ARTILLERYMEN WAITING FOR A PLANE AT BIEN HOA AIR BASE

23 x 29 inch oil and pencil drawing by George C. Clark   U.S. Air Force Art Collection

VIETNAM WAS THE FIRST WAR WHERE SOLDIERS WENT INTO COMBAT WITH SAMSONITE LUGGAGE, THE AIR EDITION OF TIME MAGAZINE, AND ICE COLD COCA COLA.

Comment:

This was the first painting in the series, although I didn't know there was going to be a series at the time.  In the early 1980s I was invited to submit a portfolio of my work for consideration to become a member of the United States Air Force Art Program, whose members document the current and historic activities of the Air Force in art.  I had landscapes and figures, but it was suggested that I paint something with a military subject too, so I did this painting from memory and snapshots I had taken at Bien Hoa Air Base outside of Saigon.  I was waiting for a flight back to Song Be Airstrip where Bravo Battery was located with 4 other guys from our unit.  The Samsonite bag is mine.  The Lieutenant was actually reading the National Geographic, but I changed it to Time because that's the publication I had a subscription to, along with the Chicago Daily News.  I had asked my mother to get me a subscription to the paper's weekend Panorama arts supplement, but the newspaper told her they had a special offer for servicemen and I could have the whole paper six days a week for less than they would charge for just Panorama.  Another guy in the fire direction center had a subscription to the Sunday Los Angeles Times, so between us we had all the Sunday funnies covered.

I was accepted for the Air Force Art Program, and this became the first of 17 paintings I have donated to the Air Force Art Collection.