Waiting for the Bird

Oil on canvas. I painted this scene from a photo I took on the flight line at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. It was 01:00 and Gulf Company was about to load up in helos and insert into a very hot zone for what would turn into a fourteen day combat operation. Not gonna lie, we were all pretty on edge in this scene. One of the marines in the left of the painting "Cpl Carlson" lost both of his legs two days later from an improvised explosive device but put applied his tourniquets and was evact just in time. Another Marine was shot on the ass and we were able to laugh about it later. None the less, we all made it back from this one with no KIA. I think I speak for all the marines of Gulf Co 2/5 that no matter how much time has passed, deep in our hearts we will forever be on this flight line, together as one, waiting for the bird.