We celebrate July 4, 1776, as Independence Day. A day of hope of a new nation. Hope comes in many forms. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet says:

“But those who hope in the Lord

Will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

They will run and not grow weary,

They will walk and not be faint.”

In May 1972 hope arrived at the “Hanoi Hilton” POW prison in the middle of Hanoi, Vietnam. You could say that a soaring Phantom F4 jet was like eagles’ wings to Lieutenant Colonel Gene Smith and all of those who had spent more than 5 years in the prison. When two planes flew over the prison at low altitude and then returned for a second flyover, the prisoners no longer had any doubt America had not forgotten. They had to survive several more months before being released, but hope indeed renewed their strength.

More than a year ago, I began having conversations with one of my collectors, John Pearson and his son Brian, about doing a special painting trying to interpret that moment. I was moved by the story and thus began the journey that led us to debut the final painting on July 4. Seems totally appropriate.

My prior blogs give you the backdrop for the story and at least a good piece of the process from the original idea to finished work. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to present my essentially final piece to Retired Lt. Col. Gene Smith, the POW, and Retired Lt. Colonel John Chancellor, the pilot of the F4 and to John and Brian Pearson, John Chancellor Jr. and a number of other men. For me, it was an incredible evening presenting the painting, listening to these men retell the story of that day in May 1972 and how they felt, and a precious moment at the end of the evening when I captured this photo of Lt. Col. Gene Smith with his hand on the shoulder of Lt. Col John Chancellor. From my vantage point I could not hear what he said, but I later learned Lt. Col. Smith was telling Lt. Col. Chancellor his fly over changed his life forever. Folks, that is what hope does. It makes life better.

Here is the presentation of the ALMOST final piece. I had Lt. Cols. Smith and Chancellor and John and Brian Pearson sign the back of the painting, which will always document this night.

The Final Piece

Like no other painting I have done, this one is entirely about the story. Everything was done with that purpose in mind. It was never intended to be the best landscape painting I ever did nor to even give you a sense of exactly what Hanoi looked like on that day in May, 1972. The “Hanoi Hilton” was actually right in the middle of Hanoi surrounded by buildings of all kinds, but I chose to leave many of them out because all the photos I could find showed the trees were dense even in the city and because I did not want the viewer distracted from the “star of the show.”

The focal point was created by design. Note the tip of the bottom wing of the F4 points directly to the window where Lt. Col. Smith and 59 other prisoners were housed. The bright yellows and oranges at the back of the plane indicate Lt. Col. Chancellor had turned on the afterburners of the F4 to propel him quickly away from shots being fired at him, and because he knew it would shake the buildings on the ground so there was no question by the prisoners what was happening.

If you look closely at the almost finished painting and the final piece, you will see the final adjustments I made when I returned to my studio.

What Happens From Here?

The painting is being scanned at a very high resolution so that prints can be made available. The team has not yet decided what they will do with the original -- auction, hang in a government office, etc. They are also deciding how any proceeds from the sale of the original and prints will be used to help veterans. An online storefront will be set up to facilitate ordering prints and/or frames. This will take some time, but if you are interested in information please click the this link and provide your name and email. This ensures that you will be notified first.

Final Thoughts

It has been a true honor for me to have been asked to do this painting, but more importantly, the real honor was to get to know these special veterans. I stand in awe of their bravery. Thank you, Lt. Col. Smith, Lt. Col. Chancellor, and all of you who have served our country in all branches of the armed forces.