary channeled a lifetime of artistic training into documenting their work. He said he grew up painting and continued to hone his craft, earning an undergraduate and master’s degree in art. He visited Team Dover in 2017 and observed several dignified transfers. He said most media depict the dignified transfer from a side view, and he wanted to use the vantage point of straight-on to show faces and the emotion of the event. He said he spent hours on the flightline taking reference photos and testing different paints to ensure he captured the scene correctly. He estimated the painting required hundreds of hours to complete.
Neary traveled with his painting from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and had showings of the painting at an event in the city of Dover and on Dover AFB. He said he enjoyed seeing people’s reactions to the painting and getting to talk to them.
“Paint is a great format to highlight this mission, because it resonates with a variety of audiences,” he said. “With the lithographs, we’re able to send them home with a personalized piece of history.”
One of the attendees was a former 512th MAS reservist who is portrayed in the painting.
Nick Arndt served in the Air Force Reserve for eight and a half years before separating in 2022. He said he vividly remembers meeting the artist in 2017, and he said his year-long deployment to AFMAO was the highlight of his military career.
“It’s pretty humbling and profound being here today and seeing this,” he said. It’s nice to see a representation of the work I did in a beautiful, large painting that will be hanging somewhere forever.
Even though he has been separated from the military for four years, Arndt still had a lot of old friends to talk to at the show.
“The thing I miss the most is the great people I had an opportunity to work,” he said. “It’s nice to be back here and see some familiar faces.” David Jackson, the 512th Airlift Wing’s process manager, served as the onsite liaison, making it possible for the painting to be on display on and around Dover AFB. He said he was impressed by the painting.
“It’s an amazing awe-inspiring piece of art,” he said. “It’s a somber reminder of the sacrifices of our heroes.”
Jackson also worked closely with Neary to ensure the painting was securely stored in a manner that wouldn’t damage the work of art.
“A lot of people helped make this happen, volunteering their free time to help move the painting around, he said. “I was excited for everyone to have the chance to experience it.”
After four showings and hundreds of signed lithographs, Neary said he really enjoyed his trip to Delaware.
“The team here is awesome, and I really appreciated the opportunity to capture the mission here,” he said.
The next stop for “A Solemn Promise” is to be displayed at a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency location at Joint Base Pearl-Hickam, Hawaii. As a part of the Air Force Art Collection, the painting could be displayed in any number of places in the future.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2026 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 575117 |
| Location: | DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘A Solemn Promise’: Painting features Air Force reservists supporting dignified transfer mission, by Jeremy Larlee, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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