Military children express feelings through art

| Wednesday, April 9, 2003 10:00 PM PDT ∞

PHIL DIEHL
Staff Writer

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Military kids, many with parents in or near harm's way, used paintbrushes to express their feelings about the war with Iraq in an after-school program Wednesday at a Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base elementary school.

Eleven-year-old John, a fifth-grader, painted helicopters and an American flag.

"That's my dad flying a helicopter," John said. "He's in Okinawa right now, but pretty soon he'll be in Kuwait."

He talks with his father on the telephone "almost every night," John said, adding that the frequent calls probably will end if his father, a helicopter mechanic, is sent closer to the war. John said he worries about his dad, even though his dad has promised he'll come home safe and that "then we'll do some things together."

About 35 children, many with parents overseas, participated in the after-school "expression session" in the large multipurpose room at Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School. Authorities asked that the children's last names not be printed.

Fourth-grader Megan, 10, sat quietly at a table putting finishing touches on her 11-by-14-inch stretched canvas. She painted her father under an American flag with a rainbow nearby "to make you happy."

Her father is a Navy medical corpsman with Marines in Kuwait or Iraq, she said, where "He gets to save people's lives."

He phoned home three days ago.

"He told me that he missed me, that he loved me, and that he probably would have to go close to where the war is," Megan said. "I think he's going to be OK."

Probably nine out of every 10 of the paintings included an American flag. Many included short phrases like "Come home soon," or "We support our troops."

Trish Spencer, administrator of the after-school program, said the art session will be held once at each of the five elementary schools on Camp Pendleton.

Each session is led by Matt D'Arrigo, a fine arts painter and founder of "A Reason To Survive," a program to provide free art opportunities for children facing adversity.

"Kids just love art," D'Arrigo said. "They don't have to say anything. You can just see it in their faces."

He encouraged the children to express their feelings through their art. Each one was to choose a theme, either "courage" or "hope." Afterward the children wrote a brief expression of their work.

Madison, 7, a student at North Terrace Elementary, wrote one of the best essays at one of the earlier art sessions. She chose the theme "courage."

"This is a painting of my daddy Theodore III, my two dogs Jo-Jo and Harley, and how brave they are," Madison wrote. "My daddy is brave because instead of being a pilot, he became a Marine and fought in many wars and survived. My dogs are brave because they can chase mosquitoes and bees, not worrying about getting stung or bit. I love my family a lot."

Contact staff writer Phil Diehl at (760) 901-4087 or pdiehl@nctimes.com.

4/10/03

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