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Marine Paints His Way Into Afghanistan History
(September 10, 2010) | 
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Cpl. John A. Galvan, an assistant squad leader with Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected Company, 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, takes a knee by his unit logo poster he drew for his tents, as a show of unit pride when they first got to Marjah. “Col. Newman saw it, he liked it and he asked me if I could paint the Afghan Flag as a favor to the governor,” said Galvan. Galvan cut the garrison-sized flag out of plywood, and his tools were a sponge, Q-tips and his fingers. |
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COMBAT OUTPOST KHERSE, Afghanistan — When Cpl. John A. Galvan painted the 1st
Platoon, Bravo Company, 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion logo, he was not
thinking about contributing to the history of Afghanistan.
“I drew a 3rd Tracks logo poster for our tents as a unit pride thing when we
first got to Marjah,” said Galvan, “Col. Newman saw it, he liked it and he asked
me if I could paint the Afghan flag as a favor to the governor.”
The assistant squad leader with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Company, 3rd
Amphibious Assault Battalion, cut the garrison-sized flag out of plywood.
Galvan's tools were a sponge, Q-tips and his fingers.
“I mixed [the colors] with oil because I was running out of paint,” said Galvan,
from Santa Rosa, Texas.
The white parts of the Afghan flag, the mosque and the words, were done with
white corrective fluid, because they didn't have any white paint, said Galvan, a
Santa Rosa High School graduate.
Four days later, Galvan, who has been drawing since he was six years old, had
painted a garrison-sized flag on piece of plywood. |
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“I painted one and the governor liked it, and he asked me if I could paint
another one so he could put it on the other side of the government center,” said
Galvan.
The two flags now hang off the north and south sides of the Marjah District
Center. When Galvan's company leaves Marjah, one of the flags will remain at the
district center, while the other will be moved to a museum in Kabul to become a
permanent part of Afghan history.
“It's really nice knowing later on in the future, my son can look back and say
‘Hey, my dad did that,'” said Galvan. “It's pretty cool to be a part of history.
“It's nice to actually be acknowledged for something that you did from people
who don't even know who you are,” said Galvan. “Knowing that you are
contributing in that fact is nice.”
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Article and photos by USMC LCpl. Benjamin Crilly
Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Copyright 2010
Provided
through DVIDS
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