Moreno
Valley, CA and Baltimore, MD
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On June 14th,
2007 at 4:30 p.m. the city
of Moreno Valley California
will unveil their new
veterans monument that will
have as its centerpiece the
largest battle cross
monument ever created.
The monument sculpture was
created by Baltimore artist
and owner of The Large Art
Company, Richard Rist. The
sculpture is called the
“Fallen Soldier” and
consists of a pair of
military boots, an M-16
machine gun with the barrel
down between the boots, and
a combat helmet on top, all
created at two-times actual
life size and cast in
bronze.
The entire sculpture
measures 7 feet tall. The
M-16 rifle measures 6 feet
6” in length, the combat
boots are 24 inches long and
24 inches tall. The
combat helmet has a
circumference of 60 inches.
These military accoutrements
would fit a man
approximately 13 feet tall.
The weight is approximately
500 pounds.
This project presented a
number of artistic
challenges. To recreate
this sculpture at 2 times
life-size, Mr. Rist employed
the very latest in 3
dimensional laser scanning
technologies. Each piece
was scanned using the very
same technology that is used
by NASA and the Department
of Defense to design and
create the latest in space
and military hardware.
However, recreating the
subtle detail and texture of
the boots and helmet had
never been tried before and
proved challenging even for
these rocket scientists. In
order to get the minute
detail in the laces of the
boots, the scanning
resolution was so high that
the output data file was so
large it would not even fit
on most personal computers
in use today.
Once the scanning was
complete it was sent for
prototyping using a laser
guided process that builds a
replica of the original
sculpture in a poly resin
formula, one micron at a
time. Although these
machines move so fast you
can’t even see them, each
boot took two days to build
using this process. The
M-16 rifle at 2-times
life-size was actually too
big for the rapid
prototyping machines and had
to be created in 4 pieces
and assembled. This use of
3-d laser scanning
technology is somewhat new
and capturing this level of
detail was cutting edge. In
fact, one boot had to be
rejected because the data
was flawed resulting in
small triangular facets on
the surface. Due to an
extremely dedicated and
talented team, the end
result was absolutely
amazing. Even the smallest
detail was recreated on the
larger sculptures.
Background:
The concept of arranging
military gear as a symbol of
a fallen military service
member has been around since
at least WWI. The earliest
recorded pictures show a
1903 Springfield rifle with
the bayonet in the ground
and a steal pot helmet on
top; and was referred to as
a Battle Cross. The
arrangement evolved over
time along with changes in
military weaponry. At some
point the fallen soldier’s
boots were added to the
arrangement reminiscent of
the cowboy days when their
empty boots came to
symbolize the cowboy upon
his death.
Although battlefield
memorials of this nature are
recorded in previous wars,
it wasn’t until the first
gulf war that the
arrangement became
commonplace. When a combat
soldier or marine was lost
in the battlefield they
would arrange their boots,
rifle and helmet during the
final role call. After the
battle, the platoon leader
would go through the list of
names assigned to that
unit. When they read out
the name of a fallen comrade
they repeat the name three
times, waiting each time in
deafening silence for a
response. When no response
is heard, a soldier steps
forward and sticks their
rifle with bayonet into the
ground. A second soldier
steps forward and places a
combat helmet on top of the
rifle. Then a third soldier
steps forward placing the
boots in front of the rifle
facing the company and hangs
the fallen soldier’s dog
tags from the rifle. This
sequence is repeated until
everyone is accounted for.
Once the roll call is
complete and a battle cross
has been assembled for every
fallen soldier, a Chaplin
will usually lead the troops
in prayer. Then the
surviving troops will walk
by the arrangements one by
one and pay their personal
respects. As they morn,
they will often reach out
and fondle the hanging dog
tags. Those that wish to
speak may do so. Some will
say a personal prayer,
reminisce on a special
relationship or recount a
funny story. But make no
mistake; this is a ceremony
that is taken very seriously
by the troops because these
fallen soldiers are like
family and every one of them
knows that the next time
they gather like this it
might be for them. This is
a deeply moving and
emotional ceremony and the
ultimate respect for a
fallen comrade.
About
the Artist:
Richard Rist is the owner
of The Large Art Company,
one of the most respected
bronze sculpture companies
in the United States. He is
a navy veteran himself and
comes from a military
family. His brother served
in the Army during Desert
Storm, his father and
several uncles served in
WWII and Korea, and his
grandfather served in WWI.
He is a member of the
American Legion and a
life-member of the VFW.
Mr. Rist made the first
stand-alone bronze battle
cross in 2003 and called it
the “Fallen Soldier” or
“Fallen Warrior.” The
concept was to recreate the
very meaningful tribute the
troops use in the
battlefield to honor their
own. The life-size Fallen
Soldier sculpture adorns
over 100 monuments and
memorials around the world
including several in Iraq
right now.
Mr. Rist
wanted to build a monument
that would make you stop and
think for a minute about the
real cost of war and the
individual sacrifice of
those that gave it all
defending our country.
Its message is neither
pro-war nor anti-war.
And although this sculpture
may represent many, it is
not about body counts or
casualty tallies, to Mr.
Rist this sculpture
symbolizes the importance of
one lost life in the service
of his/her country. He
feels this is a fitting and
dignified tribute to our
troops and a memorial that
will keep their memory alive
in a permanent way.
The Large Art Company
gallery and sculpture studio
are located in Baltimore
Maryland. In additon to the
life-size and now heroic
Fallen Soldier, they have
also made a number of
monument and memorial
sculptures around the United
States. Their latest
creation is 12 life-size
portrait statues as a
centerpiece for a new museum
in Tennessee and is the
second largest figurative
sculpture display in the
United States. For more
information you can contact
Mr. Rist at (800) 785-4278 -
email
Richard@LargeArt.com
or visit
www.LargeArt.com.
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