This was a big day for me. As a Marine Corps Veteran I was so honored to have had the opportunity to do this for this unit. I was contacted by Captain Littlejohn about creating a custom shield for 5th Battalion / 11th Marines, Romeo Battery. I almost couldn't believe it when I first received the email! On seeing the logo, I knew the repousse / chasing techniques I use would be the perfect application for this. I have been struggling with my art goals, trying to find new motivation in what I create and this was definitely a welcome challenge! My Mom had also been in failing health over the past year, having had to go into long term nursing care in September 2017. This was a welcome respite from those new changes as well. Mom ended up passing away in February and I had lost quite a bit of time out of the shop staying in town to be close to her leading up to that. As a result I lost significant time on my bench and my schedule was back logged. Trying to accommodate all my customers who were affected by the delays, I was worried that I would not be able to complete this before their projected deployment date but as luck would have it, their flight date got moved up and I was able to get this to them within a few days of their leaving. My husband, Eric was a big help in accomplishing this, doing pretty much everything else for the last two weeks I was working on this. I was so excited to present this to them and everyone was extremely appreciative and complimentary of the finished product. As you can see from the photos below, they will be proud to have this as part of their unit for years to come! They even surprised me with a Certificate of Appreciation framed in the end caps from the M142 rocket casings and I was handed off a unit coin by the Commanding Officer of the Battalion. These things have a special place in my office now and really mean a lot to me. It was fun going back on the base where I used to work when I was on active duty 1981-1986. Eric was able to go with me and see a glimpse of my world before I met him and really enjoyed the experience. I wish my Mom could have seen this to completion but I am sure she was experiencing it in spirit. Who knows, maybe I will get more opportunities to work with the Marine Corps in the future! If not, I will still cherish this experience always! Semper Fi!
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| Total of 150 hours to complete - 32 oz copper sheet 28" x 32" |
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| You can see the logo and some of the progression of the work to the final piece. |
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| Capt. Littlejohn, First Sgt. Thomas and Myself |
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| Its in good hands now! |
