The Art of Soldiering

“Bombing of the Abbey,” Cassino, Italy, Capt. Edward Reep, 1944, Watercolor on paper, 17.5 x 22.25 in., U.S. Army Center of Military History -World War II Soldier-artist Edward Reep witnessed the bombing of Monte Cassino Abbey, one of the most significant cultural losses of World War II. Reep was very concerned with documenting this historic event, so much so that he initially set up too close to the bombing and had to relocate to a safer location.

“Bataan Death March,” Philippines, Pfc. Clayton M. Rollins, ca. 1942, Carved wood, 10.5 x 11.25 in., U.S. Army Center of Military History -Clayton M. Rollins was an artist, Soldier, and survivor of the Bataan Death March. Rollins was taken prisoner at the battle of Corregidor and subjected to the march in April 1942. He escaped during the march and hid with Filipino guerilla fighters near Manila.

“An Artillery Train,” France, Kerr Eby, 1919, Etching on paper, 9.25 x 18.375 in., U.S. Army Center of Military History -Kerr Eby was a Soldier in the 40th Engineers, Artillery Brigade, Camouflage Division, during World War I and he created etchings based on his experiences. This piece has a symbolic meaning as the artillery train marches resolutely from a clear sky in the background toward a dark sky and muddy road in the foreground.

“Cruising the Panama Canal (Chinook),” Operation Just Cause, Al Sprague, 1990, Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in., U.S. Army Center of Military History -As a volunteer civilian artist, Al Sprague (b. 1948) spent twelve days in Panama documenting Operation Just Cause in 1989. Of this painting depicting the view out of the back of a Chinook, he said, “The troops picked me up at Albrook Air Force Base on the Pacific side of the Isthmus, and we flew to Fort Gulick on the Atlantic side so that they could show me some of the battle sites. They used the Panama Canal as their route, patrolling the waters below.”

“We Leave the Trenches,” War with Spain, Pvt. Charles Johnson Post, 1936, Watercolor on paper, 21.75 x 16.5 in., U.S. Army Center of Military History -Post was a Soldier in the 71st New York Infantry in the Spanish-American War, although he did not execute this drawing until many years later. His portrayal of bedraggled Soldiers, sick from tropical diseases, is a striking example of the challenges Soldiers face from the environment around them.

“Fallujah,” Fallujah, Iraq, Sfc. Elzie Golden, 2005, Watercolor on paper, 22.25 x 29.875 in., U.S. Army Center of Military History -Elzie Golden (b. 1953) was a member of an Army Artist team in 1990 and later served as Artist-in-Residence from 2002 to 2005. His painting of a 3d Infantry Soldier sleeping in living quarters on the outskirts of Fallujah recalls similar paintings throughout the Army’s history.