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.. Artist with paintings on loan for display at Arlington National

Cemetery’s Visitors Center since 2001.

“Wounded..A Personal Memory” 3 April,1968 “Crossroads” Battle

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..

Artist invited to read his poem “Soldier” at Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery with President Reagan.

“Patriots’ Pride..The Purple Heart” 24”sq.,acrylic on wood panel

BIOGRAPHY

• Education– Attended the University of

Massachusetts,Amherst 1963-65. 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• 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• 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

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 25 th 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• 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)

32”x48” unframed,acrylic on wood panel.

On Display Loan to Arlington National Cemetery since 12/2001

“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