BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Barrier art. It's everywhere at Balad Air Base. It's an outward expression of unit pride and esprit de corps, and it may just be the 21st century equivalent of World War II aircraft nose art. Nearly every unit on base has some form of barrier art, but it wasn't until recently that the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group had an artistic expression of its mission and its values.
When Col. Don Taylor, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group commander, decided the medical group needed its own distinctive artwork, he wanted it to be big and he wanted to do it right. The mural, located at the entrance of the Air Force Theater Hospital, is rich with symbolism and pays homage to the famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.
“When people see this barrier art, we want them to know they've arrived at the Air Force Theater Hospital,” he said.
The mural is an aerial rendition of Balad Air Base and the surrounding area. Most of the colors used in the mural were specially mixed to produce tones that are reflective of the Balad environment, the colonel said.
The two most prominent elements of the artwork are a giant red cross and a P-51 Mustang with a red tail. The cross is three-dimensional and is painted blood red to symbolize the medical mission. The tie to the Tuskegee Airmen is derived from their serving in the 332nd Flying Group during World War II.
The P-51 Mustang is based on a Stan Stokes painting of a P-51 flying over a Czech airfield on an August 1944 mission. The plane, flown by Tuskegee Airman 1st Lt. Charles McGee, was named “Kitten,” his wife's nickname.
“It was important to incorporate the Tuskegee heritage into the art,” Colonel Taylor said. “It was also important to reflect our dominance of the skies and the protection we have from the air that enables us to execute our mission on the ground.”
The mural also features helicopters flying over the airfield to symbolize the important role of the medevac units that bring wounded servicemembers to the hospital every day. Colonel Taylor put all of these elements against a brilliant Balad sunset, the closest thing to serenity here at a base that is mortared almost daily.
For Colonel Taylor, the mural was more than just a chance to leave a legacy that past, present and future medics at Balad could be proud of. Painting it was a chance to break away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital for an hour or two at a time and recharge his batteries.
“It was the first painting I've done in 12 years, and it was therapeutic for me,” said the colonel, a medical architect and healthcare administrator by trade. “It was my escape.”
He also found that members of the medical group would stop to ask him about the mural and talk to him about how things were going, conversations that may never have happened if he were hard at work in his office.
All told, the mural took more than a month to complete. While Colonel Taylor designed it and did much of the painting, Staff Sgt. Heriberto Garcia, Capt. Carole Hnatovic, Senior Airman Darenda Santillo and Lt. Col. Ray Farrell assisted with painting of the background and other tasks.