Transcript Here - George L.Skypeck

GEORGE L.SKYPECK®©
• Combat Wounded
Vietnam Veteran &
Artist…
• Creator of the famous
poem “Soldier”…
• Creator of the Coors
Combat Art Collection of
over 50 original large
paintings in locations
around the world…The
“Defenders of Freedom”
book of his art, and the
Coors Veterans Memorial
Scholarship Fund..
“Wounded..A Personal Memory” 3 April,1968 “Crossroads” Battle
Artist with paintings on loan for display at Arlington National
Cemetery’s Visitors Center since 2001.
BIOGRAPHY
• Born in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, 1945 to
Polish-Lithuanian-Czech
heritage..
• Long family heritage of
military service to
America..WW2, Vietnam,
present day..
• While working on I-91
found 80 million year old
dinosaur tracks and led the
state team to save them..
“Patriots’ Pride..The Purple Heart” 24”sq.,acrylic
on wood panel
Artist invited to read his poem “Soldier” at Veterans Day ceremonies
at Arlington National Cemetery with President Reagan.
BIOGRAPHY
• Education
– Attended the University of
Massachusetts,Amherst 196365. Left to join Army as
helicopter crew-chief and
gunner..Twice Honor
Graduate..Sent to Artillery
O.C.S.,graduated in October
1966, assigned to Special
Forces Ft.Bragg, NC, John
F.Kennedy center for Special
Warfare.
– Trained in Vietnamese and
assigned as a “Special
Warfare Advisor” to
MACV(Ben-Tre 1967-68) and
Soc-Trang(70-71).
Artist and Actor & Senator Fred Thompson in Washington
BIOGRAPHY
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Received BA(Politics) degree from University of Massachusetts at Boston
Received MPA degree from University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Advanced graduate study at M.I.T. in Arms Control & Defense Planning
Attended and had studio at the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington
Program advisor to the UMASS Boston Student Veterans Union
Creator of COMVETS, association of Combat Veterans
Designed veteran presentation to VA medical hospital staff about Vietnam War
experiences by their patients
With the DAV , allowed his personal combat art sketches to be used by the DAV
and the Cleveland State University Post Vietnam Syndrome (now P.T.S.D.) Project
to define Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of Vietnam and other combat veterans
suffering from stress for recognition in the DSM III manual.
Author of “:Thunder and Lights:A Vietnam Commemorative”; “Ghosts of a
Forgotten Era: The Combat Art of George L.Skypeck”; and “Defenders of
Freedom” a Coors published book of his paintings for this company with all
proceeds going to the USO.
BIOGRAPHY
• Served as Province Senior
Intelligence Advisor(Vietnam
1970-71) Commanded the 50
defenders of the Ben-Tre MACV
compound during the famous Tet
1968 Battle against the attacking
5 battalions of Main Force Viet
Cong where the quote “We had
to destroy the town to save it!”
was coined. Saved outpost by
painting a large U.S. flag on tin
roof of outpost for air strike
identification.
“30th Anniversary End of Vietnam War”.Acrylic on
wood panel 18”x24”
BIOGRAPHY
• Attended the U.S.Army
Artillery Officers’ Advanced
Course, and until his release
from the hospital and army,
was the Northeast Regional
“Special Officer Selection”
Officer for the U.S.Army at
the Recruiting Command in
Boston.
