Capturing a Moment in History
A Very Special Commission
The Story
On October 27, 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Gene Smith was flying a mission over Hanoi, Vietnam when his plane was shot down. He ejected his seat, opened his parachute, threw away his revolver and smoked a cigarette on his way to the ground. When he hit the ground, he was shot in the leg and captured by the North Vietnamese. After a week of interrogation, he was tossed into a cell, and thus began a five and one-half year stay as a prisoner of war in Hoa Lo Prison, which became known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” Many pilots and other POWs were in Hanoi Hilton at the same time. Perhaps one of its best-known prisoners was John McCain, who was shot down the same month as Lt. Col. Smith. Gene Smith, John McCain and all the other POWs endured many years in circumstances hard to imagine. Over the years, they were told no one cared about them and America had forgotten them and other things to undermine their resolve to survive. But the North Vietnamese greatly underestimated these heroes. Time became essentially irrelevant as the goal was to survive day-to-day.
Something very special happened in May of 1972 that would provide the hope these men needed to keep going until their release. America had not forgotten them and especially other pilots who were aware of the plight of these men. One sunny day in May, a pilot and his wingman flying F-4 Phantom Jets “thought it would be a good idea” to break off from their group and “buzz” (fly a few hundred feet above the ground at very high speed) the Hanoi Hilton to send a signal to the POWs that America had not forgotten them. They were flying reconnaissance planes with no serious weapons. The lead pilot was Lieutenant Colonel John Chancellor. They made one pass over the prison and received enemy fire. They made a turn and returned for another pass. This time Lt. Col. Chancellor thought it would be cool for him to fly over the prison inverted. He then turned on his afterburners which catapulted them out of the area at very high speed and also produced sound and reverberation that was unmistakable to the prisoners and felt by everyone.
Fast forward to a dinner in Mississippi in 1986. Both Lt. Col. Gene Smith and Lt. Col. John Chancellor happened to be at the same dinner, but had never met or even knew one was a POW and the other was one of the pilots who buzzed the Hanoi Hilton. By the time the evening was over, they knew and let’s just say that “thank you’s”, embraces and celebration flowed!
The Commission
A couple of months ago, John Pearson, a former co-worker and a recipient of one of my art commissions many years ago, contacted me and asked if I would consider a very special painting commission. He asked if I would be willing to work with him, his son, Lt. Col. Smith and Lt. Col. Chancellor to find a way to capture that very special, but little-known moment in history when Lt. Col. Chancellor and his wingman buzzed the Hanoi Hilton. Their goal was to create an original painting to hang somewhere in a special government office and to sell prints with all proceeds going to support veterans. Tell me who could say no to John’s request! I consider it a deep honor to use my gifts to thank and honor all the men and women who have served our country and make it possible every day for me to be free.
The Process
To date, I have produced several sketches for the team to review to establish the size of the painting and the specific composition to capture what the prisoners and the two pilots may have seen on that day in May. I have sent the team a full-size rough sketch/color study to review and make final compositional decisions. When all are agreed on composition, then I will begin the actual painting. I will be sharing “phases” of the progress with the team for review and comment.
The next couple of editions of this newsletter will at least include progress reports and other important bits about what is next.
Special Request
Because of the important work of honoring our veterans, please share a link to this blog with anyone and everyone you think may be interested. They will be given the opportunity to signup to receive these blog updates or my full communications about this and other artwork.