INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. and#8212; Last week, the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Veterans Club presented a check to Mr. Tom Garrels, Owner/Artist of Kris Moose Art and Frame in Christmas Tree Shopping Center.
The 192nd Airlift Squadron, the and#8220;High Rollersand#8221; are a unit of the 152nd Airlift Wing of the Nevada Air National Guard. They are based at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, and have been providing reproductions of an original oil painting of the flight station of a C-130H Hercules, painted by Mr. Tom Garrels, to those crewmembers that have successfully completed 1,000 hours of flight time in a combat zone.
Unfortunately, funds have been reduced for such things as morale boosting, personal recognition presentations of framed pictures of and#8220;their aircraft.and#8221; Kris Moose was willing to reduce the price of the prints to their reproduction cost. But that doesnand#8217;t cover the cost of framing.
Thatand#8217;s where the Veteransand#8217; Club stepped in. Made up of veterans, they all realize that personal recognition is an important morale booster.
But before the check presentation Mr. Garrels gave us some background of how this all came into being. In 2010 he had an original oil picture show in the Art Gallery. He noticed that a couple of US Air Force Officers were studiously and thoroughly studying a painting that he had done of the cockpit of a World War II B-24 Liberator bomber.
He had been inspired by a recent reading of the exploits of film star Jimmy Stewart, a wartime Army Air Corp bomber pilot. The airmen wanted to know if he could paint a picture of the cockpit of their C-130H Hercules. He said that he could, but that he would need access to an airplane.
This was arranged. Mr. Garrels met the Base Commanding Officer while he was at the Reno Air Guard Base. When the picture was finished the Colonel asked if he could buy it. The deal was done and today that original painting is still displayed in the Commanding Officersand#8217; office.
The Incline Village/Crystal Bay Veterans Club is proud to be able to provide for the framing of reproductions of the painting so that they may be presented to the deserving members of the 192nd Airlift Squadron.
The Veteransand#8217; Club is a non-profit association that is organized under the auspices of IVGIDand#8217;s Parks and Recreationand#8217;s Senior Programs. For more information on the Club contact IVGD Senior Programs at 775-832-1310.
and#8212; Jack Schroeder is president of the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Veterans Club.
