Artist honors Air Force medical field with 20-foot mural

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kimberly Spencer
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
SAN ANTONIO (AFNEWS) --  A mural, which pays tribute to the Air Force's medical readiness mission, from entering the military here at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to an actual deployment, was unveiled in a ceremony held here at the 59th Medical Wing.

"The mural is dedicated to every deploying Air Force medical member, officer and enlisted, past and present, while always reminding us of the family members we leave behind," said master of ceremony Master Sgt. John Melnick, the NCO in charge of the 59th Medical Wing's Medical Unit Readiness Training.

Guests included Brig. Gen. David Young, 59th MDW commander, 59th MDW Command Chief Master Sgt. Richard Hollins and retired Maj. Ron Little.

Mural artist Jacob Galey attended the Michigan School of Art and Design and now works for the San Antonio Museum of Art. His wife Capt. Lisa Mull is a psychology resident with the 59th Medical Operations Squadron.

"I was inspired to do this project by the opportunity to honor the efforts of those in the medical field," Mr. Galey said. "My mother worked as a registered nurse while I was growing up, and I've always admired the work and care that people in the medical field provide. That now includes my wife also."

Mr. Galey submitted a drawing in the mural competition held here at the wing, and won. He worked from January to March, with the entire project taking 180 hours to complete.

The mural was unveiled at Camp Rissington, covering a 20-foot span across one wall of the MURT classroom. Readiness personnel, who had been considering locations for a mural, opted for the MURT site, taking advantage of necessary downtime for renovations.

The funding for the mural was donated by Mr. Little, who is the 59th MDW Readiness Division chief.

"The mural is a wonderful representative of what our people do every day," Mr. Little said. "It honors past, present and future medical personnel, as well as their dedication and sacrifice."

The mural, in the shape of an eagle with wings spread, shows medical members in various stages of service, from entering the Air Force, through a range of diagnostic and patient care stages, to caring for wounded warriors in an austere location. In the center of the mural are representations of the enlisted and officer medical corps members saluting.

Chief Hollins and Captain Mull were surprised to learn that their photos had been used by Mr. Galey while painting the representatives of the medical corps.

"It is a privilege to represent the dedicated enlisted men and women, past and present, of the 59th MDW," Chief Hollins said. "I'm honored."

Mr. Galey, who prefers to work on portraits with a photo reference, also needed something to help with placement of uniform items, he said.

"Sergeant Melnick had provided a photo of Chief Hollins to me as a reference for the enlisted uniform items," said Mr. Galey. "I felt Chief Hollins was an excellent representative of all the enlisted medical corps stands for and decided to also use his facial features in the mural. Of course, it was an easy choice to use my wife for the officer medical corps likeness. She truly represents all that the corps stands for."

Attendees lauded the talents of Mr. Galey, not only for the quality of his work, but for his powerful depiction and attention to detail.

"The work of art far surpassed even my wildest expectations," Sergeant Melnick said.

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