JOINT BASE MDL, N.J. -- On Apr. 14, 2015, Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 312th Training Support Regiment visited Artist Brookie Maxwell at her studio, Gallery 138 in New York, NY to take a tour and participate in a discussion about the project "Coming Home: Journey Community Dialog." The visit provided an in-depth look at the making of the project, which will be on display to the public in New York City (2015) and Washington, DC (2016) with the hopes to find a permanent home in a museum. This was the first time that Staff Sgt. Isidro Irizarry was able to view the drawings of himself from a reenactment that took place at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on Nov. 17-18, 2014 of a medevac operation after an improvised explosive device (IED) blast.
For Irizarry, the visit was a little different than it was for the rest of the Soldiers. Irizarry, from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico served his country in locations such as Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan and he currently serves as a Combat Lifesaver Trainer with the 3-312th TSB. His direct combat experience as a medic made him a perfect candidate to portray the role of a combat medic as he tries to keep the Soldier alive and get him medically evacuated out to further medical care.
Hosted by the Medical Simulation Training Center (MSTC), several Soldiers from the 174th Brigade and the Walson Medical Support Element reenacted the events that take place after an IED blast. Irizarry stated that his role was more than just acting out the event; he also tried to relive the events describing his emotions and depicting the pain Soldiers felt during that particular moment.
"My challenge overall was to open up and share, not keep it in," said Irizarry. He went on to explain that it is difficult to display emotions on command and release frustrations without worrying about what others might think. He feels the project will capture the attention of the audience and reach their inner souls to feel and sense the emotions. "[This] brings understanding that a Soldier is just like anyone else, [yet] different in his/her ways, still very human. Wanting to be received [and] accepted back without question," said Irizarry.
His first time visit to the gallery touched his heart in a surprising way. He was in disbelief that the sketches captured him with such recognizable detail and depicting exact emotions. "She caught me," said Irizarry as he began explaining the emotional impact the project has already had on him. It was an honorable and spiritual moment for Irizarry as he saw himself in sketch format, amazed at the talent and inspired by the artist's efforts. Before leaving, Irizarry took the time to complete a brief photo shoot by Maxwell so that she can work on the details of her sketches even more.
Maxwell, who has been an artist since she was old enough to hold a crayon, was inspired to create the project during her leadership classes at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in 2011 where she mediated civilian-military dialogs. During the visit, Maxwell explained the beginnings of the project: from when she did three years of immersion prior to starting to create art, to the current status of doing multiples sketches from photos taken at the reenactment. She discussed the different steps involved in creating the mural that captures a scene that is chaotic yet isolated; one wall in her studio displayed a scene that went through several stages of taking personnel out, adding them back in, and then changing the lighting and the focus.
Maxwell outlined some of the challenges of developing a massive project on an extremely limited budget with just her and her assistant, Guzal Latipova. Not being from an immediate military family, although she notes several uncles and an aunt enlisted during WWII, she found some difficulty in learning military jargon, the extreme detail of the uniform and equipment, and our general mannerisms. Maxwell has had numerous defining moments that she holds close to her heart.
"Visiting Walter Reed Hospital's physical therapy room. People cautioned me about the suffering I would see. What I saw was courage, community, humor, teamwork, faith, and hope. I was so deeply touched, it made me cry the entire trip home," said Maxwell.
She expressed extreme gratitude towards the extraordinary military and civilian advisors and supporters, stating that she never expected such generosity and kindness from total strangers. Her ultimate goal is to use art to create the container for dialogs that brings us together as one country.
The memorable visit for the Soldiers of the 3-312th TSB did not end there. Maxwell and the Soldiers also visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the site where an event initiated so much patriotism but years later a disconnect between service members and civilians.
Before departing, Maxwell thanked the Soldiers for visiting her studio. She was in turn thanked for her compassion and eagerness to capture the emotions of service members on canvas. "Coming Home: Journey Community Dialog" will have a lasting impact on its audience whether military or civilian with the hopes that it bridges the gap between the experienced combat veteran and the patriot back home.
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