• His final act while on active
duty was to design and
execute the famous “Arrival
of John Wayne into Harvard
Square atop an M-113” for
the Harvard Lampoon
Annual event in Boston in
1974. Left Army as Captain.
ARTWORK LOCATIONS
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Pentagon, Washington, DC
House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee
Department of Veterans Affairs
NATO and SHAPE Headquarters, Mons & Brussels, Belgium
Normandy, France( Paintings for D-Day Invasion and 507th Airborne
Regiment )
Ministry of Defense, Seoul Korea
Returned Services League Headquarters, Canberra, Australia
Ministry of Defense, Federal Republic of Germany
Royal Canadian Legion, Canada
Royal British Legion, Bournemouth, England
South African Airborne School
Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters
American Legion headquarters
Disabled American Veterans headquarters
Danish Military Academy
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Artwork Locations(Cont’d)
AMVETS headquarters
Military Order of the Purple Heart
Arlington National Cemetery Medal of Honor Room
“U.S.S. Arizona Memorial” Honolulu, Hawaii and HQ 25th Infantry
Division
Air Force Academy Museum
Naval Academy Museum
West Point Museum
U.S. Navy Submarine Base, Groton, CT
DACOWITS, Pentagon
Blinded American Veterans Foundation
82d Airborne Division Headquarters, Ft.Bragg,NC
Veterans organizations of the 1st,5th, 82d ABN,101st ABN, 4th, 1st Cavalry
Divisions, Special Forces, Marines, Coast Guard Air Force,submarine
veterans, destroyer and battleship veterans, Hispanic and American
Indian veterans, Military Nurses, Corpsmen and medics, Tuskegee
Airmen and Black Aviators Museum, Wisconsin veterans, and the poem
“Soldier” on several state veterans’ monuments.
Awards
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Military awards including Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Army Aviation wings, 2
Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, 3 Air Medals, Army
Commendation medal, Good Conduct(enlisted service), Vietnamese Cross of
Gallantry with star(individual awards), Vietnamese Medal of Honor First Class,
Vietnamese Staff Honor Medal First Class, Wound Medal, Vietnam Campaign
Medal w/60 device, and other campaign and service medals.
National veteran awards from the VFW, DAV, American Legion, AMVETS,
BAVF, VVA, Royal Canadian Legion, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Director’s Distinguished Public Service Award, and numerous others.
Named as “One of the 125 Distinguished Alumni To Watch” award by the
University of Massachusetts system.
Artist Member of the prestigious Society of Illustrators of New York City
“George Washington Medallion of Merit” award from the Military Order of the
Purple Heart.
Inducted into the US Army’s Field Artillery OCS Hall of Fame, Ft.Sill,OK.
…and others…
Artwork
“De Oppresso Liber…5th Special
Forces Group(ABN)”..
Depicts the famous “Green Beret” with full
parachute gear…done in memory of
my close friends, Captain Dean K.
Phillips (USA,Ret.101st ABN 11th
SFGA)(AO deceased) an SFC John A.
Boronski (MIA MACVSOG)who
posed for this painting.
Attached is the “POW-MIA” U.S.
Postage stamp cancelled First Day of
Issue.(Original is acrylic on wood
panel)
“Assured Victory…A 09-11-2001 & War On Terrorism
Memorial”( Early Version2001-updated for 12+ years while on
public display at ANC Visitor’s Center)
On Display Loan to Arlington National Cemetery since 12/2001
32”x48” unframed,acrylic on wood panel.
“Boots On The Ground..Afghanistan & Iraq War”
12”x24”acrylic on wood
“U.S.Army Special Operations Forces”
18”x24”pen-ink-board-watercolor
“International Airborne”
18”x24” pen-ink-watercolor on board
Artwork
More Artwork
More Artwork
People & Places
-President Reagan and artist at White House with
Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program poster
designed by artist which appeared in every US
Post Office in the USA.
-Artist and President
Clinton at Arlington
National Cemetery
Veterans Day Ceremonies
where President signed
back of artist’s donated
“History of the Medal of
Honor” painting
People & Places
-Gen.Colin
Powell,Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff
at Pentagon signing
artist’s
painting“God Loves
The Grunt”
-Gen.Peter Pace,
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of
Staff and Medal of Honor
Recipient Barney
Barnum(USMC) with
artist’s print “U.S.
Marines in the War in
Vietnam”
-Letter from President Bush
Thank you!
“Remember America, The Price of Freedom is always paid by those who
have enjoyed its fruits the least, but who cherished its meaning the most.”
George L.Skypeck